Other text types

Question 1

Screenplay

Answer 1

Lighting
Props
Sound effects, including music
Staging
Entrances and exits
Make-up and costumes

Question 2

Diagram

Answer 2

Arrows. Captions. Labels—words out of textual context, but pictures provide context. May not be adjacent to relevant section of text. Vocabulary: figure, top/bottom left/right.

Question 3

Manifesto

Answer 3

A Manifesto is a written statement of beliefs, aims and policies of an organisation, especially a political party. Manifestos are usually issued by political parties before an election, with the purpose of persuading voters to support their platform. A manifesto is essentially an advertisement; the organisation is selling its values and ideas. As such, manifestos incorporate many of the persuasive techniques listed above.

Question 4

Essay

Answer 4

An essay is broadly defined as a non-fiction text which develops an argument. There are several different types of essays: expository, persuasive, narrative and personal.

Formal register (academic register)

Nearly always written in prose (note: photo essays).

Maintains tight focus on topic. Most essays are relatively short. Follow clear organizational form. Directed toward a specific audience. May include cause and effect, analogies, opinion, persuasion, classification, descriptions, reviews, comparison and contrast. Introductory sentence presents issue and perspective.

Question 5

Memoir

Answer 5

First person. Narrative. May be selected diary or journal entries or letters to a close friend or family member or selections from official documents. Usually focus on the implications of a major event in the author’s life or a specific historical period. Usually little illustrative material. Often very descriptive with attention to detail of places or emotions. Sometimes strong characterization of third party through detailed description of actions, speech, or physical attributes.

Question 6

Encyclopeadia Entry

Answer 6

Usually updated regularly, hence editions are important. Preface to each edition noting reason for or summary of changes. Usually includes some illustrative material. Carefully researched. Usually objective with little or no bias. Detailed index with key reference usually in bold. Abbreviations. Often in columns with guidewords.

Question 7

Reports

Answer 7

Includes some prioritizing, summarizing, generalizing, and paraphrasing. More indirect than direct speech, but may include quotes. Past tense. Organization may be chronological or topical. May include numbering, subheadings, margin entries, bullets, and asterisks. May include references. Some reports include recommendations. Sample framework for a nonfiction report: Introduction. Terms of reference. Background information. Facts. Opinions. Conclusions. Recommendations. Summary (in some cases, this may come at the beginning). Bibliography.