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Types of Text

This document discusses the five major text types: narrative, descriptive, directive, expository, and argumentative. It provides examples and definitions of each type. Narrative texts involve sequencing of events, descriptive texts concern location and background information, directive texts use imperatives or suggestions, expository texts identify and characterize phenomena through definitions or summaries, and argumentative texts attempt to change beliefs through persuasion. The document notes that real texts may contain elements of multiple types.

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123 views4 pages

Types of Text

This document discusses the five major text types: narrative, descriptive, directive, expository, and argumentative. It provides examples and definitions of each type. Narrative texts involve sequencing of events, descriptive texts concern location and background information, directive texts use imperatives or suggestions, expository texts identify and characterize phenomena through definitions or summaries, and argumentative texts attempt to change beliefs through persuasion. The document notes that real texts may contain elements of multiple types.

Uploaded by

sara stam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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University of Bejaia

Faculty of exact sciences

Department of Computer Science

Third year students

Module: Technical English

Text Types
There are 5 major texts types:
_ Narrative
_ Descriptive
_ Directive
_ Expository
_ Argumentative
Narrative texts
_ Narrative texts have to do with real-world events
and time.
_ They may be fictional (fairy tales, novels) or nonfictional
(newspaper report).
_ They are characterized by a sequencing of events
expressed by dynamic verbs and by adverbials
such as “and then”, “first”, “second”, “third”
_ Example: First we packed our bags and then we
called a taxi. After that we…etc.
Descriptive texts
_ Descriptive texts are concerned with the location
of persons and things in space.
_ They will tell us what lies to the right or left, in
the background or foreground, or they will
provide background information which, perhaps,
sets the stage for narration.
_ It is immaterial whether a description is more
technical-objective or more impressionistic subjective.
Descriptive texts
_ Stateor positional verbs plus adverbial
expressions are employed in descriptions
_ Examples:
1) The operation panel is located on the
right-hand side at the rear;
2) New Orleans lies on the Mississippi.

Directive texts
_ Directive texts are concerned with concrete
future activity. Central to these texts are
imperatives (Hand me the paper) or forms
which substitute for them, such as polite
questions (Would you hand me the paper?)
or suggestive remarks (I wonder what the
paper says about the weather).
_ Narrative, descriptive and directive texts have
grammatical forms associated with them which
may be expanded to form sequences of a textual
nature
_ They are all centered around real-world events and
things. In contrast, expository and argumentative
texts are cognitively oriented, as they are
concerned with explanation and persuasion, which
are both mental processes.
Expository texts
_ Expository texts identify and characterize
phenomena.
_ They include text forms such as definitions,
explications, summaries and many types of
essay.

Expository texts
_ may be subjective (essay) or objective (summary,
explication, definition)
_ may be analytical (starting from a concept and
then characterizing its parts; e.g. definitions) or
synthetic (recounting characteristics and ending
with an appropriate concept or conclusion; e.g.
summaries)
_ are characterized by state verbs and epistemic
modals (Pop music has a strong rhythmic beat;
Texts may consist of one or more sentences) or by
verbs indicating typical activities or qualities
(fruitflies feed on yeast)
Argumentative texts
_ Argumentative texts depart from the assumption
that the receiver’s beliefs must be changed
_ They often start with the negation of a statement
which attributes a quality or characteristic activity
to something or someone (esp. scholarly texts).
_ They also include advertising texts, which try to
persuade their readers that a product is somehow
better, at least implicitly, than others.
_ Few texts are pure realizations of a single type:
_ Advertisements may be both argumentative persuasive
(this is good because…) and directive
(So buy now!)
_ Expository texts can be neutral or contain
evaluative elements (reviews, references, letters to
the editor…)
_ Laws regulate some aspects of society, directing
the behaviour of its members, but also inform on
these aspects (they are both directive and
expository)

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