This document provides information about different text structures used in writing. It defines text structure as how information is organized in a passage and explains that text structure helps authors organize their thoughts and helps readers find and understand information. Six common text structures are then described: chronological, cause and effect, compare and contrast, problem and solution, sequence/process, and spatial/descriptive. Each structure is defined and examples are provided to illustrate how it organizes information. Signal words that typically indicate each structure are also listed. The document concludes by providing tips for identifying text structure in passages.

1. ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC
AND PROFESSIONAL
PURPOSES

4. How would you give
direction to an
elderly who wants to
go to JLGSAT from
town?

5. Which is better
STEM or HUMSS?

6. What is your stand
on the mandatory
implementation of
ROTC to SHS
students?

7. Describe your room.

8. Text Structure
Patterns of Organization

9. What is Text Structure?
- Refers to the way an author
arranges information in his writing.
- How information in a passage is
organized

10. What is Text Structure?
- Text structure enables authors to
organize their thoughts as they
write. It also helps the reader in that
it provides a structure in which
information can be found and
understood as it is read.

11. What is Text Structure?
We will study six common patterns:
• Chronological
• Cause and Effect
• Compare and Contrast
• Problem and Solution
• Sequence / Process
• Spatial / Descriptive

12. Chronological

13. this pattern is found in most narrative
texts, where the plot unfolds over time;
more complex texts use literary devices,
such as flashback and foreshadowing to
implicitly establish time order
Information is organized in order of time.
Chrono = time Logic = order

14. Jack and Jill ran
up the hill to fetch
a pail of water.
Jack fell down
and broke his
crown.
Jill came
tumbling
after.
ALL stories are told chronologically.

15. Ondoy began to develop from an active low-pressure area
to a tropical cyclone on September 24, 2009. The following
day, PAGASA raised storm signals all over the Philippine
archipelago. At that point, signal no. 2 was raised in
Catanduanes and other parts of Luzon. By Saturday
morning, reports of flooding started to pour in. Meanwhile,
President Arroyo declared a state of calamity in
Metro Manila. Immediately after President Arroyo’s
declaration, various government agencies
EXAMPLE:

16. Events/Enumeration/
Description Structure

17. Events/ Enumeration/
Description Structure
this pattern usually covers a larger
piece of writing rather than a single
paragraph. An introductory paragraph
is provided which states the topic
and facilitates the listing or
elaboration of important descriptions,
characteristics, or attributes.

18. EXAMPLES:
A laptop is one of the greatest inventions of the modern era. It is a lightweight
device that can save a vast amount of information. The screen, touchpad,
speakers, keyboard, battery, and AC adapter are the basic parts of a laptop.
The most noticeable part of a laptop is its screen, which is responsible for
displaying information. Another major component is the keyboard. On it are the
keys needed to enter data into the computer. Near the keyboard you will find a
smooth, rectangular surface which acts like a desktop computer mouse—this is
the touchpad. At the bottom part of this rectangular surface, you will see
buttons that operate like a mouse button. Below the keyboard and touchpad,
built into the laptop itself are the speakers which allow you to hear sounds and
music. Found at the back of the keyboard is the battery; it serves as the lifeline
of the computer. Finally, a laptop also comes with an AC adapter which charges
the battery and serves as the source of electric power when it is plugged in

19. Definition Structure

20. Definition Structure
Typically this pattern includes a “definition” and
examples of class membership/type, attributes,
and functions; It may also include the parts and the
relationship between the parts or structure and
function; in some instances, it will include ways
something is similar to or different from other
things. ꜜ

21. Example
Social engineering is defined as any method which
tricks people to share personal information through
the use of technology. The “social” component in
this scheme means that there is reliance on
various psychological tricks and on the gullibility of
users rather than technical hacking. Social
engineering also refers to various malicious acts
online, such as phishing, spamming, and retexting.

22. Cause and Effect

23. Cause and Effect
unlike the sequence pattern, this pattern
carries the implication that the effect is
produced by a specific cause or that
the consequences follow from the
specified antecedents; this might be
found in a discussion of science
investigation results or historical
articles linking multiple causes and
effects.

24. Cause and Effect
An action and its results are explained.
Students did not learn
the material.
They performed
poorly on the test.
Cause Effect
•Don’t confuse with chronological.
•Won’t have a beginning, middle, and end.
•Time won’t progress much.

25. Signal Words
• as a result of,
• because of,
• thus, for
• theses
• reasons

26. The advancement in technology and economy has created major
changes in modern society. One of these changes is globalization. As
we know, globalization has affected the world in many ways. First, it
served as a catalyst to worldwide trading, thus allowing countries to
access foreign products. Although this had positive effects, it also
posed a real threat to the merchandise of local traders.
Second, globalization affected the financial market. As a result, different
countries had more access to funds, and the exchange in national
currencies dramatically increased. Finally, globalization also led to the
privatization of various facilities, such as public health institutions.
These institutions were being privatized due to the idea that the private
sector can better manage and provide health services. In consequence,
health policies become more and more of a commodity on a global
scale.

