Page 192 - (DK) Help Your Kids with Language Arts

190 C OMMUNICA TION SKILLS

Genre, purpose, SEE ALSO

86–87 Colloquialisms and slang
and audience    180–181 Effective communication
182–183 Picking the right words
186–187 Planning and research
Reading and commenting
ALL NONFICTION TEXTS HAVE A CLEAR GENRE, on texts 192–193 
PURPOSE, AND AUDIENCE.

Writers need to consider what type of text they are writing,
Advertisement
as well as for whom they are writing and why. These factors
influence the presentation style and language used. Website

Genre Newspaper stories are Newspaper article
written in columns with Blog
A nonfiction text is one based a headline at the top.
on facts, rather than a story.
The different types, or genres, Leaflets are sheets Leaflet GENRE
of nonfiction text all have their of paper folded
own features and conventions. into three, with
For example, a newspaper or information on
each segment. Script Speech
magazine article will have a
headline at the top and text
written in columns, whereas
a letter includes the sender’s Letters can be formal or Letter
address at the top. informal, but both types are
laid out with the sender’s
address at the top.
The genre, purpose and audience
of a text need to be considered
together. All three factors influence
the features of a piece of writing.
Purpose
The purpose of a text is the reason Texts written to
that it was written. For example, an inform contain
encyclopedia entry about Paris is lots of facts
and need to
supposed to inform the reader, whereas be very clear. To inform
an advertisement for a vacation in Paris
is intended to persuade the reader to
visit. Even though they are about the
same subject, these two texts would
have very different features. To advise
PURPOSE
Pieces of advice
will have a
sympathetic tone.
• Sometimes a text can be written
for more than one purpose. An To influence To analyze
advertisement for pimple cream
Persuasive texts
might give customers advice contain opinions.
about their skin, but will also try to
persuade them to buy the product. To describe