ELC091

CRITICAL READING & REASONING FOR

FOUNDATION STUDIES

TEXT STRUCTURE
TODAY'S GUIDE
Components of a Text
Structure of a Passage
Text Pattern
COMPONENTS OF A TEXT
Component 1: Introductory Paragraph

Component 2: Body Paragraph (s)

Component 3: Concluding Paragraph

 WHAT IS A PASSAGE?
•A passage can be an entire piece of writing.
•It can also be an excerpt or a section of writing.
•A good passage must consist of an internal pattern of
organization.
•This internal pattern of organization helps to support the
author’s purpose of writing and the reader’s understanding.
INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

Attention getter/Opening statement

Background topic

Thesis statement
ATTENTION GETTER/OPENING STATEMENT
A good attention getter will invoke your reader's curiosity and
pique their interest.
Ask a question
What would happen if ...?
How would Malaysians feel if...?
Tell a story
She walked to the store...
Use comparisons to make complicated concepts more simple.
Eating a healthy diet is a lot like building a house.
 BACKGROUND TOPIC
The introduction will introduce the topic to the reader by stating
what the topic is and giving some general background information.

This will help the reader to understand what you are writing
about, and show why the topic is important.
 THESIS STATEMENT
The thesis statement is the sentence that states the main idea of
a writing assignment.
It helps control the ideas within the paper.
It is not merely a topic.
It often reflects an opinion or judgment that a writer has
made about a reading or personal experience.
A thesis statement must be written in one sentence.
 [Kings, armies and politics may have one
Opening statement day been the major tools of conquest, but
in this age of technology and
modernization, a new force has come into
play.] [The mass media is one of the most
important tools in the world as we know it.
Countries can have rulers, but it cannot
Background topic thrive without mass media. On that note,
the influence of mass media is vast.] [In
fact, mass media has a great influence in
shaping the minds of our young people,
Thesis statement primarily because it is addictive, easy to
access and easy to use.]
BODY PARAGRAPH(S)

Topic sentence = Stated Main Idea

Major supporting details

Minor supporting details

Concluding sentence
 TOPIC SENTENCE/STATED MAIN IDEA
Topic sentence is the stated main idea of a paragraph. It consists of the
focus of the paragraph and tells the readers what it is going to be
about.

The stated main idea of the paragraph can be derived from topic
sentence. It is usually (but not necessarily) the first sentence of a
paragraph.
Example:
In most cases, paper books have more obvious topography than
onscreen texts.
 #REMINDER
Topic sentence = Highlight the stated main idea
The stated main idea = Can be derived from the topic sentence.

Sometimes, the paragraph does not have a topic sentence. Thus, to find
the main idea of the paragraph, read all the supporting details and
identify what the paragraph is about (implied main idea)
 SUPPORTING DETAILS
Specific facts, evidence, or ideas used to develop, expand, and support the
more general main point of a paragraph. Make your argument stronger, more
interesting, and easier to understand
Example:
Juan loves to play games. His favourite game is chess because it requires a
great deal of thought. Juan also likes to play less demanding board games
that are based mostly on luck. He prefers Monopoly because it requires luck
and skill. If he is done, Juan likes to play action video games as long as they
aren't too violent.

Black = Topic sentence/stated main idea

Red = Supporting Details
MAJOR SUPPORTING
DETAILS
Have essential information that
explains the main idea.
Direct explanation of the topic
sentence/main idea.
MINOR SUPPORTING
DETAILS
Expand the information and
provide more detailed points
that are not necessary for
the reader to understand the
main idea.
Examples, statistics, research
findings
 [Cyberbullying can be a demonstration of social
Topic Sentence
status.] [The act of cyberbullying through digital
media may invoke feelings such as, being in
Major SD 1 control and being invincible.] [According to
Cyberbullying Statistics, 75% of those who were
caught cyberbullying believe that they are
invincible and they will never be caught by the
Minor SD 1 authority thus providing a sense of superiority in
themselves.] [These feelings are possible
motivating factors that drive teens to cyberbully
as it increases their superiority among their
Major SD 2 peers.] [For example, Steven, aged 18 years old
who was charged with cyberbullying his
classmate testify to the court that he continue to
Minor SD 2 cyberbully his victim as he often receives support
from his friends.]
 CONCLUDING SENTENCE
A concluding sentence signals the end of the paragraph; hence, it is the last
sentence of a paragraph.

