Expository vs Narrative
There are many different styles of writing that are taught in schools. These writing styles have specific purposes and are meant to carry the text to the reader so as to justify this purpose. Expository writing and narrative writing are two writing styles that are not clear to students because of their similarities. However, despite the content, the message, the style of the author and his point of view, there are subtle differences between expository and narrative styles of writing that will be highlighted in this article.
Expository
As the name implies, expository style of writing is meant for description. To give out as much as possible information is the motive behind this style of writing. If you find a lot of facts to help in explaining a concept in a piece of writing, you can be assured it is expository in nature. As it is factual in nature, expository style of writing is to the point and there is no fluff or filler content in the piece of writing.
A piece of writing in this style appears to be organized and meaningful. The writer avoids abstract language and tries to be as concrete as possible.
Narrative
Narrative style of writing is mostly used to tell stories. Novels are best examples of narrative style of writing although poems and essays are also written in this mode. Events and people affected by these events are described in detail using this style of writing to regale the readers. Historical pieces describing the same event or a personality are narrative in nature and can appear to be different depending upon the author’s point of view. Thus, it is not always fiction that is written in narrative style of writing and even autobiographies can be written using this mode of writing.
The style of writing can be much more flexible in this mode of writing, and he can make use of abstract language when he so desires to stir up emotional feelings in the readers. Though narrative writing is also chronological, the author can suddenly choose to go back into time or switch between characters, to move the readers.
What is the difference between Expository and Narrative?
• Narrative is a style of writing that can be called story telling while expository is descriptive in nature.
• Expository is factual and contains a lot of details in the form of facts whereas narrative contains figures of speeches and is a lot more flowing than expository.
• The content is organized in expository while it can be without chronology in narrative style of writing.
• Narrative can be both fact and fiction whereas expository is mostly factual.
• Expository is used by authors mostly in text books whereas narrative style is used by authors writing novels and short stories.