INSTRUCTIONAL text characteristics

A instructional text Its purpose is to guide the reader to do certain actions. The necessary materials and the steps that must be followed are shown in a clear way so that the reader is able to understand the procedure No problem. They can be used to instruct in everyday things like assembling furniture, cooking, setting up a computer, etc.

In this lesson from a TEACHER we want to explain the instructional text characteristics and give you an example so you can have a much clearer idea.

A instructional text is a tool that explain the step by step that you have to follow to perform a certain task. Usually, he first presents the materials or ingredients that will be needed and later explains in the form of points the order that you must follow and the actions that you have to do to carry out your objective.

Some of the common examples that you can find in your day-to-day life are cooking recipes, instructions for assembling some type of appliance or piece of furniture, how to wash your hands in a hygienic way, etc. They can be written by

separately or within an instructional book, along with other instructions on the same subject, for example: a recipe book.

Instructional texts They can be very simple, like the recipe for a fried egg or they can be very complex like the instructions for installing software on your computer; but they are always written so that the reader can understand perfectly in an easy way and put it into practice. Therefore, instructional text characteristics are as follows.

They are written in order

For a person to understand an instructional text and be able to follow the steps in an easy way, it has to be written in chronological order. They can be used as connectors to order the text in a correct way, for example: first beat the egg, then pour it into the paella pan, etc.

They use precise language

Instructional texts do not ramble on ideas, but rather employ a very concrete and precise language so that the reader can understand the phrase at a glance. Sometimes technicalities of the specific topic that are being talked about appear, but otherwise the language should be as simple as possible to facilitate the reader's understanding.

Used verbs

The verb forms commonly used to create instructional text are the imperative (bat, catch, place, etc.) and the infinitive (breathe deeply, move gently, position on top, etc.). In addition, to get the reader's attention it is common to use the first person plural (we turn on the coffee pot, look at the clock, raise our hands, etc.), that gives the reader a certain air of closeness to the writer.

They are explanatory

The instructional texts are made up of short explanations linked together to give general instruction. Therefore they are explanatory texts that leave no room for imagination or creativity. For example: The red button in the upper right corner of the camera is the device's on / off button.

They use visual resources

Instructional texts may be accompanied by visual resources such as pictures, diagrams, schematics, etc. in order to facilitate the reader's understanding when following the steps that he has to take to carry out a certain task.

They maintain a structure

Normally this type of texts present a very marked structure to give a very concrete message. That is why sections, subsections, hyphens, periods, lists, etc. are often used. They are usually easy to recognize at sight and if you separate your gaze from the instructional text you can return to the same point easily and without getting lost.

They can include alerts

Some of the instructional texts may introduce pretty eye-catching alerts in the middle of writing in case the reader has missed an important step or is likely to make a common mistake.

Here is a example of an instructional text so that you can clearly see the characteristics that we have mentioned in the previous sections. Read it carefully and try to identify each of the characteristics of the instructional text:

Recipe for a French omelette with ham

Follow these steps to make a French omelette with serrano ham.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 25 grams of serrano ham in taquitos
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• Salt and pepper

preparation:

1. Break the eggs into a deep plate and add the salt
2. Beat the eggs until smooth
3. Add the pepper
4. Place a frying pan with oil on the fire and let it heat up over high heat
5. Once hot, pour the egg on top of the pan and spread the ham on top evenly
6. Let the tortilla set and fold in half to turn
7. Cook until desired point and remove from heat

These are the instructional text characteristics. If you are interested in continuing to learn more about this topic or something similar, do not hesitate to take a look at the writing section.