Unit 1: Expository Vocabulary

Text Type / Text Example

A typical example of a type of text

Ex. novel, artwork, podcast, comic, short video, social media post, speech, letter, interview, etc.

Text Mode

A format through which a text is communicated

I.E. print, digital, auditory, spoken, visual, & kinesthetic

Text Feature

Increases readability and accessibility of a text so that the message and purpose can be more easily understood by the intended audience; created by authors, designers, and editors

Multimodal

Quality of a text where information is conveyed through a combination or integration of different modes

Ex. A tiktok dance video using digital, auditory, & kinesthetic features to communicate a message

Print

A text mode characterized by the physical printing of information on paper

Ex. novel, article, brochure

Digital

A text mode characterized by the electronic creation, storage, or sharing of information (typically using a screen)

Ex. social media post, website, slideshow

Auditory

A text mode characterized by the use of sound to communicate information

Ex. song, podcast, audiobook

Spoken

A text mode characterized by the verbal expression of information through speech

Ex. speech, interview, presentation

Visual

A text mode characterized by the use of images (still or moving), colors, space, icons, etc. to communicate information

Ex. comic, artwork, graph

Kinesthetic

A text mode characterized by the use of physical movement or touch to communicate

Ex. musical, tv show, dance

Linear Text

A text that should be read from beginning to end in an established sequential order

Ex. book, podcast, movie

Nonlinear Text

A text that does NOT need to be read from beginning to end in an established sequential order

Ex. graph, music album, website

Dynamic Text

A text that changes in some way; may involve movement or navigation across a single text’s multiple modes or interactive features (such as hyperlinks)

Static Text

A text that does NOT change or move (such as Print Texts)

Message

The central idea a text is trying to communicate to the intended audience

Purpose (of a Text)

The reason an author/creator writes/makes a text

Audience

The group of people an author intends for their text to reach; this group appreciates or is interested in the text’s message

Bias

A strong preference for or against something (typically an idea or actions)

Credibility

The quality of being trusted or believed; indicates the reliability of a source and the information it communicates

Currency

The timeliness of information presented within a source

Relevance

The importance of the information presented within a source for a researcher’s specific needs

Authority

The knowledgeability or expertise of the author or organization responsible for creating a source

Accuracy

The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of information presented within a source

Purpose (for Credibility)

The reason an author creates a text

Expository Techniques

Writing techniques that focus on forming a central idea, providing evidence and examples, and presenting logical conclusions; can provide information, explain concepts and processes, or present analyses

Facts

An expository technique that is objectively known to be true; there is no room for audience interpretation

Statistics

An expository technique that uses numbers to represent facts

Testimony

An expository technique that is a formal written or spoken statement

Text Evidence

An expository technique that is the use of specific examples from a text to support an idea; can be summarized, paraphrased, or directly quoted information

Data

An expository technique that is a collection of facts and/or statistics compiled for reference and/or analysis