What is Composition Writing?
The definition of Composition writing is the creation and organization of a written paper or an essay on a topic in a field of study such as literature, history, or sociology. By writing papers on a subject, students learn about the subject in-depth. This type of writing should be well-focused and supported with details gathered from research.
Most higher education institutions offer an entire course on Composition writing because it helps students recognize good writing and develop their own communication skills. Moreover, students gain confidence when they learn to make assertions and present evidence in a logical order.
Types of Composition
 |
There are four types of composition writing: description, narration, exposition, and argumentation. Each type has a distinct purpose and pattern of organization.
Description
The objective of descriptive composition is to present a subject with enough details for a reader to imagine what the subject is like. An essay about a place, for example, often called a travelogue, gives specific details about a location’s food, architecture, music, and history. An essay about a person, a profile, gives specific details about that person’s character and influence. To organize a description essay, writers often present an overview first and then, like a camera zooming closer to a subject, will focus on specific details to add color.
Narration
Composition of narration comes from storytelling. Some movies and plays use a narrator to explain what happens before a story begins or what happens between scenes. Writers tell an autobiographical story about what happened to them by relating events in first-person point of view. For example, a writer may use narration to compose a memoir about their first trip overseas and arrange the story in chronological order, in the way events really happened, or they may arrange the events thematically to emphasize an insight learned from several experiences.
Exposition
Exposition comes from a Latin word that means “to show forth.” In composition writing, exposition is used “to show forth” essential information about a topic. For example, a composition about a historical topic would include background exposition about the details leading up to the event, which provides a context for the reader. Writers organize expositions according to subject and purpose, sometimes referred to as “how to” process writing. A writer may use exposition to describe how a process or object works, such as an engineer explaining how wind turbines generate power, or, if the exposition compares wind and solar power, the writing might be arranged around the key differences between the two.
 |
Argumentation
Argumentation is a form of composition that sets forth a case (makes an assertion) about a debatable topic. A writer will research what others say about a topic and will respond in a reasonable way. For example, a writer may set forth a case for or against the use of wind power as an alternative form of energy using persuasive evidence for their side of the issue. Often, argumentation compositions include opposing arguments, called counterarguments, to increase the strength of an assertion. Argumentative writing can be arranged from the weakest to the strongest or most persuasive point to build up the argument.
The Parts of an Essay
The parts of an essay or composition often are divided into five parts, or paragraphs, to help beginning writers learn how to organize their thoughts. The parts include:
- The introductory paragraph that sets up the composition’s premise and usually presents the writer’s thesis. A thesis is the main idea, the assertion a writer makes about a topic. An example of an argumentation assertion would be, “Wind power is a good alternative energy because it is environmentally clean and can benefit the local economy.”
- Three paragraphs of support that explain in detail why the thesis is reasonable.
- The concluding paragraph that wraps up the essay.
Intended as a model, the five part-essay helps writers plan their research, organize their thoughts, and present their final written composition. The five-part essay is used to help writers understand how to unify a composition. Because many topics are too complex to discuss in only five paragraphs, this structure also provides the writer with a foundation upon which to build a longer, more fully developed essay.
Composition Writing Examples
A composition about the benefits of wind power might make these points:
The introduction, paragraph one, explains why wind power is used as an alternative energy source. In the introduction, a writer may ask a question about a topic, such as whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks of wind power, or assert a claim plus reasons. A sample thesis might be, “Although there are some drawbacks to wind power, the benefits of this alternative energy outweigh the drawbacks because wind power supplies clean energy, brings revenue to a local economy, and reduces dependence on fossil fuels.” The introduction may acknowledge the drawbacks of wind power in order to present the other side of the debate.
The three paragraphs of support:
- Paragraph two explains why the clean energy of wind power is important.
- Paragraph three explains how wind power provides revenue for a community.
- Paragraph four explains how wind power can reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
The Conclusion, paragraph five, confirms why the benefits of wind power outweigh the risks.
How to Write a Composition
Composition writing gives writers experience with describing something important, narrating an experience, explaining a process, and researching about debatable issues. When writers start their research, they may be surprised by a topic’s complexity, especially with a debatable topic and what others are saying about it. The process of researching and responding to the complexity of a topic helps writers develop critical thinking, the ability to analyze an argument, evaluate the validity of an assertion, and then come to a reasonable conclusion about the argument. Learning the process of critical thinking is an important part of intellectual development. In fact, all work, whether at school or in the workplace, requires some level of critical thinking.
Writing a composition can be broken down into these steps:
1 Research a topic
2 Create an outline of the main points each paragraph will cover
3 Write a draft, a writer’s initial thinking about a topic
4 Revise for the big ideas that unify the composition
5 Edit to fine tune and polish the draft
Qualities of Good Composition Writing
Good composition writing includes the qualities of organization, unity, coherence, and support.
Good organization helps readers follow a writer’s ideas from point to point. In fact, a well-ordered composition sets up a pattern of ideas the reader will expect. For example, if a writer writes, “On one hand, wind power is beneficial…,” the reader will expect the rest of the idea to continue, “On the other hand, wind power has some drawbacks…”
Another quality of a good composition is unity. In other words, writers make sure a reader sees how the parts of a composition connect with each other and how they support the composition’s thesis. Another way writers help readers move from idea to idea is by using effective transitions to move smoothly from one idea to the next.
Coherence is another quality of good composition. Coherence, like unity, refers to how the ideas combine to create a consistent whole. Coherence ensures a composition makes sense to a reader by creating logical bridges from idea to idea.
A good composition is well-supported with evidence that will persuade a reader that a writer’s thesis is reasonable.
Tips for Proofreading and Editing
Composition writing requires good proofreading and editing skills. One of the best ways to proofread is to read a composition aloud. Another good method for improving the quality of a draft is to have someone else read it to find places that need clarification or better connections. Inevitably, errors crop up in writing, though good proofreading will catch them. Polishing a paper until it is error-free establishes a writer’s ethos, or credibility, which is a good way to keep the reader’s trust.
Lesson Summary
Composition Writing is creating and organizing a written paper or an essay on a topic in a field of study. Composition helps writers recognize quality writing and develop their own effective writing skills.
The four main types of composition writing are description, narration, exposition, and argumentation.
A descriptive composition relates details of a person or a place.
In a composition of narration, a writer tells a chronology of events as a first-person narrative.
Writers use exposition to relate details about a subject, explain processes, or clarify distinctions.
Argumentation is a composition that sets forth a case (makes an assertion) about a debatable topic.
A composition typically has five main points:
- An introduction that sets up a premise and usually presents a thesis.
- Three paragraphs of support that give reasons why the thesis is reasonable.
- A conclusion that explains the importance of the subject.
An example of a composition on the benefits of wind power might make these points:
- An Introduction that makes an assertion about wind power.
- Paragraphs of support that include at least three reasons why wind power is a good alternative energy.
- A Conclusion about the value of considering wind power.
Writing a composition can be broken down into these steps:
1 Research a topic
2 Create an outline of the main points for each paragraph
3 Write the first draft
4 Revise for unity
5 Edit for fine-tuning
Good composition writing includes the qualities organization, unity, coherence, and support.