Diaries, Journals, and Letters

Three particular genres of nonfiction – diaries, journals, and letters – offer personal glimpses into the lives and minds of the writer. Diaries and journals are quite similar in many ways. A diary tends to include day-to-day notes and jottings about a variety of events in the life of the writer. A journal can do this as well, but journals typically rely on major reflections about one’s life, philosophy, or encounters. Many times the terms themselves are used interchangeably.

A person holds a pencil and begins to write a letter.

Letters, however, are quite different. First of all, they are meant to be read by more than one person (unlike a typical diary or journal). Unlike any form of verbal exchange, letters provide us with a tangible source of firsthand information. The power of the written document over spoken discourse is undeniable. Information is "put into writing" to become official. Letters are also a viable source for the documentation of history. When reading a letter, or any other writing for that matter, it is important to recognize the type, purpose, and audience of the document.

Letters can be personal exchanges between close friends, or they can be for business purposes. For a variety of reasons, personal letters are best handwritten, for the medium of handwriting can show a more personalized and intimate bond between close friends or family. Business letters, however, should be typed since there is a level of formality and structure in this type of correspondence. Below is an example letter, showing the structural elements of a typical letter. You can download a copy of the Structural Elements of a Letter as well.

The Purpose of Letters

There are a variety of reasons why someone might choose to compose a letter. Maybe they want to retell an event that occurred, or perhaps they want to provide instructions to someone. See the Text Type Chart below to learn about the different purposes someone might have for writing letters. Note the difference not just in purpose, but in style and tone as well.

**The Purpose of Letters - Text Types**
Text Type	Social Purpose(s)	Typical Structures	Typical Grammatical Features
Narrative	To entertain and/or educate	Orientation Complication/series of events Resolution (optional)	Past tense Emotive Language Specific/proper noun types Time sequences Common Language
Instructional Text	To provide clear directions to help the reader perform a set of specific actions to complete a specific outcome	Title List of materials/ingredients Series of steps Additional suggestions Visual aides	use of IMPERATIVE (commands) Action verbs ADVERBIALS of time, manner, place, reason etc.
Recount	To retell an event or series of events and/or to reflect	Orientation events stage Reorientation (optional)	Verbs in past tense Adverbials of TIME Action verbs
Information Report	To classify and describe a phenomenon or a particular class of things	Classification stage Description stage	Relational (linking) verbs Action verbs Factual adjectives Adjectival phrases Technical terminology General nouns Nominalisation Personal Pronouns
Explanation	To describe the processes whereby phenomena work/why they work	Title Phenomenon identification Explanation sequence Final paragraph	Relational verbs Use of noun groups Action verbs Technical terminology Exclusion of personal pronouns
Argument	To express an opinion or point of view using evidence which supports the case being made	Introduction/thesis stage Supporting arguments Examples/elaboration of points Reiteration/conclusion	Connectives of time, causal, Conjunctions – additive, temporal Modality – degree of certainty Nominalization Auxiliary verbs (tense)

Practice Activity

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