Report text : Definition, Purposes, Generic

Structures, Language Features

Definition of Report
Report is a text which presents information about something, as it is. It is as a
result of systematic observation and analysis

Generic Structure of Report

1. General classification: Stating classification of general aspect of thing;
animal, public place, plant, etc which will be discussed in general
2. Description: Describing the thing which will be discussed in detail; part per
part , customs or deed for living creature and usage for materials

Purpose of Report Text

Its social purpose is presenting information about something. They generally
describe an entire class of things, whether natural or made: mammals, the
planets, rocks, plants, countries of region, culture, transportation, and so on
Language Feature of Report
 Focus on generic participant.
A report text always introduces group or general aspect and focus on
general nouns, such as: ‘Platypus’, ‘Bees’, etc.

 A report text uses relating verb and action verb, for example:
Relating verb : Reptiles are scalyanimal,etc.
Action verb : Birds fly in the sky, etc.

 A report text uses of simple present tense, for example: Platypus

lives in streams, male platypus does not need any burrow, etc
 The language used in a report text is a scientific language, for
example: water contains oxygen and hydrogen, etc.
 A report text uses Conditionals and logical connectives, such as:
but, in other hand, etc.
Examples and structures of the text
THE PELICAN REPORT
General The white pelican is one of the most successful
Clasification fish-eating birds.

Description The success is largely due to its command

hunting behaviour. A group, perhaps two dozen
birds, will gather in a curved arc some distance
offshore. The birds then begin to move forward
towards the shore, beating the water furiously
with their wings, driving the fish before them.
When the water is shallow enough for the birds
to reach the fish, the formation breaks up as
each bird dips its bill into the water to scoop up
its meal. As the bird lifts its head, the water
drains from its bill leaving the fish which are
then swallowed.
Pelicans are among the oldest group of birds,
Fossils of this genus have been found dating
back 40 million years.
 Simple Present
Definition of Simple Present Tense
The simple present is a verb tense with two main uses. We use the simple
present tense when an action is happening right now, or when it happens
regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes called present
indefinite). Depending on the person, the simple present tense is formed by
using the root form or by adding -s or -es to the end.

Formulating a Simple Present Tense

In the simple present, most regular verbs use the root form,
except in the third-person singular (which ends in -s).
• First-person singular: I write
• Second-person singular: You write
• Third-person singular: He/she/it writes (note the -s)
• First-person plural: We write
• Second-person plural: You write
• Third-person plural: They write
For a few verbs, the third-person singular ends with -es instead of -s. Typically,
these are verbs whose root form ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z.
• First-person singular: I go
• Second-person singular: You go
• Third-person singular: He/she/it goes (note the -es)
• First-person plural: We go
• Second-person plural: You go
• Third-person plural: They go

For most regular verbs, you put the negation of the verb before the verb, e.g.
“She won’t go” or “I don’t smell anything.”
• The verb to be is irregular:
• First-person singular: I am
• Second-person singular: You are
• Third-person singular: He/she/it is
• First-person plural: We are
• Second-person plural: You are
• Third-person plural: They are
How to Make the Simple Present Negative

The formula for making a simple present verb negative

is do/does + not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the
contraction don’t or doesn’t instead of do not or does not.

Example Pauline does not want to share the

pie. She doesn’t think there is enough
to go around. Her friends do not
agree. I don’t want pie anyway.

To make the verb to be negative, the formula is [to be] + not.

Example I am not a pie lover, but Pauline sure

is. You aren’t ready for such delicious
pie.
How to Make the Simple Present Interrogative

The formula for asking a question in the simple

present is do/does + [subject] + [root form of
verb].

Example Do you know how to bake a

pie? How much does Pauline
love pie?
Common Verbs in the Simple Present
Infinitive I, You, We, They He, She, It

to ask ask / do not ask asks / does not ask

to work work / do not work works / does not work

to call call / do not call calls / does not call

to use use / do not use uses / does not use

to have have / do not have has / does not have

The Verb to Be in the Simple Present

Infinitive I You, We, They He, She, It

to be am / am not are / are not is / is not

 Simple Past Tense
Definition of the Simple Past Tense
The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity
that happened in the past. In other words, it started in the past
and ended in the past.

Uses of the Simple Past Tense

Here are some examples of the simple past tense (shaded):

 The Martians landed near the aqueduct.

 The burglar considered using the fire escape.
How to Make the Simple Present Negative
Of course, you can also have the negative version, which is formed "did
not" + "[verb in base form]":

Example:
 The Martians did not land near the aqueduct.
(We could have used didn't instead of did not.)
The burglar did not consider using the fire escape.

How to Make the Simple Present Interrogative

For the question versions, the formula for asking a question in the
simple past tense is did + [subject] + [root form of verb].

Example:
 Did the Martians land near the aqueduct?
 Why didn't the burglar consider using the fire escape?
When asking a question with the verb to be, you
don’t need the auxiliary did. The formula
is was/were + [subject].

Example:
Was Wolfgang in a good mood after the
contest? Were people taking lots of pictures?
 PAST PERFECT TENSE
Definition of the Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense is used to show that something happened
before another action in the past. It can also be used to show that
something happened before a specific time in the past.

The Past Perfect Formula

The formula for the past perfect tense is had + [past participle]. It
doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural; the formula doesn’t
change.
For example:

• "I had already eaten my dinner when he called."

In other words, First I ate my dinner, then he called.

The past perfect is often used with already, yet, just and even.
How to Make the Past Perfect Negative

Making the past perfect negative is simple! Just

insert not between had and [past participle].

Example We looked for witnesses, but the

neighbors had not seen Tootles in
the act. If Tootles had not
included his own name in the
message, we would have no idea
who was behind it.
How to Make the Past Perfect Interrogative

The formula for asking a question in the past

perfect tense is had + [subject] + [past
participle].

Example Had Tootles caused trouble in

other neighborhoods before he
struck ours?
 Past Continuous Tense
Definition of the Past Continuous Tense
The past continuous describes actions or events in a
time before now, which began in the past and is still
going on at the time of speaking. In other words, it
expresses an unfinished or incomplete action in the past.

Forming the Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous is formed from the past tense of "to
be" with the base of the main verb plus the ending "-ing"
form of the verb.

It is formed like this: Subject + was/were + continuous

form of the verb ending in -ing
Examples of the Past Continuous Tense
 When we got to the house yesterday morning, the
baby was drinking a bottle.
 He was waiting at home all day when she sent him the
message.
 Alan was cutting the grass the other day when the snake
appeared.
 I was not sleeping when you got home late last night.

You can also use this tense to make a question. Examples of

this use include:
 What were you doing when the alarm went off last night?
 Were you calling me when I emailed you this afternoon?
 What was she doing this time yesterday?
 Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Definition of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense
The past perfect continuous (also called past perfect progressive) is a verb
tense which is used to show that an action started in the past and continued
up to another point in the past.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense Formula

The past perfect continuous is formed using had + been + present participle.
Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and had. Negatives are made
with not

Example:

 Statement: You had been waiting there for more than two hours when
she finally arrived.
 Question: Had you been waiting there for more than two hours when she
finally arrived?
 Negative: You had not been waiting there for more than two hours when
she finally arrived.