Writing: Types of Compositions

What is a Composition?

A composition is a short piece of writing that discusses any topic on any aspect of life.

Types of Compositions:

There are four types of compositions. 

These are:

1. The Narrative Composition: 

This is a composition that tells a story.  Since a story recalls an experience that already happened, most parts of the composition are written in the past tense.

The story may be factual or imaginary.

Topics like;

’How I spent my last holiday’, ’My friend’s birthday party’, and ’A visit to the hospital’, can be written, using the narrative method.

2. The Descriptive Composition: 

This is a composition that gives details of a person, an object, a scene, or a place.  For example, compositions with topics like, ‘My Best Friend’, ’An Aeroplane’, and ’My Best Teacher’, are good topics for a descriptive composition.

The primary objective of composition is to create a clear mental picture, of somebody or something. The writer of such a composition uses vivid adjectives to describe persons or objects.

3. The Argumentative Composition: 

This kind of composition is used in a writing activity, that seeks to persuade or convince others, to agree with one’s point of view or opinion. The basic thing in this composition is that there must be a topic, and the topic must have two sides to it.

For example, any response to topics like, ’Village life is better than city life’, ’Men are better than women’, and ’Public school is better than private school’, is argumentative.

The writer takes one of the sides of the argument and gives points, to support his or her position.

4. The Expository Composition: 

This composition presents an objective view of a topic. It is a composition that explains something with facts. 

Topics like, ’Explain the things that need to be changed in your school’, ’How to repair a bicycle’, and ’How to repair a mobile phone’, are expository topics.

The writer of expository composition takes all the points and presents their strengths and weaknesses

The conclusion should not show the opinion of the writer.