A term used to classify types of spoken or written discourse, normally classified by content, language, purpose and form; for example formal letters, belongs to which term?

• A. Formal schemata
• B. Genre
• C. Global revision
• D. Gradable antonymy

Answer: (B)

Genre classifies types of spoken or written discourse by their content, language, purpose, and form. This is why formal letters fall into the same broad category: they follow specific conventions for what is discussed, the register and wording used, the goal of the communication, and the way the text is structured. Recognizing genre helps you anticipate how a text will be organized and how you should read or produce it, since each genre (letter, report, speech, email, etc.) has its own typical content, tone, purpose, and format.

Other terms don’t fit as neatly: formal schemata relate more to the expected templates within a discourse type; global revision is about editing across the whole text; gradable antonymy concerns word meaning on a spectrum.