Genre Study

For Literary Analysis in AICE

English Language 9093
 ABOUT THIS SET
This set will cover the various writing genres that you will work with in this
class.

Though this is not an exhaustive list of genres in general, this list does include
the genres you are most likely to see on an AICE Exam for this course. You
need to be prepared to read, write, and analyze across these genres.

You WILL be responsible for knowing the elements that are unique to each
genre.
 Writing Genres
(type of text)
TEXTS
1. Advertisements
2. Reviews
***This list is 3. Speeches
ordered from 4. Emails/Letters
5. Diary/Journal Entries
most to least 6. Blogs
commonly seen on 7. Leaflets and/or Brochures
8. Articles
previous Lang 9. Autobiographies and/or Memoires and/or Biographies
exams.*** 10. Narrative writing (Fiction)
11. Descriptive writing
12. News stories
13. Editorials
14. Essays
15. Travel writing/Travelogue
16. Investigative Journalism
17. Reports
18. Podcasts
ADVERTISEMENT
• Primary Purpose: Persuade
• Secondary Purpose: Usually inform, but can be any “why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Usually uses 1st or 2nd person point of view
• Always has a call to action (something they want the
reader to do like buy, vote, hire, etc.)
• Common tools used include loaded language,
repetition, imperative sentences, & rhetoric
• Sometimes uses headings and subheadings
• May include a tag line/slogan
REVIEW
• Primary Purpose: Inform
• Secondary Purpose: Persuade, Entertain, or any other
“why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Usually uses 1st person point of view
• Title (sometimes uses hyperbole in the title)
• Starts out establishing credibility (why should you trust it?)
• Common tools used include hyperbole, repetition, figurative
language, connotation, and rhetoric
• Includes a rating (can be stars or another relevant metric) and
recommendation (recommend to others or not)
• Sometimes uses headings, subheadings, and pictures
SPEECH
• Primary Purpose: Either Persuade or Inform (use personal
judgment to decide which it’s doing more of and choose the
other for secondary)
• Secondary Purpose: Either inform or persuade – choose
the one you did not include for primary

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Usually uses 1st person point of view but may
incorporate 2nd as well
• Title
• Common tools used include rhetoric, imagery,
repetition, figurative language,
asyndeton/polysyndeton, and imperative sentences
• Often includes a call to action (something the
speaker wants the audience to do, think, or feel)
Email
• Primary Purpose: Usually it is primarily to inform but
might be to persuade depending on the context. Use your
judgment.
• Secondary Purpose: Any “why” that you did not already
use

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Usually uses 1st person point of view but
may incorporate 2nd as well
• Email addresses for the TO and FROM lines
• A subject line
• Salutation
• Closing
Letter
• Primary Purpose: Usually it is primarily to inform but
might be to persuade depending on the context. Use your
judgment.
• Secondary Purpose: Any “why” that you did not already
use

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Usually uses 1st person point of view but may
incorporate 2nd as well
• Date followed by name and address of the
person it is addressed to (okay to make it up)
• RE: a brief summary of what it’s about
• Salutation
• Closing
Diary/Journal Entry
• Primary Purpose: To Inform (your future self)
• Secondary Purpose: To reflect on an event

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Always uses 1st person point of view
• MUST include a date
• If it’s a diary, include “Dear Diary,” after the date
• Focuses on reflecting about the event you are writing
about
• Usually informal register (level of formality)
• Common literary tools used include imagery, repetition,
and figurative language
• Do NOT include a closing
Blog
• Primary Purpose: Usually to persuade but can also be to
inform. Use your judgment to decide which it’s doing more
• Secondary Purpose: Any “why” that you did not already
use

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Can use any point of view
• MUST have a title followed by the blogger’s name and
date posted
• Uses headings and subheadings to organize
information
• May have a sidebar with links to other content
• Often includes linked icons for social media platforms
• May include user comments at the bottom of the post
Leaflet/Brochure
• Primary Purpose: Usually to persuade but can also be to
inform. Use your judgment to decide which it’s doing more
• Secondary Purpose: Any “why” that you did not already
use

