WHAT IS A TEXT?

DEFINITION
A text is a sequence of paragraphs that represents an extended unit of
speech. It conveys one main idea and it is cohesive (it has unity) and
coherent (easy to understand, clear).
TYPES
Here are some different kinds of text genres:

What is a narrative text?

A narrative text is an account of events.

What is a procedural text?

A procedural text is a text which gives instructions on how to do

something.

What is persuasive text?

Persuasive text is a text which represents an attempt on the part of the

speaker to get the addressee to do something or to act in a certain way.

What is expository text?

Expository text is a text which explains something.

What is a descriptive text?

A descriptive text is a text which lists the characteristics of something.

SPEAKING VERSUS WRITING

SPEECH

WRITING

The worst part about it was I had a friend Sitting

up here and shes saying ha ha And I was
saying Go get the police go Get someoneI
later learned that there are Some people who do
that in the face of disasterI mean they just start
cracking up as opposed to crying.

My helpful friend, perhaps not realizing that I was

serious, began laughing. Sue roared all the harder as
my situation became more difficult. She claimed I
looked funny, clinging there screaming. I realized that
she was laughing Because she was incapable of
acting: the situation must have been greatly
disturbing to her, and so she treated it as if it were
another situation.

DIFFERENCES
There are many differences between the processes of speaking and writing. Writing is not simply speech
written down on paper. Learning to write is not a natural extension of learning to speak. Unlike speech,
writing requires systematic instruction and practice. Here are some of the differences between speaking and
writing that may clarify things for you and help you in your efforts as a writer and speaker.
SPEECH

WRITING

Universal, everybody acquires it

Not everyone learns to read and write

Spoken language has dialect variations that

represent a region

Written language is more restricted and generally

follows a standardised form of grammar, structure,
organization, and vocabulary

Speakers use their voices (pitch, rhythm, stress) and

their bodies to communicate their message

Writers rely on the words on the page to express

meaning and their ideas

Speakers use pauses and intonation

Writers use punctuation

Speakers pronounce

Writers spell

Speaking is often spontaneous and unplanned.

Most writing is planned and can be changed through

editing and revision before an audience reads it

Speakers have immediate audiences who nod,

interrupt, question and comment

Writers have a delayed response from audiences or

none at all and have only one opportunity to convey
their message, be interesting, informative, accurate
and hold their readers attention

Speech is usually informal and repetitive

Writing on the other hand is more formal and

compact. It progresses more logically With fewer
explanations and digressions.

Speakers use simpler sentences connected by lots

of ands and buts.

Writers use more complex sentences With

connecting words like however, Who, although, and
in addition.

Speakers draw on their listeners reactions to know

Writers are often solitary in their process

how or whether to continue

Speakers can gauge the attitudes, beliefs, and
feelings of their audience by their verbal and nonverbal reactions

Writers must consider what and how much their

audience needs to know about a given topic

Consider the fact that virtually nobody speaks Standard Written English. This is the dialect of English that
is appropriate for professional, business, and academic writing. For example, no one always speaks in
complete sentences or pronounces the final letter of every word. However, many people learn to translate
their spoken dialect into Standard Written English when they write.
Both spoken and written dialects are linked to the social background, age, race, and gender of the writer,
speaker and audience. Depending upon whom we are addressing, and what we are discussing, we can
switch between formal and informal ways of communicating.
Source: http://www2.wmin.ac.uk/eic/learning-skills/literacy/sp_vs_writ_dif.shtml