ORIENTATIONS FOR RECOGNIZING TEXT TYPES IN ACADEMIC TEXTS

Text types in literature form the basic styles of writing. Factual texts merely seek to
inform, whereas literary texts seek to entertain or otherwise engage the reader by using
creative language and imagery. There are many aspects to literary writing, and many ways
to analyse it, but four basic categories are: descriptive, narrative, expository,
and argumentative, and there is lastly one more Literature.

Descriptive text type

Based on perception in space. Impressionistic of landscapes or persons are often to be

found in narratives such as novels or short stories. Example: About fifteen miles below
Monterey, on the wild coast, the Torres family had their farm, a few sloping acres above
the cliff that dropped to the brown reefs and to the hissing white waters of the ocean.

Purpose

Description is used in all forms of writing to create a vivid impression of a person, place,
object or event:

 describe a special place and explain why it is special.

 describe the most important person in your life.
Features

Description is a style of writing which can be useful for a variety of purposes:

 to engage a reader's attention

 to create characters
 to set a mood
Language

 aims to show rather than tell the reader what something/someone is like.
 relies on precisely chosen vocabulary with carefully chosen adjectives and adverbs.
 is focused and concentrates only on the aspects that add something to the main
purpose of the description.
 sensory description - what is heard, seen, smell, felt, tasted. Precise use of
adjectives, similes, metaphors to create images/pictures in the mind e.g. their noses
were met with the acrid smell of rotting flesh.
 strong development of the experience that "puts the reader there" focuses on key
details, powerful verbs and precise nouns.

Narrative text type

Based on perception in time. Narration is the telling of a story; the succession of events is
given in chronological order.
Purpose

The basic purpose of narrative is to entertain, to gain and hold readers' interest. However
narratives can also be written to teach or inform, to change attitudes / social opinions. For
example soap operas and television dramas that are used to raise topical issues.
Narratives sequence people/characters in time and place but differ from recounts in that
through the sequencing, the stories set up one or more problems, which must eventually
find a way to be resolved. The common structure or basic plan of narrative text is known
as the "story grammar". Although there are numerous variations of the story grammar, the
typical elements are:

 Settings — when and where the story occurs.

 Characters— the most important people or characters in the story.
 Initiating event — an action or occurrence that establishes a problem and/or goal.
 Conflicts/goal — the focal point around which the whole story is organized.
 Events — one or more attempts by the main character(s) to achieve the goal or solve
the problem.
 Resolutions — the outcome of the attempts to achieve the goal

The graphic representation of these story grammar elements is called a story map. The
exact form and complexity of a map depends, of course, upon the unique structure of each
narrative and the personal preference of the teacher constructing the map.
Types

There are many types of narrative. They can be imaginary, factual or a combination of
both. They may include fairy stories, mysteries, science fiction, romances, horror
stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of
life, personal experience.

Features:

 Characters with defined personalities/identities.

 Dialogue often included - tense may change to the present or the future.
 Descriptive language to create images in the reader's mind and enhance the story.
Structure

In a Traditional Narrative the focus of the text is on a series of actions:

Orientation
(Introduction) in which the characters, setting, and time of the story are established.
Usually answers who? When? Where? E.g. Mr. Wolf went out hunting in the forest
one dark gloomy night.
Complication or problem
The complication usually involves the main character(s) (often mirroring the
complications in real life).
Resolution
There needs to be a resolution of the complication. The complication may be
resolved for better or worse/happily or unhappily. Sometimes there are a number of
complications that have to be resolved. These add and sustain interest and
suspense for the reader.

Further more, when there is plan for writing narrative texts, the focus should be
on the following characteristics:

 Plot: What is going to happen?

 Setting: Where will the story take place? When will the story take place?
 Characterization: Who are the main characters? What do they look like?
 Structure: How will the story begin? What will be the problem? How is the
problem going to be resolved?
  Theme: What is the theme / message the writer is attempting to
communicate?

Expository text type

It aims at explanation, i.e. the cognitive analysis and subsequent syntheses of

complex facts. Example: An essay on "Rhetoric: What is it and why do we
study it?"

Not all topics out there are interesting or meaty enough to be thoroughly
investigated within a paper, it is necessary of having enough information for
making out a good and interesting paper, describing the topic, showing the
characteristics, evidences, references.

o Example: Cultural and Historical Shifts.

o Scientific topics.
o Factual aspects

Argumentative text type

Based on the evaluation and the subsequent subjective judgment in answer to

a problem. It refers to the reasons advanced for or against a matter. The writer
usually argues with another side to convince the reader to join a certain side.

Argumentative Essay Structure

Based on arguing for a certain point of view.

 Introduction: Introduce your point of view, and explain how you're going to prove
that you're in the right.
 Thesis: Here's where you bring in your main point of view. Going with the recycling
example, this could be along the lines of 'This city should take up more recycling
initiatives, at it can clean up streets and reduce waste by 30%.' This should be
backed up by good quality research.
 Opposing claims: Pick the most important claims against your argument, and take
them down. Make it clear why they don't work, and show your research.
  Your viewpoint: Then, you'll need to argue for your own viewpoint. Show why your
side is the winning one, and why.
 Conclusion: Wrap up your main points, without introducing anything new.

Argumentative Essay Examples

Some example for argumentative texts are:

 'Should marijuana be legalized in the UK?'

 'Do children suffer if they only have one parent?'
 'Are all charities equally deserving?'

Literature

A literary text is a piece of writing, such as a book or poem, that has the
purpose of telling a story or entertaining, as in a fictional novel. Its primary
function as a text is usually aesthetic, but it may also contain political
messages or beliefs. American schoolchildren and their parents are taught that
literary texts contrast with informational texts that have the purpose of
providing information rather than entertainment. Informational texts, such as
science briefs and history books, are increasingly receiving emphasis in public
school curricula as part of the Common Core State Standards. As a result,
many parents have challenged the idea that literary texts are of less
pedagogical value than informational ones