There are several types of text that exist. Yes, they exist. Therefore, you should know all of them. Knowing how they look like, and how they are arranged will help you writing them or reading them. In other words, this is what you need to know to improve both your writing and reading skills.
Okay, there are 4 types that I want to explain here. They are:
1. Descriptive text
2. Narrative text
3. Expository text
4. Argumentative text
Descriptive Text
Descriptive text describes and creates a vivid impression of a person, place, object, etc. Some books like novels usually use descriptive text to tell the readers about the character(s) or the surroundings. Descriptive texts usually use simple present tense.
The structure of a descriptive text:
a. Identification : to identify the thing that is going to be described.
b. Description : describing the thing, or part(s) of the thing.
An example of descriptive text:
Borobudur is Hindu – Budhist temple. It was build in the nineth century under Sailendra dynasty of ancient Mataram kingdom. Borobudur is located in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. (Identification)
Borobudur is well-known all over the world. Its construction is influenced by the Gupta architecture of India. The temple is constructed on a hill 46 m high and consist of eight step like stone terrace. The first five terrace are square and surrounded by walls adorned with Budist sculpture in bas-relief. The upper three are circular. Each of them is with a circle of bell shape-stupa. The entire adifice is crowned by a large stupa at the centre at the centre of the top circle. The way to the summit extends through some 4.8 km of passage and starways. The design of borobudur which symbolizes the structure of universe influences temples at Angkor, Cambodia.
Borobudur temple which is rededicated as an Indonesian monument in 1983 is a valuable treasure for Indonesian people. (Description)
The structure of a descriptive text:
a. Identification : to identify the thing that is going to be described.
b. Description : describing the thing, or part(s) of the thing.
An example of descriptive text:
Borobudur is Hindu – Budhist temple. It was build in the nineth century under Sailendra dynasty of ancient Mataram kingdom. Borobudur is located in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. (Identification)
Borobudur is well-known all over the world. Its construction is influenced by the Gupta architecture of India. The temple is constructed on a hill 46 m high and consist of eight step like stone terrace. The first five terrace are square and surrounded by walls adorned with Budist sculpture in bas-relief. The upper three are circular. Each of them is with a circle of bell shape-stupa. The entire adifice is crowned by a large stupa at the centre at the centre of the top circle. The way to the summit extends through some 4.8 km of passage and starways. The design of borobudur which symbolizes the structure of universe influences temples at Angkor, Cambodia.
Borobudur temple which is rededicated as an Indonesian monument in 1983 is a valuable treasure for Indonesian people. (Description)
Narrative Text
Narrative texts tell the readers stories or past events to entertain them. Narrative texts usually use simple past tense.
The structure of a narrative text:
Orientation : the introduction of the story or event.
Complication : the introduction of the rising crises or problems in the story or the events
Resolution : showing the way the problems get solved, for better or worse.
An example of narrative text:
Once upon time, a man had a wonderful parrot. There was no other parrot like it. The parrot could say every word, except one word. The parrot would not say the name of the place where it was born. The name of the place was Catano. (Orientation)
The man felt excited having the smartest parrot but he could not understand why the parrot would not say Catano. The man tried to teach the bird to say Catano however the bird kept not saying the word.
At the first, the man was very nice to the bird but then he got very angry. “You stupid bird!” pointed the man to the parrot. “Why can’t you say the word? Say Catano! Or I will kill you” the man said angrily. Although he tried hard to teach, the parrot would not say it. Then the man got so angry and shouted to the bird over and over; “Say Catano or I’ll kill you”. The bird kept not to say the word of Catano.
