Non-chronological reports (informative texts)

Non-chronological reports (informative texts)

1. Information texts are sometimes called non-chronological reports

   • They give information about something without mentioning the order in which it happened.

2. An information text is a piece of non-fiction writing which gives information about a particular thing

   • Non-chronological reports describe things the way they are, so they usually present information in an objective way

3. Purpose:

   • To provide detailed information about the way things are or were. To help readers/listeners understand what is being described by organizing or categorizing information.

4. Language features

   • In the third person and present tense.
   • iI the past tense, as in a historical report.
   • The passive voice is frequently used
   • Tends to focus on generic subjects
   • Description is usually an important feature
   • Description is generally used for precision

5. Types of Structure

   • Cause and Effect
     • An author uses this structure when he wants to make a direct correlation between one event, idea, or action and its result
   • Compare and Contrast
     • To analyze the similarities and differences between two similar ideas, people, places, or things.
   • Chronological Order
     • it relates a series of events or actions in the order in which they occurred.
   • Problem/Solution
     • This text structure involves two parts:
       • The author identifies something he/she considers a problem
       • The author details a solution to this problem.
   • Description
     • The texts that use this structure simply describe something. With few exceptions, these texts also present plenty of details about what they're describing.