Language Arts Lesson 6
Writing Strategies: Organization and Focus (Grades 9-12)

Instruction 6-3

Controlling Impression, Coherent Thesis (Grades 9-10) | Active Verb Usage (Grades 9-10) | Elements of Discourse (Grades 11-12) | Reaching Rhetorical and Aesthetic Purposes (Grades 11-12) | Structuring Ideas and Arguments (Grades 11-12) | How to Use Rhetorical Devices (Grades 11-12) | Natural, Fresh, and Vivid Language Usage (Grades 11-12) | Summary

ELEMENTS OF DISCOURSE (GRADES 11-12)

Demonstrate an understanding of the elements of discourse (e.g., purpose, speaker, audience, form) when completing narrative, expository, persuasive, or descriptive writing assignments.

A piece of writing is a form of communication. You, the writer, are talking to the reader, or the audience. Discourse is a fancy word for conversation. In writing, discourse is defined as a “formal, orderly, and usually extended expression of thought on a subject.” This just means that you, the writer, choose a topic, express your opinion on the topic in your thesis, and then go into more detail to support your thesis.

A building has many elements that make it a building. It has a foundation, walls, doors, and a roof. Discourse also has many elements. Let’s look at the elements of discourse.

The foundation to your discourse is your purpose. What is your purpose for writing your piece? People write for several reasons: to explain, to narrate, to inform, to persuade, to entertain. You will need to determine what your purpose is when you are planning your discourse. Your purpose will determine how the rest of your discourse is “built.”

Next, you need to decide who the speaker is. In a narrative (story), the speaker could be the main character. If the main character is the speaker, the story is written in the first person voice, using words like “I” and “my.” Everything is written through the character’s eyes:

“I woke up early, and the sun wasn’t even up yet.”

Or the speaker could be the writer, speaking in third person. Most stories are written in the third person.

“Jeff woke up early, before the sun was up.”

Most essays and other types of nonfiction are written in the third person.

The next element of discourse is the audience. Who are you writing to? You could be writing a story for first-graders. In this case, the language you use, and the story itself, would have to be very simple. Perhaps you’re writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. In this case, your language would be more formal. You would want to state your opinion clearly, and then back up your opinion with supporting details.

Determining your audience will help you use words that are appropriate for that audience.

Another element of discourse is the form the writing is in. How is it organized? If you are explaining how to use a software program to create graphics, your information would be organized in a specific way. You would probably list step-by-step instructions, with more detail following each instruction.

If you are describing the day you and your family spent in London, you would probably organize your information in chronological order. You would start by describing the morning, and end by describing the evening.

Form is different from content. Content is the actual information you’re including in your writing. Form is how that content is organized.

If you want your writing to be effective and interesting, you need to consider all of these elements of discourse. Remember that writing is a conversation. As the writer, you’re in charge of making it a good conversation!

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