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Common Text Structure - Notes

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Ac Janery Mamac
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20 views21 pages

Common Text Structure - Notes

Uploaded by

Ac Janery Mamac
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Common Text

Structures
• It is important to note that there are no official list
of text structures.
• Different writers have different lists of text
structures.
• A nonfiction text can have one overall text
structure or several different text structures.
Sequence
Problem-Solution
Cause-Effect
Chronological Order
Exemplification/
Classification
Compare-Contrast
Persuasion
What is a Text Structure?
• The internal organization of a text.
• According to Meyer (1985), as authors write a text to
communicate an idea, they will use a structure that goes
along with the idea.
Chronological Order
• It is also known as “time order”.
• This structure is organized from one point in time to
another.
Sequence
• Steps described in the order they occur.
• It does not take place in a specific point in
time.
Cause - Effect
• This structure shows how one or more causes led to
one or more effects.
• Many texts do not include just one cause leading to
one effect– instead, there may be several causes and
several effects.
Problem - Solution
• The text structure presents a problem, and shows how it
can be (or has been) solved.
• The key difference between cause-effect and problem-
solution is that the latter always present a solution while
the former does not.
Compare - Contrast
• This text structure shows how two or more ideas or items are similar
or different.
• The text may use a clustered approach, with details about one topic
followed by the details about the other.
• It may also show an alternating approach, with the author going
back between the two topics.
Exemplification / Classification
• An exemplification paragraph develops a general statement--
the topic sentence--with one or more specific examples.
• A classification paragraph divides things into groups, classes,
or categories.
• It also organizes ideas into divisions based on criteria or
standards.
Persuasion
• This text structure convinces readers to agree
to an argument or claim about a particular
topic.
How does text structure help readers?

• As it turns out, a knowledge of text structure can be very


helpful for readers. When readers do not have a strong
knowledge of the topic of a text, they depend more on the
structure (Cataldo & Oakhill).
• A well-written text guides the reader through the content.
• Research shows that efficient searchers use the structure of the text
can help them find specific information, and make and interpret
arguments.
• The structure of the a text can help readers find answers to
questions, as well.
• Text structure is also an important component to summarizing.
• When readers summarize, they need to reflect the text structure in
the summary.

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