We may think that literature has several genres, but there are really only three — poetry, drama and prose. When ( read) in school, students often encounter these English literary genres. Literary genres are ( category) of literature that generally are determined by technique, length, tone and content. When we list literary genres from a broader perspective, we know that they can be more abstract, flexible and loosely defined by comparison. However, when we get more specific into the subcategories, the type distinctions and rules become ( particular) clear.