Using Informative Writing Techniques

- Educates readers about a topic or subject. It is meant to inform others using

credible sources as evidence - facts, statistics, and other research data.

Informative Text Structure

● Introduction - According to Kristina Barroso in her article “Informative Writing
Techniques”, the thesis statement is known as the road map of an
informative text because the whole essay is built around it. Aside from stating
the thesis statement, writers introduce the main idea, provide definition for
difficult words/concepts, and give a short description on what will be
discussed.
● Body - The body or the middle part is where the thesis statement is fully
explained. This section requires citing sources of information. The evidence
presented will be the basis if the information is reliable, accurate, and
unbiased.
● Conclusion - The conclusion reiterates the thesis statement and summarizes
the main points of the informative text. No new evidence must be presented
at this point because all ideas must have already been discussed in the body.

Techniques in Writing Informative Text

1. Open with an attention grabber and conclude with a summary of the main
points of the essay.
2. Use appropriate transitional words to ensure the logical flow of ideas.
3. Observe formal tone.
4. Utilize proper language and applicable vocabulary to the topic. Similarly,
avoid biased language.
5. Make use of formatting, nonlinear texts such as flowcharts, graphs, graphic
organizers, and digital texts with hyperlinks when needed.
Declamation

- Is an artistic form of public speaking. It is a dramatic oration designed to

express through articulation, emphasis, and gesture the full sense of text being
conveyed.
- A recitation of speech or poem in a way that illustrates one’s elocution.
Memorized speech.
- A method of teaching used in ancient Greece. The great 4th century Greek
orator is Demosthenes.

Guidelines in Choosing your Declamation Piece

1. You can present it with passion.
- Choose a speech that you can pour your heart out as you deliver it. If
you cannot present the piece with passion, you will surely sound fake
and forced.
2. You can present it with conviction.
- Choose a speech with a point or message that meets and agrees with
your principles in life. In this way, you will be able to present your chosen
piece with conviction;thus, sounding convincing enough to your
audience.

Critique
- An in-depth evaluation of a story, novel, film, or other reading/viewing
materials for the purpose of giving an insight into the text. A critique is a
particular academic writing genre that requires you to carefully study,
summarize, and critically analyze a study or a concept.

Elements of a narrative
- In assessing the said elements, there are certain questions that the critic
should ask. David Farland (2017) and other critics enumerated some questions
one might use to judge a story or narratives:
 1. Setting
● How well was the setting developed?
● Does it appeal to more than one of the senses?
● Does it inform or connect to other aspects of the story such as
character development and narrative style?

2. Characterization
● How well-drawn are the characters in the story?
● Do we know enough about them (life, attitudes, some type of history,
etc…)
● Are there unnecessary characters?
3. Conflict and plot
● Is there a conflict in the story?
● Is the plot interesting, original and well developed?
● Are there unnecessary and confusing subplots?
4. Theme
● How well does the story speak to the readers?
● Does it raise questions about life, or provide profound insights?
5. Style
● How distinctive or unique is the writing style?
● Are there literary devices or techniques used?
● Is it purposeful?
● Does the style remind you of any other authors you have read?

Other details:
1. State your overall assessment of the story’s value, worth, and significance
(both positive and negative)
2. Mention the name of the author and the title of the work
3. Give a systematic and detailed assessment of the different elements of the
work, but make sure that your discussion and judgment will be supported by
specific details such as quotes or examples from the work itself
4. Give recommendations for improvement if necessary
5. Give a brief summary, including a description, background or context of the
work
 6. Indicate the elements you want to examine and state the purpose of your
critique

Literary Criticism - Evaluation, analysis, description, or interpretation of literary works

Critique(verb) - To critically evaluate, analyze or give careful judgment in which you

give your opinion about a lit

Critique(noun) - Detailed evaluation or analysis of a literary piece

Critic - A person who judges, evaluates, or analyzes a literary piece

Approaches in Critique:

Formalist
- The word ‘formalism’ derived from the word ‘form’ or ‘structure’. The ‘ism’ is a
belief or an approach of looking at things.
- studies a text as a “self-contained object” where generally it emphasizes the
form of the work. In this approach, it focuses on the following:
a. Form of each individual part of the text, that includes the
individual chapters and scenes
b. Characters
c. Setting
d. Tone, the point of view
e. Diction and all other elements

Cinquain - Five lines

Feminist
- Examines the text in the context of recognizing women’s knowledge in literary
concepts, and in terms of valuing their experiences. Additionally , “Feminist
literary criticism is distinguished from gynocriticism because feminist literary
criticism may also analyze and deconstruct literary works of men”.
 - According to Dobie professor from University of Louisiana at Lafayetteit,
feminist criticism has several shapes and directions vary from one country to
another

Moralist
- Judges literary works, according to moral principles. Essentially, it is not
demanding or ‘moralizing’ in its technique.
Historical
- Analyzes literary text by using historical events and evidences, that include
information about the author’s life, historical and social circumstances, This
approach also “seeks to understand a literary work by investigating the social,
cultural, and intellectual context that produced it-acontext that necessarily
includes the artist’s biography and milieu.

Marxist
- scrutinizes the text as “an expression of contemporary class struggle.” It is
grounded on Karl Marx’s theories, wherein it concerns the insinuations and
snags of the capitalist system. It unquestionably focuses on political and
social conditions.
Reader-response
- “Typically, Reader-response criticism revolves around the phenomena
‘Respond to Reading’. The theory identifies the reader as a significant and
active agent who is responsible to impart the real meaning of the text by
interpreting it.

Elegy & Eulogy

Eulogy - A speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly,

typically someone who has just died. Originated in Greece - Eulogia

Elegy - A poem or a song, typically a passionate expression of grief for the dead.
Originated from Greece - Elegia
Types of Pronouns

1. Personal Pronouns - A word that replaces the name of a person, place, thing,
or an idea in a sentence : I, me, we, us, you, they, them, he, him, she, her, it
2. Possessive Pronouns - Used to show possession or ownership and is used in
place of the noun : mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
3. Relative Pronouns - Takes the place of nouns or pronouns. They always relate
back to something or someone else : who, whose, whom, which, that
4. Demonstrative Pronouns - Used to demonstrate any object or something or
to point something in a sentence. : this, that, these, those
5. Indefinite Pronouns - Refers to a person or a thing without being specific :
everything, nothing, something, anything
6. Reflexive Pronouns - Ending in -self or -selves that shows the subject of a
sentence is the same as the object of the sentence : yourself, myself, oneself