One day after he had been trying so many times to make the bird say Catano, the man really got very angry. He could not bear it. He picked the parrot and threw it into the chicken house. There were four old chickens for next dinner “You are as stupid as the chickens. Just stay with them” Said the man angrily. Then he continued to humble; “You know, I will cut the chicken for my meal. Next it will be your turn, I will eat you too, stupid parrot”. After that he left the chicken house. (Complication)
The next day, the man came back to the chicken house. He opened the door and was very surprised. He could not believe what he saw at the chicken house. There were three death chickens on the floor. At the moment, the parrot was standing proudly and screaming at the last old chicken; “Say Catano or I’ll kill you”. (Resolution)
Complication : the introduction of the rising crises or problems in the story or the events
Resolution : showing the way the problems get solved, for better or worse.
An example of narrative text:
Once upon time, a man had a wonderful parrot. There was no other parrot like it. The parrot could say every word, except one word. The parrot would not say the name of the place where it was born. The name of the place was Catano. (Orientation)
The man felt excited having the smartest parrot but he could not understand why the parrot would not say Catano. The man tried to teach the bird to say Catano however the bird kept not saying the word.
At the first, the man was very nice to the bird but then he got very angry. “You stupid bird!” pointed the man to the parrot. “Why can’t you say the word? Say Catano! Or I will kill you” the man said angrily. Although he tried hard to teach, the parrot would not say it. Then the man got so angry and shouted to the bird over and over; “Say Catano or I’ll kill you”. The bird kept not to say the word of Catano.
One day after he had been trying so many times to make the bird say Catano, the man really got very angry. He could not bear it. He picked the parrot and threw it into the chicken house. There were four old chickens for next dinner “You are as stupid as the chickens. Just stay with them” Said the man angrily. Then he continued to humble; “You know, I will cut the chicken for my meal. Next it will be your turn, I will eat you too, stupid parrot”. After that he left the chicken house. (Complication)
The next day, the man came back to the chicken house. He opened the door and was very surprised. He could not believe what he saw at the chicken house. There were three death chickens on the floor. At the moment, the parrot was standing proudly and screaming at the last old chicken; “Say Catano or I’ll kill you”. (Resolution)
Expository Text
Expository texts explain things and providing the analysis and facts concerning to them. The purpose of this type is to inform the readers about particular subject(s).
Where can we find this kind of text? You can find them on academic websites, textbooks, almanacs, encyclopedias, newspapers, biographies.
Expository texts may be categorized by one or more of the following types:
An
Sequential Order:
Often used in textbooks to explain major events in time. Lists are used to highlight certain aspects of an event or features of an object.
List:
A way of explaining a number of different objects or events. Lists are usually published in textbooks or instruction manuals as a way to quickly get as much information to the reader as possible.
Compare and Contrast:
This involves describing how two or more events, places, characters, or other ideas are similar and .or different in several ways.
Problem and Solution:
Authors use this technique to identify the problem, give possible solutions with possible results and finally, the solution that was chosen.
Cause and Effect:
This may involve several reasons why an event occurred, or several effects from on cause, and of course, as single cause/effects situation.
An example of expository text:
Major Causes of Stress Among Students
Youth is often considered to be the best period of life. However, from a certain viewpoint, youth is also one of the most difficult periods in the life of an individual; the reason for this is the lack of experience, maximalism, treatment from adults, their expectations, and so on. And certainly, one of the hardest periods in youth is college. College is a perfect stress environment, as it usually incorporates multiple major stress factors, and throws it at a student all at once.
College freshmen are, perhaps, the most vulnerable category of students. This is due to the fact that they face the social challenges that involve leaving their whole support structure – friends, parents, hometown, habits – behind. Freshmen have to create new social networks, deal with having to solve their problems on their own, without parents’ assistance, and so on. Naturally, this leads to stress. Additionally, bad roommates, their homework load, part-time jobs, and dealing with the dynamics of young adult relationships is incredibly difficult for young people yet in their teen years (About Health).
Lifestyle is also one of the major factors causing stress in students. Whenever we say “student life,” we usually imply unhealthy eating habits, late night parties, alcohol, a lack of sleep in favor of extensive studying and social activity, and so on. No doubt, all this negatively affects the physical (and psychological) health of students. Chronic fatigue causes students to feel exhaustion, and negatively influences their performance or attendance in class. They have less energy for academic exercises, and may choose to skip classes or do homework less thoroughly, which can become an additional stress factor on its own (Livestrong.com).
