Informational text and literary text

This time we will present the differences between informational texts and literary texts . First you will find a table where you can visualize the characteristics of both terms, followed by a large amount of information so that you can fully understand what each one is about. Let’s get started!

What is an informational text

Informational text educates the reader on a specific topic . It is a unique type of writing; You will see it in several different media such as a manual with instructions for putting together a desk, a book that provides information about vacations in a specific place, a non-fiction book that examines World War II, etc. All are examples of informational texts.

It can appear in newspapers, textbooks, reference materials, and research papers. Informational text is always non-fiction . This type of writing also has certain characteristics that makes it easier to identify. Let’s take a look at them.

The informational text contains a number of aids that make it easier for readers to follow and get the information they need. Written signs, graphics, illustrations, and organizational structure are some of them. We will start by looking at the written signs .

You will notice these signs written in the books. The table of contents at the front of the book makes it easy for readers to quickly see where they can find specific information. The index , found at the end of the book, carefully lists all the topics and the page numbers that denote the location of those topics. If you are confused by what a word or phrase means, you can refer to the glossary of terms , which provides those definitions. There may even be an appendix , which provides additional informational text on a specific topic. So how is this informational text organized?

Informational text uses types, fonts, and tags to help readers find information. A bold word creates emphasis and tells readers, “This is important.” A phrase in italics is similar; adds extra emphasis on an important word or phrase. Bulleted or numbered lists separate important information in an orderly manner. Authors can use headings, subtitles, and tags to denote importance as well. Those are all ways that informational texts can organize content. What other techniques do the authors use?

Informational text may contain graphics to help the reader understand the topic. Think of a biology book that you have recently used. As you study the human body, you will see a diagram showing the location of vital organs and systems, such as the brain, heart, and lungs. That is an example of an informational diagram . Shows you the information while providing explanatory text. In math books, you will see charts that explain how to analyze algebraic equations. You will find tables that explain the periodic table of elements. Those maps that show the location of the countries? That is also informative. Flowcharts, sketches, and mapsare examples of other graphics used in informational texts. But graphics are not the only visual aids.

Illustrations provide additional visual techniques in informational text. In the graphics section, I used the example of how the authors can graphically represent the brain, heart, and lungs. With illustrations , we can go one step further. For example, you can focus on a part of the heart by zooming in on a specific area. That gives the reader even more information and the ability to study the pulmonary artery, aorta, or ventricles in greater detail. Photos are also used for illustrative purposes.

Written signs, organization, phrafics and illustrations are some of the characteristics of informative text. Now, let’s take a look at the four different types of informational text.

Types of informational texts

Books can be excellent sources of informational text. Biographies on historical figures fall into the informational category. Technical books on computer software are also informative. So are picture books on astronomy or the earth. Literary nonfiction, such as memoirs, essays, and autobiographies, are also included in these categories. While poetry is known for its allusion, this style of literature also lends itself to informational writing, as long as the poetry contains factual information. This type of informational literary non-fiction tends to be shorter. Expository writing has a different set of characteristics.

Expository writing has those written cues that we discussed at the beginning of the article. These books contain a table of contents, an index, and a glossary . These are all tools that allow readers to scan the material and choose what they want to read. The table of contents, organized by chapter, offers readers the opportunity to skip over certain types of information. For example, when you read a book about Earth, you may be fascinated by geology but not so much by geophysics. The table of contents will guide you to the geology portion of the book.

Babe Ruth is the best baseball player that ever lived. Global warming is not fake. Dogs are better than cats. These are all argumentative positions, and the author must try to persuade the reader through data and analysis . The author presents the claims, presents the arguments, and hopes that the readers will believe that he is right in the end. The latter type of informational text is very different from the argumentative style.

The procedural texts provide a step-by-step guide for the user. A cookbook is a good example of a procedural text. The recipes provide an ingredient-by-ingredient guide to creating a specific dish. If you hang a TV with a wall bracket, the bracket will come with step-by-step instructions. If you are putting something together, you are most likely looking at the procedural script.

Those are the four types of informational writing. Literary non-fiction, which tends to be shorter writing; expository writing, which has written cues that make it easy for readers to scan information; argumentative or persuasive writing, defending a point of view; and writing procedures, a step-by-step guide.

What is a literary text

Literary texts are based on the imagination of the writer / artist and are therefore subjective . With the function of entertaining the reader, this type of text is closely related to art. Being an artistic text, it has no commitment to objectivity and transparency of ideas.

The literary text has an aesthetic character and not only a linguistic one, whose interpretation and meaning vary according to the subjectivity of the reader . It is common to use figures of speech, as well as subversion to normative grammar