1. National Taiwan Ocean University
Freshman English
Text Structures
National Taiwan Ocean University
Foreign Language Teaching & Research Center
Lu-Fang Lin

2. Narrative Text
Narratives are expressions of event-based experiences (Graesser, Golding, & Long, 1996, p. 174). In this reading lesson, narrative is embedded in a communicative interchange between writer and reader.
Components in a narrative text: characters, settings, events, problems, attempted solutions, climaxes, and results

3. Expository Text
Expository text is written to convey new information to readers (Graesser, Golding, & Long, 1996, p. 173). What is written may include concepts, ideas, and relationships between ideas.
Components in an expository text: main ideas, specific ideas (details)

4. Examples
Human body Zoehfeld, K. W. (2000). NY: Scholastic Inc. (pp. 3-11)
Arnie Ant Has Hiccups Brouwer, Sigmund (2000). Canada: coolreading.com.

5. Activities:
In the following several text types (genres) are listed out. Please classify them into the two categories (Narrative texts vs. Expository texts) according the above definitions. If you have other terms, you may add them to this table.
Myths
comedy
science textbooks
facts
academic journal articles
Fiction
epics
non-fiction
novels
reading skill textbooks
Fables
factual texts
legends
tragedy
short stories
Facts
Folktales
chats
Irony
medical research reports
Almanacs
Encyclopedias
Autobiography

6. Answers: Myths comedy science textbooks facts
academic journal articles
Fiction
epics
non-fiction
novels
reading skill textbooks
Fables
factual texts
legends
tragedy
short stories
Facts
Folktales
chats
Irony
medical research reports
Almanacs
Encyclopedias
Autobiography