A good concluding sentence gives an overview of the topic addressed before

and does not contain any new information.
Restate the discussion, or
Provide an overview of the main point, or
State the author's hope for the future, or
Provide suggestions, or
Provide the author's stance
 Without proper guidance, this easy access feature
Restate although brings benefits to teenagers, can also bring
the discussion or harm to them.

Overview All in all, these clearly show mass media can be

or addictive to the youngsters.

Hope for In the future, the convergence of digital media and

the future or technology will accelerate.

Parents should monitor their children’s Internet use to

Sugggestions
or protect them from any harmful online activities.

Author's Cell phones should not be allowed in classrooms as it

brings more harm than good.
stance
 #REMINDER
A thesis statement states and controls the idea of the paper.
A topic sentence highlights the main idea of the paragraph.
A major SD explains the main idea directly.
A minor SD provides more specific information compared to the
major SD. It can be overlooked if the reader is not interested
in such specific details.
A concluding sentence signals the end of the paragraph.
CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH

Restate your thesis statement

Suggestion(s) / Hope

Closing statement
Restate your thesis statement
Suggestion (s)
Closing statement
[All in all, it is evident that mass media has
greatly influenced the minds of younger
generations merely because it is addictive,
easy to access and easy to navigate.] [While
it is true that it brings a lot of benefits to this
generation, proper guidance is needed to
make sure that they are not using it for
negative purposes. Parents specifically,
should monitor their children’s media use to
control the type of contents exposed to
them.] [This is also to avoid them from being
influenced by any inappropriate behaviours
or misleading message presented in the
media, as the saying goes “prevention is
better than cure”.]
 TEXT PATTERN
Description/Spatial Information is organized in order of space.

Information is organized in order of a process or

Sequence/Process a series of events.

Chronological Information is organized in order of time..

The similarities and differences of two or more

Comparison/contrast objects, events or ideas are discussed.

Cause & effect The causes and the results of something are explained..

Problem & solution The problem is described and the solution is

explained.
DESCRIPTION/SPATIAL
Volcanoes are a feared and destructive force for good reason. A volcano
is like a pressure valve for the inner earth, but they can also be very
beautiful. One part of the volcano that people rarely see is the magma
chamber. The magma chamber is way beneath the Earth’s bed rock. It is
tremendously hot. Running from the magma chamber to the crater of the
volcano is the conduit. The conduit connects the magma chamber to the
outer world. At the top of the volcano is the crater. This is where the
magma exits. Volcanoes are a beautiful yet dangerous natural
phenomenon.

Signal word:
next to, behind, across from, below that, above that, to the right of.
SEQUENTIAL/PROCESS
How to Make Cookies
First, get your materials. Then, make your dough. Lastly, cook your dough
at 400 degrees for 10 minutes

Signal Words: First, next, before, lastly, then

COMPARISON/CONTRAST
Apples and oranges are both fruits, which means that they have seeds
inside of them. Each has a skin, but orange skins are thick and easy to
peel. Apple skins are thinner and do not peel easily. Oranges also contain
more acid than apples, but both fruits are delicious.

Signal words:
like, unlike, both, neither, similar, and different.
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Students are not allowed to chew gum in my class. While some students
think that I am just being mean, there are many good reasons for this rule.
First, some irresponsible students make messes with their gum. They may
leave it on the bottoms of desks, drop it on the floor, or put it on other
people’s property. Another reason why I don’t allow students to chew gum
is because it is a distraction. When they are allowed to chew gum,
students are more worried about having it, popping it, chewing it, and
snapping it then they are in listening, writing, reading, and learning. This is
why I don’t allow students to chew gum in my class.

Signal words : because, as a result, resulted, caused, affected, since, due

to, effect.
PROBLEM AND SOLUTION
It seems like there has been a surge in teen pregnancies these days. Teen
pregnancies make it very difficult for young mothers to pursue their
dreams and meet the demands of an infant. Fortunately, most teen
pregnancies can be easily prevented by using birth control; however, even
birth control is not 100% effective. The most effective way to prevent teen
pregnancies is abstinence, which is 100% effective.

Signal words:
Propose, solution, answer, issue, problem, problematic, remedy,
prevention, fix.
THANK
YOU