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For the Wikipedia guideline on prose, see Wikipedia:Manual of Style.

Prose is the ordinary form of the written (or spoken) language.[1][2] It is not poetry. It does not use any special format such as lists or tables. In writing, it is without special rhythm. It is similar to everyday communication. That is what makes the most important distinction with poetry, and with theatrical works such as plays.

The word prose comes from the Latin prosa, meaning straightforward, hence the term "prosaic". Prose writing is usually adopted for the description of facts or the discussion of whatever one's thoughts are, incorporated in free flowing speech. It may be used for newspapers, novels, magazines, encyclopedias, broadcast media, letters, stories, history, philosophy, biography, and many other forms of media.

Prose generally has no formal structure, like meter or rhyme, that is often found in poetry. Therefore, it is used to describe literature which is non-poetic, and non-theatrical. There is, however, a blend of the two forms of literature known as prose poetry.

References[change | change source]

  1. Concise Oxford Dictionary.
  2. "Prose". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2012-05-27.