What is a Text?

Two Main Categories of Texts

• Literary
• Factual
(Within these are various text types. Each text
type has a common and usual way of using
language)
TEXT TYPES

LITERARY FACTUAL
 Literary Texts
Literary texts include Aborigin Dreaming
stories, fairy tales, movie script, plays, novels,
song lyrics, mimes, and soap operas.
Three main categories:
• Narrative
• Poetry
• Drama
(Media texts such as films, videos, TV show, CDs
can also fall in this category.
 Factual Texts
Factual Text include adverticements,
Internet web sites, current affair shows,
debates, recipes, report and instruction.

The main text types in this categories are:

Recount, response, explanation, discussion,
information report, exposition and
procedure.
 Texts Types
TEXT TYPES

LITERARY FACTUAL
Narrative Recount
Poetry Response
Drama Explanation
Discussion
Information Report
Exposition
Procedura
 Some examples of Narrative
and Response Texts :

Narrative Text Types Response Text Types

Fantasy novels Book reviews
Bedtime stories (spoken) Movie reviews
Historical fiction Song reviews
Stories Theatre reviews
The art of describing
A good narrative uses words to paint a
picture in our minds of:
• what the characters look (their
appearance)
• where the action is taking place (the
setting)
• how things are happening (the action)
Lanjutan ...
To do this the narrator will use groups of
words to decribe things. Compare the
language used in the description below:
Factual sentences Description use of lang.
There were two dogs In the yard were two fierce
in the yard.They look German shepherds, carefully
fierce. Both were German guarding the small shed and
Shepherds. They would ready to attack anyone
attack if anyone who approached.
approached.
It was a hot day. Joel The sun continued to beat down
was sweating. on Joel. The back of his shirt was
wringing wet and drops of
sweat rolled lazily down his
red face.

The house was dark. It was The darkness was occasionally

scary. There were noises. broken by flashes of lightning.
There was a storm. Lucy The shutters banged in the swirling
could see two eyes ahead. wind, each time making the hairs on
the back of Lucy’s stand up. Her heart
pounded like a drum. Then she saw it
two greeneyes, glowing like radio
active marbles looking straight at her.
 Action words
When we looked at the language features of
narratives, we saw that action words are used to
describe what is happening. Action words are called
verbs.

By using the right verbs, the narrator can give the

audience a better description of the action. Compare
the following:

He moved sideways. He darted sideways

She ate her dinner quickly. She gobbled her dinner
He said quietly. He whispered
Here is a list of verbs that can give the
audience a better description about the
action.
raced collapsed pondered was flogged deposited

1. She put some money in the bank.

2. The building fell down in the earth quake.
3. She thought about her future.
4. He ran quickly to save the baby
5. The convict was hit with the whip.
 Types of Narratives
There are many different types of narratives
including;
humour mystery
romance fantasy
crime science fiction
real-life fiction diary – novels
historical fiction adventure
Humour
A humorous narrative is one that aims to make
the audience laugh as a part of telling a story.
Here is a typical structure:
Funny character ---- ORIENTATION---
names
Something ‘grazy’ ---COMPLICATION
happens
Funny things said Making fun of
by characters serious situation
Imaginative ideas SEQUENCE OF EVENTS-------- Exaggeration
Extraordinary Comedy of
things happening errors
to ordinary people
RESOLUTION

‘All’s well that end well’

Romance
The romance narrative typically tells of two lovers
who overcome difficulties to end up together. Here
are the usual features:
‘Hunk’ male & female Exotic setting: sunset,
Who is looking ORIENTATION beaches,
for love moonlight
Characters introduction
COMPLICATION Boy meets girl
Jealousy
Development of Love
relationship SEQUENCE OF EVENTS Hurt and pain
Overcoming of Warmth, sharing
problems

Boy gets girl RESOLUTION Marry and live

happily ever after
Historical Fiction
Here are typical of historical fiction text:
A setting in the past ORIENTATION description of a
period in history
Good meets evil COMPLICATION

Action related to SIQUENCE OF EVENTS Good versus evil

period in history Description life
Character’s lives at the time
affected by the
events of history
RESOLUTION

Characters survive the

chaos of the time (for
eaxmple, the war ends)
The diary – novel
The type of narrative has the text presented like diary entries.
Here are the features of a typical diary-novel.
Main character The setting given
the narrator ORIENTATION by diary entries

Given of one of Can be related to

the diary entries COMPLICATION romance, adventure
houmor, mystery or
other type.

Each diary entry Diary entried tell of

builds up the SEQUENCE OF EVENTS feelings, hopes and
sequence of events happening.
REORIENTATION

The narrator tells what happens

to solve the complication
Fantasy
Below are the features of a typical fantasy narrative:
Hero who may have Setting may be in
magical power ORIENTATION another dimension
with gods, witches,
wizard and so on.
Evil forces affect
The goodies COMPLICATION

A quest struggle Use of magic.

between good Action includes elves,
and evil. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS dragons, and mystical
Imaginative beasts.
description Heroism
RESOLUTION

Good defeated evil forces

Science Fiction
Science fiction narratives use a setting involving science and technology.
Here are the typical features of this text.
A future setting
A world with ORIENTATION Aliens or stranger
technology creatures

An evil force
threatens the world COMPLICATION

Imaginative Action involves

descriptions SEQUENCE OF EVENTS technology, science
Struggle between and super inventions
good and evil Other worlds and
creatures are involved
Good defeats evil RESOLUTION

CODA

Take care that science is used for good, not evil

You may wish to add a coda based on one of these
sayings:
 Look before you leap
 A stitch in time saves nine
 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
 People who live in glass throw houses shouldn’t
throw stones
 Too many cook spoil the broth
 Many hands make light work
 Two heads are better than one
 Let sleeping dog lie
 You can’t teach an old dog new tricks
 The early bird catches the worm
In this section you have the chance to construct a variety of
narratives. In your orientation, complication, and sequence
of events you may like to use some of these words:

Words for a romance narrative:

affair embrace desire
passionate heavenly romantic
tender kiss attracted heart pounding
tall, dark, handsome beauty true love
dreamy jealousy hug
lanjutan ....
Words for a fantasy narrative
haunted wizard spell
goblin apparition supernatural
magical ghastly spine-chilling
beasts the dream world another dimension
vanishing shimmering quest

Words for an adventure narrative

courage victory cowardice
explosive heroic determined
survived missing in action treacherous
struggled triumphed hectic
fearsome dangerous risky
lanjutan ...
Words for a science fiction narrative
Aliens space shuttle intergalactic
Gravity asteroids satellite
Microprocessor laser computerised
Virtual reality molecular destabiliser timewarp
Dimension time-space continuum mutant

Words for a mystery or crime narrative

surveillance accomplice detect
homicide allibi arrest
victim identity secret
disguise interrogate suspect
fingerprint investigate clue