Informational Text Structure

1. Definition – it explains the nature of something. It gives general class to which the concept being defined
belongs. It describes the thing being defined.
2. Description – it gives concrete details about appearance, characteristics, and actions.
3. Recount of a sequence- it is a chronological narration of a historical narration of a historical period, a
sequential description of a process or procedure.
4. Cause-Effect- it presents reasons why a situation is obtained. The cause comes before the result in
academic writing.
5. Problem- Solution- it starts off with a negative situation(a problem) and ends with a positive situation (a
solution)
6. Comparison and contrast- similarities and differences are being presented.
7. Enumeration – is a listing, as in a list of parts, of characteristics, of examples, etc.
8. Thesis- evidence- it serve the purpose of arguing a point/position or interpretation.
9. Classification – it represents groupings, types, classes, categories, and sub-categories that constitute a
concept, presented in hierarchical order.

Outlining- Another way of determining text structure, though it’s not visual, is by outlining. It shows a framework
of a text through division and subdivision of ideas.
Basic Principles and rules in Outlining
1. Principle of division- You cannot claim to have divided something and have only one part, so since
outlining is based on division, every part of an outline that has subtopics should have at least two parts.
2. Principle of classification- similar ideas should go together. This implies that there should be no
overlapping of topics and subtopics in an outline.
3. Principle of coordination – ideas of equal rank and value are coordinate, therefore, they belong to the
same level of the outline.
4. Principle of subordination- there are big ideas and small ideas.
Types of outline
1. Sentence outline- heading of each level in one sentence.
2. Topic outline- heading of each level is a word or phrase.
Topic- is the general subject of a paragraph or essay. It is simple and are described with just a word or phrase.
Main idea- is the thesis or the main point of an informational text. It can be expressed anywhere in a paragraph. It
is expressed in a complete sentence.

Types of Main Idea

Explicit main idea- stated directly in a sentence at the beginning, middle, or end of passage.
Implicit main idea- not stated directly in a passage: must be inferred from clues in the text.

Summary- tells the main idea of a piece of writing. The summary is always shorter than the main text and leaves
out details that aren’t important to the paper you are writing. You always write a summary in your own words.
Quotation- uses the exact words of the writer and puts them in quotation marks. However you need to include
that quotation inside a sentence of your own which tells who said it and why is it important to your own
argument.
Paraphrase – takes 1-3 sentences of a piece of writing which is important for your reader to understand and puts
it into your own words.
Summary- a short or abbreviated version of a longer text. It is written to present essential ideas of an article.
Paraphrase- is a restatement and a restructuring of ideas for the purpose of clarifying the meaning of the text.
Critical Thinking- is a evaluative thinking.
Evaluate- to carefully weigh any idea, action, decision, or a piece of work to consider its merits or demerits.
Critical writing- is a product of critical thinking and reading. It’s our judgment presented in a written form.
Critiques- are papers that assess or evaluate the merits of a piece of work. According to Swales and Feak(2012) it
is a French of “critical assessment” which can be a positive or a negative judgment.
Reaction Paper- are papers that present a writer’s evaluation of the work, as well as his or her experiences and
feelings in relation to the work being evaluated.
Facts- are verifiable statements, meaning something can be done to determine whether the information they
present is true or false(McWhorter, 2001). We test them through direct experience, for example, when we
observe or conduct our own experiment, or by indirect experience, when we consult research sources
(Ohman & Martin, as cited in Dedufalza, 1996)
Opinions- is an expression of a person’s “feelings, attitudes, or beliefs that are neither true nor false”. Opinions,
therefore, leave much room for disagreement. It is also difficult to prove as true or false because of
ambiguous wording.
The content and structure of the critique/ reaction paper
Good reaction paper or critique paper can be described as follows:
1. Accurate- it provides an accurate description of the work being evaluated by giving its summary and/or
background details, like answer to the basic reporter questions of who, what, when, where, and why.
2. Evaluative- it gives the writer’s overall judgment of the work.
3. Balanced- the writer shows balance by pointing out weaknesses of a work, if the overall judgment is
positive, or the other way around, by recognizing strong points of a work for which the overall judgment is
negative.
Writing process
Step 1: Know the writing assignment.
- Know the details of the subject.( Who, what, where, and when)
- Know the analytical elements of the subject
1. Analytical elements of film.
2. Analytical elements of visual arts.
3. Analytical elements of design.
Step 2: View or experience the assigned subject.
1. How do I feel about the work as whole?
2. What did I like about it?
3. What did I not like about it?
4. What would I suggest to the creator in order to make it better?
5. What message does the creator wish to convey? Or what purpose is the work trying to fulfill?
6. What did the creator do in order to achieve this?
7. Do I think the creator succeeded in this? Why or why not?
Content or structure of critiques and reaction paper.
1. Introduction-
- Summary of the work being evaluated.
- Background information.
- The reviewers overall judgment of the subject of the work. This serves as the thesis of the paper.
2. Body
- Supporting opinions to the overall judgment.
- Support to this opinions: details about the work being evaluated.
3. Conclusion
- A restatement (using different wording) of the overall judgment. Some final thoughts of the critic or
recreate, such as: suggested actions or thoughts on the significance or practical use of the work.
Step 3: Draft and edit the paper