Text Structure: Informative and Descriptive Texts

• Lesson 8.1 is about ensuring the structure of text.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the basics of reading
• Value reading skills
• Analyze the content of works, texts, and essays

Reading

• Reading is an interactive activity.
• It is important for a reader to grasp the author's intent in writing the text.
• Each purpose leads to different types of text, each with its own specific structure.

Text Types

• There are six main types of text:
• Informative
• Argumentative
• Descriptive
• Narrative
• Persuasive
• Procedural

Informative Text

• Explains and provides information clearly on the topic being discussed.
• Answers what, when, where, who, and how.
• Also called exposition.

Descriptive Text

• Describes and contains information related to the characteristics of people, objects, places, and events often seen in the surroundings.

Types of Descriptive Text

• Technical Description: Aims to describe in a detailed manner.
  • Example: An economical smile involves only a slight twitch of the lips, while a generous smile is always smiling.
• Impressionistic Description: Aims to describe based on personal perspective or feelings.
• Example: A sweet smile can bring joy and even start a good friendship; smiling helps you look younger.

Forms of Descriptive Text

• Ordinary (Objective): It is a description that does not involve emotions and the description depends on what the eye sees.
  • Example: The Philippines is just one of the countries surrounded by seas.
• Artistic (Subjective): It contains the feelings and views of the person describing it and aims to evoke the imagination of the reader.
  • Example: He continues to walk staggering while carrying his child whose color is still pale on a paper.

Persuasive Text

• Aims to persuade readers, pique people's interest, and make them believe in the text's message.
• Used in advertisements or announcements in newspapers, television, and radio; also used in campaigns or offering services.

Argumentative Text

• Focuses on presenting opinions, beliefs, or views on important issues or other matters.
• Aims to persuade readers using arguments and reasoning, answering the question 'why?'
• Though intending to express feelings, must be supported by facts.

Argumentative Examples

• The war against drugs of the Duterte administration should be stopped because many innocent lives are being sacrificed.
• Many Filipinos experience hardship due to their inherent laziness and not because there are no opportunities in the country.
• To keep the seas and rivers clean and tidy, it is necessary to remove illegal settlers around them.
• Parents should punish their disobedient children to teach them discipline and be good.
• Fortune tellers in Quiapo are not real because studies by experts have shown that it is just a racket or modus of swindlers.
• Both argumentative and persuasive texts share the same goal of convincing readers but differ in their method of persuasion by emotions versus reason.

Narrative Text

• Tells or narrates about an event that may be real or fictional. Its main goal is to provide entertainment or amusement to readers.

Common Narrative Elements

• Setting: States when and where the story happened.
• Characters: Highlights the important people or characters in the story.
• Initial Event: An action or event that starts a problem.
• Conflict or Goal: The point around which the story revolves.
• Events: One or more attempts by the main characters to resolve the conflict and reach the story’s goal.
• Resolution: The outcome of efforts, which is to achieve the goal or resolve the conflict around which the story revolves.

Narrative Text Features

• Characters with specific personalities and traits
• Dialogue included related to the different aspects of verb
• Descriptive language is used to create images that intensify in the minds of the reader.

Procedural Text

• Tells how to make something or build and use it.
• Steps that must be taken to achieve the goal or specific desired outcome; often includes pictures or diagrams.

Characteristics of Procedural Text

• Title: Shows what the procedural text is about.
• Introduction: A short paragraph explaining the purpose of the procedure.
• List of Materials/Ingredients: Listed in the order they are used in the procedure.
• Steps: All steps that must be taken are listed in the correct order.
• Assessment: A short paragraph in the last part of the procedure which may provide more information.
• Visual Elements: Maps, drawings, pictures, or diagrams of the process make it easier to understand.

The Golden Rectangle

• The text analyzes the writer's technique in sharing his idea about the perfect shape according to mathematics.

Golden Ratio

• The Greeks found recognized it as "divine proportion".
• The golden ratio/divine proportion is "ratio of length is width" which is 1.6180339.
• The Greeks used this in their architecture, with the Parthenon being an example.
• It can be found in the length between the nose and the lowest part of the chin, and the lip and the lowest part of the chin.