What makes a genre definable

Some things to consider as you write:. Because of the car accident, you are missing your Biology midterm. You are stressed out! By the time the police clear the accident scene, the mid-term is over and you are headed home. Write an email to your Biology professor, explaining what happened and appealing to him for another chance to take the mid-term or to make it up somehow. Write the email, considering the audience and the situation as well as the following:.

Write a text message to a friend — you are finished at the accident scene and need a ride. Write this in the genre of a txt msg explaining what you need, why, and from where to where. Some things to consider:. You are doing some online research about car accidents a few weeks after your accident happened because it had a big impact on you even though you were unhurt. You stumble across a blog where people share their stories about how car accidents have impacted their lives.

There is an open forum for anyone who wants to post an entry to do so. You read about some horrific accidents that left people with permanent damage or loss. You are struck by the fact that your car accident, while inconvenient and a bit scary, was nothing as bad as it might have been.

You decide to tell your story. Write a blog entry detailing your experience and explaining its impact on you. Some things to keep in mind:. You are assigned an essay for your Psychology class on the topic of human behavior and what makes people change learned habits. The assignment requires that you indicate why the topic is important to you as the writer of it. You decide to write about distracted driving, and you include your story about texting and driving as the introduction, using this personal experience to set the stage for your essay and explain your interest in the topic.

It is significant for you because the accident reminds you of another time in your life when you had a close call that left you with a greater sense of appreciation for life. Write the introduction to this Psych essay, keeping the following in mind:.

Reflect on the experience of writing in different genres for each rhetorical situation. Use the following prompts as a guideline:. Purpose of Exercise: This exercise helps students articulate how genre plays a role in their understanding of their own writing and writing process es. Using reflection as the method by which they explore their understanding of genre and key terms in writing, students can begin to make connections to how the understanding of genre aids their ability to write more successfully.

Description: This is a four step exercise that normally spans at least two-three class periods and is most often helpful when done during week two or week three of the semester. Additionally, it works best if you have the students read several different readings that are in several different genres.

So for example have students read a short memoir, a newspaper article, and an inquiry-based essay as homework during this week of class, so they have a variety of genres that you know they have read.

Suggested Time: minutes per class period; plus 30 min discussion at the end of the second class and a 20 min reflection to bring it all together. During the second week of class have students take 20 min or so to respond to the following questions:. In this quick reflection, think about words or terms that you believe are important in creating "good" writing think about your own writing and your method of writing Generate a list of terms and define them.

Finally, tell why you believe the list you have created is important to writing, specifically your own writing. Have the students pull up their list from the first day and reflection to the following questions:. If you had to define genre based on your readings and your own understanding of genre, what would that definition be? Think about each of the readings and their specific genre and support your definition with examples from the three readings so far.

Be specific. Talk through how each author uses genre. Why is it important that you learn about different genres of writing? Why learn about key terms such as genre, audience, purpose, rhetorical situation, etc? What does it do for your writing to understand these key terms? How do these terms contribute to your development as a writer? Revisit your key terms and your reflection on good writing. How has this changed or morphed? Walk through your writing process.

How does your new understanding of genre affect your writing process? By comparing the digital genres of the Facebook status update, the tweet, and the text message, students are able to see how digital writing responds to diverse purposes and audiences.

First, have students collect a certain number of Facebook statuses, tweets, and texts messages—either their own or from others. If you are in a computer classroom, this can be done in-class. If not, it may be useful to give students a homework assignment in which they collect—and maybe even print out—these snippets of text. Next, have students take a moment to write about if and how they use these three kinds of writing.

You might prompt them with one or several of the following questions:. Do they Facebook? Write text messages? When and with what digital technologies? Do they use them for the same purposes? Do they use them for different purposes and in different situations? Who do they plan to reach when they write a Facebook status, tweet, or text message? In short, how do they decide whether to write a Facebook status, tweet, or text? Third, have students take a minute to write about how these genres are both similar to and different from each other.

What kind of writing does each venue allow you to do? How does each genre allow you to connect texts with each other? Nglish: Translation of genre for Spanish Speakers. Britannica English: Translation of genre for Arabic Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Essential Meaning of genre. Full Definition of genre. Synonyms Did you know?

Synonyms for genre Synonyms breed , class , description , feather , ilk , kidney , kind , like , manner , nature , order , sort , species , strain , stripe , type , variety Visit the Thesaurus for More. Did you know? Examples of genre in a Sentence In genre fiction there is an implied contract between writer and reader that justice of a kind will be exacted; "good" may not always triumph over "evil," but the distinction between the two must be honored.

Roberts , Newsweek , 2 Sept. Recent Examples on the Web The author is a legend in the genre , known for his popular book series like Goosebumps and Fear Street. First Known Use of genre , in the meaning defined at sense 1. History and Etymology for genre French, from Middle French, kind, gender — more at gender. The following are some of the best-known categories and their subgenres, and it is by no means a comprehensive list. The romance itself is the key element, as is the emotional engagement of the reader.

The book should have a happy or satisfying ending. Science fiction often takes place in the future and is based on technological advances, both real and imagined, and how they influence the characters and their world. The Lord of the Rings is a good example of fantasy fiction. While there are often romantic elements, the focus is not necessarily on one partner, and the endings are more realistic than the happily ever-after endings of the strictly romance division.

While considerable research goes into these books, historical accuracy is not the immediate goal. The goal is to scare or unsettle the reader, and Stephen King has a corner on this market. The main character is often a police officer or a detective, and the reader is given clues, both real and false, to help solve the mystery. Readers of this genre can expect action, and lots of it. Christian can include any of the major genres, such as romance or science fiction.

I enjoyed this informative article on genres. My own genre is historical romance and my immediate goal IS historical accuracy because I want the story to ring true. If I put my protagonist in a setting with Kit Carson, Mr. Carson had to be there on that day in that place! I couple that immediate goal with the immediate goal of making the story as colorful and exciting as possible. Golden Siblings, Wagons South!

A reader has left a glowing comment on His Fiery Equal on Amazon. Read and enjoy! Adora Mitchell Bayles, Author. Thank you for the definition of genres. Sometimes I would get mysteries and suspense confused.