Reading everyday texts
Different purposes of texts
Name: DELIA-ROXANA VLASCEANU
Date: 21st March 2012
Hints and tips about text types
The following table will help you to identify different types of texts.
Purpose of text
Explain To help a reader understand
how and why things work.
They explain things such as
natural phenomena, scientific
discoveries, social trends and
legal issues.
Inform To give the readers specific
information about a particular
topic.
Examples of information texts:
news reports, encyclopaedia
entries and government
publications.
Persuade To influence your opinions,
choices and decisions.
Advertising is the most
powerful form of persuasive
writing.
Instruct To tell you how to do
something.
Most common forms of written
instructions give you a set of
steps to follow, for example,
instructions on how to
assemble flat pack furniture.
Discuss To present a balanced
argument on a specific issue.
The theme of the debate is
presented in the opening
paragraph, followed by details of
the main argument, and the
counter argument in new
paragraphs. The concluding
paragraph draws together the
arguments.
© Pearson Education 2010
Features of text
 Structured into paragraphs
 Uses specialised
vocabulary
 Uses connectives
 Illustrations to support text
 Based on fact not opinion
 Questions to organise text
and act as headings
 Third person
 Bullet points
 Specialised vocabulary
 Formal language
 Emotive language
 Repetition
 Eye catching pictures
 Second person
 Different fonts for emphasis,
e.g. bold, italics, UPPER CASE
 Numbered lists or bullet
points
 Photographs and/or
diagrams
 Imperative verbs
 Adjectives and adverbs
 Second person
 Present tense
 Title acts as stimulus to
discussion
 Organised into paragraphs
 Third person (to be
objective)
 First person (to express
opinion)
 Logical connectives to link
arguments