1. Shows how two or more things are alike and/or how they are different 2. Starts with something that needs to change, and then proposes a solution or "fix". 3. It shows how to do something or make something, or to relate a series of events that happen over time. 4. It tells what something is, to present an item’s attributes or properties, to show what an item or place is like 5. It explains why or how something happened.