Expository and Argumentative Texts: Structure
Expository Texts
Exposition: A type of oral or written text that presents information, ideas, and concepts that have some complexity. Its purpose is to convey information faithfully and accurately and must be made with order, clarity, and simplicity. Exposition is sometimes mixed with argumentation, but it is different because it does not try to convince anyone. Therefore, it should use an objective tone.
Structure of Expository Texts
The basic structure of expository texts is:
- Introduction: The topic
Early American Literature: Colonial Beginnings to the Great Awakening
Colonial Beginnings
The story of American literature begins in the early 1600s. The earliest writers were Englishmen describing the English explorations and colonization of the New World.
Thomas Hariot’s A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia is the first of many such works.
Back in England, people planning to move to Virginia or New England would read the books as travel information. But the books often mixed facts with fantasy. People could certainly read them as tales of adventure
Read MoreAccents and Dialects: A Comprehensive Exploration
Understanding English Accents and Dialects
This document explores various English accents and dialects, covering their unique characteristics and origins.
Questions 1: Accent and Dialect Characteristics
1. The term Scouse refers to… people who live in Liverpool.
2. Yorkshire English is non-rhotic (T / F). TRUE.
3. Yorkshire English shares characteristics with northern accents. (T/F). TRUE.
4. In Yorkshire accents, the BATH and TRAP words are both pronounced with /a/ unlike RP, where the former is /a:
Read MoreDavid Mamet’s ‘Race’: Key Characteristics and Themes
David Mamet
David Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director. He was born in 1947 in Illinois. His play Race opened on Broadway in 2009.
Mamet stands out for having very personal characteristics that make his works special and unique. Some of these features, according to Race, are:
Minimal Dramatic Elements
The entire story of Race is set in the lawyers’ office, and we only find four characters: the two lawyers, Jack and Henry, the assistant, Susan, and the client, Charles.
Read MoreAnalyzing Narrative: Characterization, Themes, and Symbolism
Analyzing Narrative: Characterization, Relationships, and Symbolism
Characterization: Relationships and Personalities
Analyze key characters’ traits.
- Example: David’s internal conflict about his identity.
- David: The protagonist, struggling with his sexual identity. His relationship with Giovanni is central to the narrative, showing his fear, denial, and societal pressures.
- Giovanni: Passionate and emotional, he represents freedom and vulnerability. His room is a space of intimacy but also confinement.
Discourse Analysis and CDA: Unveiling Power Dynamics
Discourse Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
Discourse Analysis is widely used for the study of language usage in texts and its contextual meaning.
Critical Discourse Analysis (usually abbreviated as CDA) views discourse as a form of social practice. It’s used in research to study the social perpetuation of dominance and power abuse through text and talk in a socio-political context.
Three Dimensions of Discourse
The first dimension is discourse-as-text. This refers to the linguistic features
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