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The type or the characteristics of a text are very important for any work of
summarisation on it. It is easier to select the main ideas from certain types of texts,
as the narrative ones (texts “telling a story”) then from others, such as expository
texts (texts “speaking about”).
The type of a texts depend on their purpose, structure and language features.
One of the most commonly used classification text materials is that one based on
text’s purpose and meaning. In this classification, there are three main categories:
1. Expository texts
2. Narrative texts, and
3. Argumentative texts.
In the expository category, the non-fictional texts have specific role to inform or to
teach the readers. They can come in a various formats, depending of the area of
use:
Narrative texts deal with imaginary or real world and can be fictional (fairy tales,
novels, science fiction, horror or adventure stories, fables, myths, legends, etc.) and
non-fictional (articles, newspaper reports, historical writings).
Remember that the text types refer to the meaning the writing, and they should
not be confused with writing (or other materials) formats: book, article, letter,
report, essay, etc.