Literary Text Types

Essay Structure

• A body paragraph is a paragraph in the middle of an essay, paper, or article that comes after the introduction and before the conclusion.
• The primary purpose of a conclusion is to reflect on the experience described in the essay and tell the reader how it impacted the writer's life.

Personal Essay

• A personal essay is an autobiographical essay that relates a significant personal experience of the essay writer.
• Features of a personal essay include:
  • Being narratives, or stories, with a purpose.
  • Telling about one significant event, or a closely related series of events, in the writer's life.
  • Discussing how the event shaped or changed the writer.
• Personal essays are often assigned in high school and college English courses, but can also be a requirement of a college, graduate school, or job application.

Introduction

• The introduction is the first paragraph of an essay.
• It introduces the main idea of the essay, captures the reader's interest, and tells why the topic is important.
• The introduction should include:
  • A hook to grab the reader's attention.
  • Background information to provide context to the story.
  • A thesis statement that presents the main theme or lesson of the essay.

Conclusion

• The conclusion should:
  • Restate the thesis in a new way.
  • Summarize the key points made in the essay.
  • Reflect on what the writer has learned from their experiences.
  • Share the growth or change that occurred as a result.
  • End with a final thought or call to action that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Text Types

• Text types are basic styles of writing in literature.
• Factual texts inform, while literary texts entertain or engage the reader using creative language and imagery.
• Types of text types include:
  • Narrative text: tells a story or describes a sequence of events to entertain or inform.
  • Expository text: non-fiction texts that give facts and information about a topic.
  • Recount: retells events or experiences in the past to inform or entertain.
  • Explanation text: explains an action, process, or event.
  • Persuasive text: aims to convince the reader of a certain point of view.