Poor work and priorities organization is yet another scourge for many young men and women living and studying on campuses. They are on their own now – no teachers, parents, or relatives are going to tell them what, how, and when to do. Because of the lack of experience, students cannot figure out what to pay attention to, and what is not urgent at the moment; how to organize their routine; how to spend less time doing mundane tasks; how to keep a balance between private and academic life, and so on. This causes frustration, poor performance, and stress. Effective ways to help it might be keeping records on what and how you do. After you see how much time this or that activity takes, you can start planning (IFR).
Being young is not only fun, but also stressful, especially when you are a college student. New social challenges combined with the absence of a habitual support network (like family or old friends), poor and unhealthy lifestyle, and the lack of organization, often cause frustration and stress in students. The stereotype that youth is the greatest time in one’s life might simply be a fallacy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_types
https://pakpuguh.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/description-text/
https://pakpuguh.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/1-narrative-text/
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-expository-text-definition-types-examples.html
http://www.homepages.dsu.edu/venekaml/Lewis%20and%20Clark/EXPOSITORY%20TEXT%20STRUCTURES.htm
https://blog.udemy.com/examples-of-expository-writing/
https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/expository/
http://homeworktips.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/argument.htm
http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/essay/4bv.html
Where can we find this kind of text? You can find them on academic websites, textbooks, almanacs, encyclopedias, newspapers, biographies.
Expository texts may be categorized by one or more of the following types:
An
Sequential Order:
Often used in textbooks to explain major events in time. Lists are used to highlight certain aspects of an event or features of an object.
List:
A way of explaining a number of different objects or events. Lists are usually published in textbooks or instruction manuals as a way to quickly get as much information to the reader as possible.
Compare and Contrast:
This involves describing how two or more events, places, characters, or other ideas are similar and .or different in several ways.
Problem and Solution:
Authors use this technique to identify the problem, give possible solutions with possible results and finally, the solution that was chosen.
Cause and Effect:
This may involve several reasons why an event occurred, or several effects from on cause, and of course, as single cause/effects situation.
An example of expository text:
Major Causes of Stress Among Students
Youth is often considered to be the best period of life. However, from a certain viewpoint, youth is also one of the most difficult periods in the life of an individual; the reason for this is the lack of experience, maximalism, treatment from adults, their expectations, and so on. And certainly, one of the hardest periods in youth is college. College is a perfect stress environment, as it usually incorporates multiple major stress factors, and throws it at a student all at once.
College freshmen are, perhaps, the most vulnerable category of students. This is due to the fact that they face the social challenges that involve leaving their whole support structure – friends, parents, hometown, habits – behind. Freshmen have to create new social networks, deal with having to solve their problems on their own, without parents’ assistance, and so on. Naturally, this leads to stress. Additionally, bad roommates, their homework load, part-time jobs, and dealing with the dynamics of young adult relationships is incredibly difficult for young people yet in their teen years (About Health).
Lifestyle is also one of the major factors causing stress in students. Whenever we say “student life,” we usually imply unhealthy eating habits, late night parties, alcohol, a lack of sleep in favor of extensive studying and social activity, and so on. No doubt, all this negatively affects the physical (and psychological) health of students. Chronic fatigue causes students to feel exhaustion, and negatively influences their performance or attendance in class. They have less energy for academic exercises, and may choose to skip classes or do homework less thoroughly, which can become an additional stress factor on its own (Livestrong.com).
Poor work and priorities organization is yet another scourge for many young men and women living and studying on campuses. They are on their own now – no teachers, parents, or relatives are going to tell them what, how, and when to do. Because of the lack of experience, students cannot figure out what to pay attention to, and what is not urgent at the moment; how to organize their routine; how to spend less time doing mundane tasks; how to keep a balance between private and academic life, and so on. This causes frustration, poor performance, and stress. Effective ways to help it might be keeping records on what and how you do. After you see how much time this or that activity takes, you can start planning (IFR).
