Saturday, October 16, 2010

Descriptive text

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT
       A descriptive text is a text which lists the characteristics of something. Take an example, the following is one of the text belongs to the descriptive text.
Prambanan Temple

       Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound in Central Java in Indonesia, located approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta.
       The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.
       It was built around 850 CE by either Rakai Pikatan, king of the second Mataram dynasty, or Balitung Maha Sambu, during the Sanjaya Dynasty. Not long after its construction, the temple was abandoned and began to deteriorate. Reconstruction of the compound began in 1918. The main building was completed in around 1953. Much of the original stonework has been stolen and reused at remote construction sites. A temple will only be rebuilt if at least 75% of the original stones are available, and therefore only the foundation walls of most of the smaller shrines are now visible and with no plans for their reconstruction.
       The temple was damaged during the earthquake in Java in 2006. Early photos suggest that although the complex appears to be structurally intact, damage is significant. Large pieces of debris, including carvings, were scattered over the ground. The temple has been closed to the public until damage can be fully assessed. The head of Yogyakarta Archaeological Conservation Agency stated that: “it will take months to identify the precise damage”. However, some weeks later in 2006 the site re-opened for visitors. The immediate surroundings of the Hindu temples remain off-limits for safety reasons.

We get the purpose from the text above that description is used in all forms of writing to create a vivid impression of a person, place, object or event e.g. to: ·
  • Describe a special place and explain why it is special.
  • Describe the most important person in your live.
  • Describe the animal’s habit in your report.

Descriptive writing or text is usually also used to help writer develop an aspect of their work, e.g. to create a particular mood, atmosphere or describe a place so that the reader can create vivid pictures of characters, places, objects etc. To complete our intention to, here are the characteristics based on descriptive writing or text, below;
As a feature, description is a style of writing which can be useful for other variety of purposes as:
  • To engage a reader’s attention
  • To create characters
  • To set a mood or create an atmospher
  • To being writing to life

While in language function, descriptive writing;
  • Aims to show rather than tell the reader what something/someone is like
  • Relies on precisely chosen vocabulary with carefully chosen adjectives and adverbs.
  • Is focused and concentrates only on the aspects that add something to the main purpose of the description. 
  • Sensory description-what is heard, seen, smelt, felt, tasted.Precise use of adjectives, similes, metaphors to create images/pictures in the mind e.g. their noses were met with the acrid smell of rotting flesh. 
  • Strong  development of the experience that “put the reader there” focuses on key details, powerful verbs and precise nouns.

Beyond the characteristics stated on, descriptive writing also consists of generic structure in range as:
  1. Identification = Identifies the phenomenon to be described.
  2. Description = Described parts, qualities, and the characteristic of the person, place, thing, or event to be described.

Generic Structure of Descriptive Text

The description text has dominant language features as follows:
  • Using Simple Present Tense 
  • Using action verbs 
  • Using passive voice 
  • Using noun phrase 
  • Using adverbial phrase
  • Using technical terms 
  • Using general and abstract noun 
  • Using conjunction of time and cause-effect.

Language Features of Descriptive Text
 

Narrative Text

NARRATIVE TEXT
Narrative is a type of text which construct a pattern of events with a problematic or unexpected outcome.
Its purpose to entertain and instruct the reader or listener. Narratives entertain because they deal with the unusual and unexpected development of events. They instruct because they teach readers and listener that problems should be confronted, and attempts made to resolve them.

Narratives are usually organized to include:

Orientation: introducing the main character(s) in a setting of time and place. 
Complication: a sequence of events, which may begin in a usual pattern, is changed in some way so that they pattern of events becomes a problem for one or more of the characters.
Resolution: the problem or the compilation is resolved to attempted to be resolved in the resolution 
Coda: this stage is optional. It makes explicit how how the character(s) has changed and what has been learned from the experience.
 
Generic Structure of Narrative Text
 

 
Language Features :
  1. Nouns: tavelers, bundles, tree, road, etc.
  2. Pronouns: they, their, its, its, etc.
  3. Noun phrases: the dusty and rough road, a big old tree, etc.
  4. Time connectives and conjunctions: oneday, a week later, then, a long, long time ago, when, etc.
  5. Adverbs and adverbials phrases: angrily, in horror, etc.
  6. Material processes (action verbs) arrived, ate, went, laughed, etc.
  7. Verbal processes (saying verbs): asked.

Language Features of Narrative Text

An Example of Narrative Text

News Item Text


NEWS ITEM
What is a news item text? A news item text is a text which is grouped into the text genre of narration. The main function of narration is telling stories or informing about events in chronological order. The order in the narration can be based of time, place and the events them selves.
Referring to the high school graduate standard, news item text should be completely studied in the first class with narrative and recount text. These three text types explore the way on how a story or event is retold to others.
News item text is written for public information of what is the newsworthy of the day. Basically, a news item text tries to answer the 5Ws and 1H questions; what, who, when, where, why, and how relating to the newsworthy.
Due to the different generic structure of text types, though news item is in one group of narration genres with narrative and recount, understanding the structures on how the news item composed is absolutely important for better understanding on text genres which are different from one type to another. The following example of news item text which is best in revealing what news item is and how it is structured.

News item text which is composed daily news has generic structure; newsworthy event, background, and source. As the news item about Camp Rock 2 premiere bellow, we can see the generic structure.

Camp Rock 2 the final Jam will Premieres on Disney Channel
It was announced on Tuesday that Disney Channel movie with tourmate Demi Lovato, "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam," will premiere on September 3 at 8 p.m. ET.
On July 27, long before they watch the sequel to the 2008 flick, fans can pick up the soundtrack, featuring 15 original songs that a press release promises will span genres from hip-hop to rock to pop.
The flick will not only have more summer lovin' between real-life couple Lovato and Joe Jonas as Mitchie and Shane, but there will also be a little friendly rivalry between the Camp Rockers and a group of musicians at another summer camp, Camp Star, including a love interest for Nick Jonas, played by Chloe Bridges.
The JoBros promise the movie's music will be every bit as entertaining as its plot, which has been kept a secret since the movie was shot. "The songs are really cool," Joe told MTV News.
Source: mtv.com

Newsworthy event is what event happened which considered as newsworthy. Commonly newsworthy event is place in the first paragraph. The announcement of the Camp Rock 2 Premiere is the newsworthy event.
Background event can be the detail information of the stated newsworthy event or the outside background which closely relates to newsworthy event. The information about the soundtrack songs of Camp Rock 2 Final Jam and the plot of movie is the background events.
Source is the closing statement which can be from the participants, witness, or the official authorities. The statement of Joe to MTV that songs were really cool is the source of this example of news item text

Generic Structure of News Item

  Language features:
  • Information on the use of head lines.
  • Use of action verbs (watch, promise)
  • Use of saying verbs (told)
  • Use of passive sentences (It was announced)
  • Use of adverbs in passive sentences (the movie's music will be every bit)

Language Features of News Item