College Composition / Unit 1 CMP 0007 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Genre and Its Conventions
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The idea
A genre is a recognizable kind of text, such as a lab report, a review or a social media post, and each has conventions readers expect.
In practice
Conventions cover structure, paragraphs, tone and mechanics, and they are shaped by audience, purpose and culture.
Where people slip
Breaking a genre's conventions by accident confuses readers; a report written like a text message looks careless, not creative.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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