The word genre, borrowed from the French, means "type" or "form," is widely used in literature and film. It can describe different kinds of stories and films, such as science fiction, detective, romance and horror. It is also used to describe different literary forms, such as drama, the novel, the short story and the essay. In a composition class, you can expect to write in a variety of expository genres, such as the memoir, the review, and the descriptive essay.