INFORMATIONAL TEXT Terms and Vocabulary

Functional Text  How do I know if a piece of text is functional? Functional text is used for everyday information. It is called functional because it helps you function in your day-to-day life.  For example, if I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies, I would read a recipe. If I wanted to know my friend's phone number, I would look in a phone book. If my English teacher gave a test, I would need to read the directions. Can you think of a time in school you would need to read functional text?

Literary Text  How do I know if a text is literary?  Literary text is used for entertainment, or for analyzing language. Most of the reading you do on your own is probably literary. Novels, magazines, and letters from your friends are examples of literary text. When in school might you read literary text?

BOLD  Type or print that has thick, heavy lines, used for emphasis.

ITALICS  Designating or pertaining to a style of printing types in which the letters usually slope to the right, used for emphasis.  emphasis

Outline  Exhibiting information in table form.

Title  The distinguishing name of a book, poem, picture, piece of music and such.

Heading  The top of a book or page.

Subheading  A title ore heading of a subdivision, as in a chapter, essay, or newspaper article.

Captions  A title, short explanation or description accompanying an illustration or a photograph.

Photo  A picture produced by photography

Illustrations  Something that illustrates, as a picture in a book or magazine.

Index  Alphabetical listing of names, places and topics along with the numbers of the pages on which they are found, usually in the back of the book.

Footnotes  A note placed at the bottom of a pageof a book or manuscript that comments or cites a reference for a designated part of the text.

Table of Contents  A list of divisions (chapters or articles) and the pages on which they start.

Glossary  A list at the back of a book, explaining or defining difficult or unusual words and expressions used in text.

Diagrams/ Charts  A plan, sketch, drawing or outline designed to demonstrate or explain how something works.

Bibliography  A list of source materials that are used or consulted in the preparation of a work or that are referred to in the text.