What is Prose?
{{for|the Wikipedia guideline on prose|Wikipedia:Manual of Style}} '''Prose''' is the ordinary form of the written, or spoken, [[language]].<ref>''Concise Oxford Dictionary''.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198715443.001.0001/acref-9780198715443-e-928?rskey=B3tvrP&result=5|title=Prose|last=Baldick|first=Chris|date=2015|website=Oxford Reference - The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (4 ed.)|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-871544-3|access-date=January 7, 2023}}</ref>{{better source|date=December 2024}} It is not [[poetry]]. On the [[Writing|written]] page it looks like a cluster of [[Paragraph|paragraphs]]. It does not need any special [[format]], such as [[List|lists]] and [[Table (information)|tables]]. In writing, it is without special [[rhythm]]. It is similar to everyday [[communication]]. That is what makes it different from poetry and from [[Theatre|theatrical]] works such as [[Play (theatre)|plays]].{{cn|date=December 2024}} ==Origin== ''Prose'' comes from the [[Latin]] word ''prosa'', meaning straightforward.<ref>{{Cite web|title=prose {{!}} Search Online Etymology Dictionary|url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=prose|access-date=2023-01-07|website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref> Prose writing is usually used to describe facts or to discuss whatever one's thoughts are in free flowing speech. It may be used for [[Newspaper|newspapers]], [[Novel|novels]], [[Magazine|magazines]], [[Encyclopedia|encyclopedias]], [[Letter|letters]], [[Story|stories]], [[history]], [[philosophy]] and [[biography]].{{cn|date=December 2024}} ==Forms== Prose generally has no formal structure, like [[Meter (poetry)|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 [[Hybrid|blend]] of the two forms of literature known as ''[[Prose poem|prose poetry]]''.{{cn|date=December 2024}} == References == {{Reflist}} [[Category:Prose| ]]