Types of texts

Today we bring you an informative article where you can discover the 13 existing types of text . Among them are descriptive, expository, argumentative, instructive, scientific, humanistic, legal, journalistic, historical, narrative, literary, advertising and digital. In case you do not understand any of them, do not hesitate to leave a comment below, we will try to help you immediately and offer you examples for a better understanding.

The 13 types of texts

1. Descriptive text

In a descriptive text, the author does not tell the reader what he saw, felt, tasted, smelled, or heard. Rather, it describes something that you experienced and, through your choice of words, makes it seem real. In other words, the descriptive writing is vivid, colorful, and detailed. It creates an impression in the mind of the reader of an event, a place, a person or a thing. The writing will be such that it will create an atmosphere or describe something in such detail that if the reader saw it, they would recognize it. It will bring the words to life and make the text interesting.

2. Expository text

When we read fiction novels, we are assimilating narrative texts. This type of text tells a story and generally uses a lot of emotion. The opposite of this is expository text, which exists to provide facts in an educational and purposeful way . It is based on facts for the purpose of exposing the truth through a reliable source. Truthful and deliberate expository text will focus on educating your reader. Other descriptors of exposition are clear, concise and organized writing. Through this text you get to the point quickly and efficiently.

3. Argumentative text

In an argumentative text, an issue or problem is discussed , often without obvious solutions. In this type of text, you must discuss the topic from different angles, compare, contrast, and give your own opinions. It is a type of writing that requires students to research a topic; collect, generate and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the subject briefly. Also the argumentative essay can be defined as one of the paragraphs in the development of the writing that was written with the intention of convincing or persuading the reader. In the argumentative text, the content can be an explanation, evidence and objective review that is accompanied by example, analogy and causality.

4. Instructional text

An instructional text, forgive redundancy, is a non-fiction text that provides instructions on how to complete a task . The text can include organizational devices such as bullets or numbers, diagrams, or pictures. They can range from recipes to board game instructions to how to complete a video game. In either case, it is important to provide easy-to-follow instructions that use simple language and provide information on what to do in chronological order.

5. Scientific text

When we speak of scientific text, we mean writing that reports scientific observations and results in a way governed by specific conventions (a form of technical writing). It is a type of text that uses clear language, with syntax and sentences that are not too complex in order, so that the information is not misinterpreted: therefore, these texts must be accurate. In turn, these types of texts present statements that are subject to significant verification to ensure that your information is credible and true. It is generally produced in a scientific community to communicate and demonstrate the progress made in research work.

6. Humanistic text

Humanistic texts show how people around the world gradually develop an understanding of what it is to be human. The multicultural excerpts represent the wit, wisdom, and poetry of people as they reflect on ethics, philosophy, knowledge, and human relationships.

7. Legal text (legal-administrative)

A legal text is something very different from ordinary speech. They generally create, modify or terminate the rights and obligations of individuals or institutions . Each genre of legal text tends to have its own stereotypical format, is generally written in legal language (or “legal jargon”), and generally contains one or more legal speech acts that are intended to carry out their intended functions. Therefore, a contract almost always contains one or more promises, a will contains verbs that transfer property upon death, and a deed transfers property during the life of its creator.

8. Newspaper text

Newspaper text is originally written by a writer or journalist with a unique style and level of construction. Its main purpose is to give informative articles to readers . News and information are examples of journalistic texts, and they will be found in newspapers, magazines, web portals, among others. Its components are: coherence, cohesion, intentionality, informativeness, acceptability, situationality and intertextuality.

9. Historical text

The historical text informs the reader about key events and important people from the past . In turn, it gives the reader an understanding of what led up to the important events in the story. Examples of historical texts are: non-fiction history books, autobiographies, biographies, historical research websites, journals, history / social studies textbooks, past newspapers, encyclopedias, among others.

10. Narrative text

A narrative text tells a story from a particular point of view and can be presented using words, pictures, and / or sounds. Its purpose is to narrate events, entertain and engage the reader in an imaginative experience. Narratives can also be used to teach, persuade, or inform the reader. In turn, they explore themes related to deeper human concerns, such as trust and honesty, true love and friendship, good overcoming evil, valuing people and overcoming challenges. Although narratives are often fictitious, they can be based on facts. Narrative text is often written as prose, but it can take other forms, such as a ballad or narrative song. Folk tales, fairy tales, folk tales, Aboriginal dream stories, myths and legends, ballads, scripts, picture books, mysteries, science fiction stories, and adventure stories are all narrative texts.

11. Literary text

The literary text is one that uses literary language, that is, it obeys aesthetic concerns to capture the interest of the reader . The author of literature searches for the appropriate words to express his ideas with care and beauty while following a certain criterion of style. This aesthetic will depend on the author himself and can be obtained through various forms of language and technical literature. Among these means are grammatical resources (adding, eliminating or repeating structures), semantics (from altering the meaning of words, such as metaphor or metonymy) and the telephone (games with the meaning of words) .

12. Advertising text

An advertising text is a means of communication with the users of a product or service. Ads are messages paid for by the senders and are intended to inform or influence the people who receive them . It is always present, although people may not be aware of it. In today’s world, advertising uses all possible means to convey its message. It does so through television, print media (newspapers, magazines, newspapers, etc.), radio, press, internet, direct sales, billboards, advertisements, contests, sponsorships, posters, clothing, events, colors, sounds, visuals. and even people (endorsements).

13. Digital texts

Digital text or eText is an electronic version of a written text . It can be found on the Internet, on your computer, or on a variety of handheld electronic devices. Through it, changing or personalizing information to meet student needs is easy. By nature, digital text is more flexible. It can be searched, rearranged, condensed, annotated, or read aloud by a computer. And because it is so flexible, it is often a perfect alternative for students with different learning needs.