Being young is not only fun, but also stressful, especially when you are a college student. New social challenges combined with the absence of a habitual support network (like family or old friends), poor and unhealthy lifestyle, and the lack of organization, often cause frustration and stress in students. The stereotype that youth is the greatest time in one’s life might simply be a fallacy.
Argumentative Text
The argumentative text lets the author to give opinion on a topic. The text needs to be supported by strong logic and evidence.
In order to write this type of text, you need to do some research concerning about the topic you have chosen. You may want to make a list of points for both sides of the argument, then pick a side. Then, you need to gather the evidence that will make your side stronger and better that the other side.
Tips for writing this kind of text:
1. Avoid emotional language
2. Know the difference between a logical conclusion and an emotional point of view
3. Don't make up evidence
4. Cite your sources
5. Make an outline
6. Know your topics and arguments well.
An example of argumentative text:
The divisiveness between the states was another major obstacle to national unity. Despite sharing a common heritage such as the Roman Empire, the Renaissance and Catholicism, many divisions were evident between the Italian states. One example of these divisions was that the majority of the population only spoke the dialect of their own region. In fact, when Italy was unified, only four per cent of the population had knowledge of the official Italian language (Duggan, 1994:156). The enormous differences between the regions were exacerbated by the keen political and commercial rivalry that existed between these states: Guise Mizzen, the leading agitator for the unification of Italy at this period, declared:
A striking example of the commercial division and rivalry between the states which impeded the national economic interest was the existence of as many as twenty two customs' barriers around the Po River region of Italy (Mack Smith, 1959). In addition to these divisions between the states, mistrust of each other's economic and political motives was also evident.
That's all about the text types. This topic might be a bit complicated. You need to read more to understand them better. The rest is up to you. Keep exploring the internet!
sources: In order to write this type of text, you need to do some research concerning about the topic you have chosen. You may want to make a list of points for both sides of the argument, then pick a side. Then, you need to gather the evidence that will make your side stronger and better that the other side.
Tips for writing this kind of text:
1. Avoid emotional language
2. Know the difference between a logical conclusion and an emotional point of view
3. Don't make up evidence
4. Cite your sources
5. Make an outline
6. Know your topics and arguments well.
An example of argumentative text:
The divisiveness between the states was another major obstacle to national unity. Despite sharing a common heritage such as the Roman Empire, the Renaissance and Catholicism, many divisions were evident between the Italian states. One example of these divisions was that the majority of the population only spoke the dialect of their own region. In fact, when Italy was unified, only four per cent of the population had knowledge of the official Italian language (Duggan, 1994:156). The enormous differences between the regions were exacerbated by the keen political and commercial rivalry that existed between these states: Guise Mizzen, the leading agitator for the unification of Italy at this period, declared:
We have no flag, no political name, no rank among European nations. We have no common centre, no common fact, no common market. We are dismembered into eight states... all independent of one another, without alliance, without unity of aim, without connection ... (these factors) divide us and render us as much possible strangers to each other (1845:36).
A striking example of the commercial division and rivalry between the states which impeded the national economic interest was the existence of as many as twenty two customs' barriers around the Po River region of Italy (Mack Smith, 1959). In addition to these divisions between the states, mistrust of each other's economic and political motives was also evident.
That's all about the text types. This topic might be a bit complicated. You need to read more to understand them better. The rest is up to you. Keep exploring the internet!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_types
https://pakpuguh.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/description-text/
https://pakpuguh.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/1-narrative-text/
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-expository-text-definition-types-examples.html
http://www.homepages.dsu.edu/venekaml/Lewis%20and%20Clark/EXPOSITORY%20TEXT%20STRUCTURES.htm
https://blog.udemy.com/examples-of-expository-writing/
https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/expository/
http://homeworktips.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/argument.htm
http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/essay/4bv.html
No comments:
Post a Comment