Language Features of Informational Texts

1. Language Features of Informational Texts

2. General Features • Usually written present tense • Normally written in the third person • Provides clear information about a subject • Written mostly in objective and general terms An Example: The best of both worlds The Bellaritz Hotel is situated on a beautiful, peaceful country estate, just ten minutes drive from the busy social and shopping opportunities of Belltown.

3. Structure • Information texts tend to have either a chronological (time ordered) or logical structure. • They tend to group information, moving from general to more specific detail and examples or elaborations. • A common structure includes: - an opening statement, often a general classification (Sparrows are birds); - sometimes followed by a more detailed or technical classification (Their Latin name is ...); • a description of whatever is the subject of the report organised in some way to help the reader make sense of the information. This can be done through the use of clear paragraphs, each beginning with a topic sentence or through the use of sub headings.

4. Lauguage Features • Often written in the third person and present tense. (They like to build their nests. It is a cold and dangerous place to live in.) • Sometimes written in the past tense, as in a historical report. • Usually uses an impersonal tone and appropriate level of formal vocabulary. • Description is usually an important feature, including the language of comparison and contrast. (Polar bears are the biggest carnivores of all. They hibernate, just like other bears. A polar bear’s nose is jet black.) • Description is generally used for precision rather than to create an emotional response so imagery is not heavily used.

5. Controlling Tense • Denotes concept of time • Used purposefully • Present: the now, habits (repeated), facts and generalizations. • Past: the past, past actions, past facts.

6. Modals • Some words denote not just the past or present tense, but also attitudes • Eg. Will/ would, can/ could, may/ might, shall/ should • Modals: Modal auxiliary verbs are used to moderate the main verb, that is to enhance or restrict the verb to a certain context.

7. Active or Passive Voice? • Deadly disease kills 500 • 500 killed by deadly disease • In an active sentence, the subject is doing the action. • In passive voice, the target of the action gets promoted to the subject position. Focus of action changes from subject to object.

8. Should I use the active or passive voice? Active voice: • Effective communication. Direct, creates understanding. Jack broke the window. The window was broken by Jack. (consider this in the light of comprehension) • A matter of economy – lesser words for a more precise meaning.

9. Passive voice: • A writer may choose to use the passive voice in order to emphasize one thing over another. In the example, the ball (rather than Jason) becomes the most important component of the sentence: Jason threw the ball The ball was thrown by Jason • When we do not know who has committed the action. For example, in crime reports: The store was robbed Somebody robbed the store (x)

10. The passive voice gives a sense of objectivity. For example, in scientific writings: The DNA was sequenced We sequenced the DNA (X) • Obscure the idea of who is taking the action. Used by politicians: Mistakes were made Bombs were dropped, lives were ruined

11. Subject-verb agreement • The basic rule states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.