The Five Text Types

The five main types of writing are what we call "Text Types." These include Technical, Narrative, Informational (Expository), Persuasive, and Poetry.

1. Technical – Technical writing tells how to do something. It is written in steps with short sentences. Examples include how-to books, recipes, and instructions. Here is an example of technical text, a recipe for lemonade.

Perfect Lemonade Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup lemon juice
3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Method
1 Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.
2 While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.
3 Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.
Serve with ice, sliced lemons.
Serves 6.

2. Narrative – Narrative writing is the traditional story format with characters, setting, plot, and climax. Examples of narrative writing include folk tales, novels, and short stories.

3. Informational (Expository) – This type of writing shares facts and information about a topic. Unlike narrative, it is true/non-fiction. Examples include magazine articles, informational books, newspaper articles, and encyclopedias.

4. Persuasive – Persuasive writing attempts to convince the reader to believe or do something. Many persuasive texts relate to the environment, health, and safety. Examples of persuasive text are letters to the Editor, advertisements, speeches, and Editorials.

5. Poetry – Poetry is a short text that tells about an experience, place, or item. It is usually very short and contains colorful language. Examples of poetry are haikus, limericks, and sonnets.

Here’s an example of a poem by Jack Prelutsky, a poet known for writing children’s books:

LOUDER THAN A CLAP OF THUNDER
By Jack Prelutsky
from THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Louder than a clap of thunder,
louder than an eagle screams,
louder than a dragon blunders,
or a dozen football teams,
louder than a four-alarmer,
or a rushing waterfall,
louder than a knight in armor
jumping from a ten-foot wall.
Louder than an earthquake rumbles,
louder than a tidal wave,
louder than an ogre grumbles
as he stumbles through his cave,
louder than stampeding cattle,
louder than a cannon roars
louder than a giant’s rattle,
that’s how loud my father SNORES!