27. Compare and
Contrast

28. this pattern shows similarities and
dissimilarities between objects, actions,
ideas, or processes; headings and
subheadings generally provide extra
support/signals to readers about this
structure; often one paragraph is
dedicated to similarities and another to
differences

29. Tells how two things are similar and different.
Apples & Oranges
Alike Different
1. Both are fruits.
2. Both have skin.
1. People don’t eat
orange skins.
2. Oranges have
more juice.

30. Signal Words
• like, in
• contrast,
• similar to,
• while, as
• opposed to,
• whereas

31. EXAMPLE:
Are you not sure yet which phone to buy? To help you decide, this review
will help you inspect the basic similarities and differences of the flagship
phones of two giant companies: Apple’s iPhone 6 and Samsung’s
Galaxy S5. Both brag to be the best smart phones in market to date.
While these state-of-the art phones have similarities in the form of their
sleek design, multi-touch screen, and multimedia features, they have
their distinctive features as well. First, Galaxy S5 has a larger screen at
5.1 inches as compared to iPhone 6’s 4.7 inches. As for the operating
system, iPhone 6 uses iOS (8.x) while S5 uses Android (5.0, 4.4.2). In
terms of the camera, S5 has a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera which
is higher than iPhone’s 1.2 megapixels. Unlike S5, iPhone’s battery is
not user-replaceable and has a shorter talk time, but when it comes to
built-in storage, iPhone 6 outperforms S5. Now that you know the basic
differences of the two phones, you can decide!

32. Problem and Solution

33. Problem and Solution
this pattern may follow a number of
different forms; at one extreme, the
problem and solution are labelled as
such; at the other extreme, the pattern
is a series of questions and answers
that may or may not lead to a resolution
of the problem or issue

34. Require a license
to buy spray paint.
Problem and Solution
A problem and answer are suggested.
Problem Solution
Property is being
spray painted.
•Don’t confuse with cause and effect.
•It is presented as a PROBLEM.

35. Signal Words
• the problem
• is, the
• solution is,
• the difficulty
• is

36. Today, most of the energy resources we have are generated from coal,
oil, and natural gas. However, these resources are limited. If
continuously consumed at an alarming rate, fossil fuels necessary for
generating power to operate vehicles and factories will run out before
long. Nonetheless, this problem can be resolved through the use of
alternative sources of energy and conservation efforts. First, using
alternative sources of energy such as solar energy and fusion energy
would lessen pollution. These alternatives are actually more accessible
and cost-efficient.
Although there are some potential risks in using fusion energy, these
risks can be mitigated by implementing strict safety measures. The
second solution that governments can adopt is the enhancement of
conservation efforts. To do this, governments need to make the public
more aware of the benefits of conservation, as well as ways of
conserving energy, such as recycling. Laws can also be passed to
mandate the public and all stakeholders to recycle energy.

37. Proposition-
Support
(Persuasion)

38. Proposition-Support
(Persuasion)—
• this is similar to problem/solution, although
arguments and counter arguments are both
presented in support of a thesis statement.

39. Euthanasia or mercy killing has been a widely debated
issue. It is an act to end a person’s life to alleviate the
suffering brought about by a terminal or grave illness. While
it may be supported by some, mercy killing is not only an
unethical medical practice, it is also a crime. After all, on
the most basic level, euthanasia still takes a life. In fact,
majority of the countries in the world, including those that
have legalized it, consider it as homicide. Aside from being
a crime, euthanasia is unethical in the medical context
because it violates the principle of “primum non nocore”
which means “first, do no harm.” In their code of ethics,
doctors have the responsibility of saving lives, not
destroying them, which is why euthanasia can never be
acceptable

40. Judgmental/
Critique
Structure

41. Judgmental/Critique Structure
• this pattern uses a set of criteria to
evaluate
• information or ideas that have been
presented; often discourse style (e.g.,
humor,
• satire) affects the complexity and
understanding of this type of text. ꜜ

42. "The objective of this review was to view the trends in composition
studies within the past fifty years and see how commentary on student
writing has transformed and is still transforming. It's clear from the
research reviewed that evaluative commentary is widely practiced all
through composition programs in universities today. Together with this,
it's also evident that the field of composition studies in regards to the
kinds of commentary that students get on their writing is varied and
continues to be examined and analyzed to benefit both composition
students and the society at large. Moreover, corrective vs. evaluative
commentary is still being discussed, and continues to be problematic in
the discourse community of college composition and also high school
writing as viewed in Bardine et al.'s research.“ Assisting students to
become better writers is important in our current society with reducing
school budgets."

43. Inductive/
Deductive
Structure

44. Inductive/Deductive Structure
• there are subtle differences between
these two structures, which apply
elements of enumeration and
definition structures

45. While the Internet offers so many benefits to man,
it also has its downsides. One of these is phishing,
which refers to the act of obtaining personal
information, such as passwords and credit card
details, through online means. In other words,
phishing is a form of cybercrime. As an example,
let us consider the case pf Mr. X. He received an
email stating that his Gmail account has been
compromised and that he needed to click a link to
update personal information. If Mr. X clicks on the
link, his personal information will be illegally
acquired by cybercriminals.