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Can use any point of view
• Name of business/organization that made it
• Headings and subheadings
• Must include contact information
• Often has a call to action (something it wants the
audience to do or think, etc.)
• Often includes images
Article
• Primary Purpose: To Inform
• Secondary Purpose: To persuade or any “why” that you
did not already use

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Almost always in 3rd person point of view
• Has title, headings, & subheadings
• Includes “By (name of writer)”
• Register/Formality depends on where it’s
published. Newspaper articles are usually
more formal than magazine articles, etc.
• Often includes images and captions
Autobiography/
Memoir/Biography
• Primary Purpose: To Inform
• Secondary Purpose: To entertain or any “why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• 1st person point of view for autobiography &
memoir but 3rd person point of view for
biography
• Biographies are usually told in
chronological order and cover most of the
person’s life
• Memoir usually focuses on specific
memories that were impactful
Narrative (Fiction)
• Primary Purpose: To Entertain
• Secondary Purpose: Any “why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Can be told in any point of view
• Has title
• Commonly used tools include plot, imagery,
theme, flashback, foreshadowing, tone,
mood, figurative language, and conflict.
• Often includes dialogue
• Often has multiple characters
Descriptive Writing
• Primary Purpose: To Entertain
• Secondary Purpose: To Describe, inform or any “why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Best told in 3rd person point of view but can
work in 1st if the focus remains on description
• Heavy emphasis on vivid, sensory details and
figurative language
• Brings the scene to life in the reader’s
imagination
News Story
• Primary Purpose: To Inform
• Secondary Purpose: Any other “why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Usually uses 3rd person point of view
• Includes name of where it’s published
• Includes title, writer’s name, and date published
• Semi-formal to formal register
• Attempts to answer Who? What? Where? When?
Why? and How?
Editorial
• Primary Purpose: To Persuade
• Secondary Purpose: To Inform or any other “why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Often written in 1st person point of view
• Focuses on a specific issue and offers the
opinion of its writer
• Puts forth some type of argument about the issue
of focus
• Usually offers a solution or includes a call to
action
Essay
• Primary Purpose: To Persuade or Inform/Explain. The task
instructions should help you figure out which one
• Secondary Purpose: Any other “why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Best when written in 3rd person point of view but 1st
person point of view may be appropriate depending
on the prompt
• Looks at both sides of an issue if making an
argument/giving an opinion.
• Explains all aspects of topic if informing/explaining.
• Includes hook with thesis, body paragraphs with
transitions, and a conclusion.
Travel Writing/
Travelogue
• Primary Purpose: To Inform
• Secondary Purpose: To entertain or any other “why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Written in 1st person point of view
• Focuses on a place/location
• Told in the past tense
• Informal/conversational tone/register
• Vivid, sensory details
• Includes ALL aspects of travel (how to get there, where
to stay, what to expect from local culture, etc.)
• Attention to audience
Investigative
Journalism
• Primary Purpose: To Inform
• Secondary Purpose: To entertain or any other “why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Usually uses 3rd person point of view
• Supported by extensive, in-depth research
• Exposes corruption or the story behind a story
• Often controversial in nature
• Commonly uses tools like symbolism, allusions,
analogies, themes, etc.
Report
• Primary Purpose: To Inform
• Secondary Purpose: Any other “why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• A report is a concise (short) piece of writing that uses
facts and evidence to explore issues, situations, events, or
findings
• Often uses a semi-formal or formal register
• Usually targets a specific audience
• Formally structured
• Often uses headings and subheadings
• Sometimes uses bullet points, tables, or graphs
• Sometimes offers recommendations based on findings
Podcast
• Primary Purpose: To Entertain
• Secondary Purpose: To Inform or any other “why”

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Uses 1st person point of view
• Includes Intro Tag identifying sponsor (advertisement)
• Includes Intro Monologue with Music Jingle
• Includes full script of main content/topic
• Finishes with a closing music jingle also sometimes
called an outro
• Usually includes a call to action that invites listeners to
come back for more or listen to past episodes