Why Write?

Something that you write in everyday. Your personal thoughts and ideas.	Functional Writing
Uses lots of adjectives and paints a vivid picture in your mind.	Research Report
Writing that you have to do in your daily life, like filling out forms, writing a note or grocery list.	Journals
Meant to inform the reader about something. It can • Tell what happened when ... • Write a report on ... • Explain how to ... • Describe how to ... Explain how to ....	Expository Writing
Must research information and tell about a specific topic.	Narrative Writing
Tells a story, has a plot, characters, setting and theme.	Descriptive Writing

 

Audience

• A boss or supervisor
• A communications expert
• The general public
• Family members, friends, strangers
• Older and younger people
• People with disabilities and able-bodied people
• Women and men
• People from different cultures
• People with different literacy skills

Purpose

• Enable the audience to do something after they read the document
• Prevent or achieve something
• Change the audience’s behavior
• Give the audience information
• Gather information about the audience
• Gather information from the audience about other things
• Respond or understand something
• Tell a story
• Persuade people to do something or think a certain way
• Give direction
• Explain how to do something

(adapted from the National Literacy Council (2016))