46. Sequence /
Process Writing

47. Sequence / Process Writing
• in this pattern, steps or phases of a
process or
• project are specified without cause-effect
relationships being implied; a recipe or
• procedure for a science investigating
would be examples of differing complexity

48. 4. Flip omelet.
3. Cook on
one side.
2. Add cheese.
Sequence / Process Writing
1. Crack a
few eggs.
Don’t confuse with
chronological!
Does not occur at
a specific time.

49. Signal Words
• first, second,
• last, next,
• then, before,
• another

50. Examples:
During flooding, one thing that may probably save
your life is an improvised flotation device. You can
make one using your pants. First, knot off the leg
holes of your pants. Then, hold the open waist and
swing the pants around to fill the legs with air.
Promptly knot the waist to trap the air and hold the
pants underwater so that the air
would not escape.

51. A television across
from the bed.
Two windows on
the west Wall
Spatial / Descriptive Writing
Racial is to race as spatial is to space.
Describes something in order of space.
Describes how something looks.
My bedroom

52. Signal Words
• characteristics
• are, to
• illustrate, also,
• one example,
• in
• addition

53. Tips to Identify
1. Ask, “what is the author doing in this
paragraph?” Put it in your own words.
2. Have a hunch? Use the graphic
organizer to see if the info fits.
3. Look for signal words.

54. Practice
1. Read each passage.
2. Determine how the text is organized:
cause and effect, compare and contrast,
chronological order, sequence / process
writing, problem and solution, or spatial /
descriptive.
3. Write your answer.

55. Popular Sports
Football and baseball are two of the
most popular sports in the country. They
have many things in common. For one,
they are both team sports, and they both
require players to advance to an end or
“home” point on the playing field.
However, football requires players to carry
the ball to the end zone, whereas in
baseball, it is the defending team that
controls the ball while it is in play.

56. The Magic Blanket
One day while walking home from school,
he found a magic blanket. When he covered
himself with it, he turned invisible. At first he
used his power to play all kinds of tricks on
people. He’d turn invisible and hide things, or
move a cup when someone was pouring juice
to make a mess. He had a lot of fun. But
then one day, he found that he couldn’t take
the blanket off. He was just stuck invisible.
He quit playing tricks on people, hoping that
he’d be able to take the blanket off and rejoin
society, but it didn’t work. He is still invisible
somewhere right now, and he is very lonely.

57. Studying for a Test
Believe it or not, as important as it is,
many students do not know how to study
for a test. Well, studying for a test is easy.
The first thing that you must do is take out
your notes. Open your notes up to the
section that you are supposed to review.
Read what you wrote in your notebook.
When you are done, close your notebook
and see if you remember the ideas that
you were studying. Still don’t remember?
Open your notebook back up a try again.

58. Low Test Scores
Many students have been getting low
scores on tests and this is upsetting to
parents, teachers, and students. Low test
scores show that teachers aren’t teaching
effectively or that students aren’t learning.
Either way it’s an issue with which we are
concerned. I propose the following: any
teacher who is giving a test should open up
their classroom for study groups the night
and morning before the test. Maybe by
giving students extra opportunities to study,
we can improve students’ test scores.

59. Peanut Butter and Jelly
After a long day at school, I came
home and watched “Cops,” my favorite
show. During the commercial breaks, I got
up and made a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich. I took the bread out of the
cabinet, spread the jelly and peanut butter
on the bread, and stuck the two pieces
together. I enjoyed that sandwich as I
watched the rest of “Cops.”

60. The Gym Room
The gym room at the high school down the
street from me is huge. Along the North and
South walls are bleachers that fold up during
gym. Coach pulls the bleachers out for big
games. At the end of the East and West walls
are basketball hoops. The ceilings are very
high and at the top of the gym are many large
windows. The windows go all the way around
the gym. There are also ropes that are either
tucked away or hang from the ceilings in the
middle of the gym. The ropes intimidate
some students. That gym is my favorite place.

61. Eligibility
Being involved in after school sports and
clubs is not a right. It is a privilege.
Therefore, students have to meet eligibility
requirements. If students have any “D”s or
“F”s, they are not allowed to play. Also, if
students have behavior issues in class, they
cannot be on the team or in the club. Lastly,
students need to keep good attendance. If
students miss school, they most certainly
cannot come to practice. Being on a team is
a lot of responsibility. If students are not
proving to be responsible, they will not be
permitted to be in clubs or teams.

62. Teenage Pregnancy
It seems like there has been a surge in
teen pregnancies these days. Teen
pregnancies make it very difficult for young
mothers to pursue their dreams and meet
the demands of an infant. Fortunately, most
teen pregnancies can be easily prevented
by using birth control; however, even birth
control is not 100% effective. The most
effective way to prevent teen pregnancies is
abstinence, which is 100% effective.

63. Answers
1. Compare and contrast
2. Chronological
3. Sequence or process writing
4. Problem and solution
5. Chronological
6. Spatial / descriptive writing
7. Cause and effect