Expository and Argumentative Texts: Structure
Expository Texts
Exposition: A type of oral or written text that presents information, ideas, and concepts that have some complexity. Its purpose is to convey information faithfully and accurately and must be made with order, clarity, and simplicity. Exposition is sometimes mixed with argumentation, but it is different because it does not try to convince anyone. Therefore, it should use an objective tone.
Structure of Expository Texts
The basic structure of expository texts is:
- Introduction: The topic is presented. Questions to be resolved later may also be raised.
- Development: This is the central part of the exposition and provides ideas and knowledge used to comprehend the text and solve the issues raised. It is distributed over several paragraphs in which information progresses on the subject.
- Conclusion: Finally, the central ideas or their consequences are stressed.
Argumentative Texts
Argumentation: It is a type of text that can be oral or written, defending ideas (thesis) with data and reasoning (arguments). The purpose of the argumentative text is to persuade the receiver, that is, to convince them of something. We argue about issues that have different opinions, not about truths that are undeniable.
Structure of Argumentative Texts
Argumentative texts are divided into three parts that may appear ordered as follows:
- Inductive Structure: Consists of providing different arguments to derive the thesis from them.
- Deductive Structure: First, the thesis is formulated, and then supporting arguments are presented.
- Circular Structure: The thesis is presented at the beginning of the text, various arguments are added, and it ends with a conclusion restating the thesis.
Transitive and Intransitive Sentences
- Transitive: They need a direct object to complete the meaning of the verb.
- Intransitive: These verbs do not need to be supplemented.
Verb Complements
These are required in a sentence; without them, it is incomplete. Apart from the attribute, verb complements are:
- Direct Object: To find it, ask: “What?”
- Indirect Object: To find it, ask: “To whom?” or “For whom?”
- Prepositional Verb Complement (Regimen): Requires a preposition.
Direct Object
The direct object is the phrase necessary to complete the action of a transitive verb. The function of a direct object is played by a noun phrase or an unstressed pronoun.
To recognize the direct object of a sentence, replace it with the pronouns lo, la, los, las.
Indirect Object
It is the phrase that indicates a person, animal, or thing receiving the benefit or harm of the verbal action. This function is performed by a prepositional phrase.
To recognize the indirect object, replace it with the pronouns le, les.
Prepositional Verb Complement
It is a complement with a preposition, as required by certain verbs to complete its meaning.
Patrimonial Words, Cultisms, and Doublets
Latin words have evolved gradually to become Spanish words.
- Patrimonial Words: These have followed the rules of phonetic evolution from Latin to Spanish.
- Cultisms (Learned Words): They come from a classical language and are incorporated into Spanish without significant transformations.
- Doublets: Pairs of words that come from the same Latin word, one of which has evolved (patrimonial), and the other has been adopted directly (cultism).
Humor in Prose
Humor in Situations
To provoke laughter, writers invent ridiculous or funny situations. Bumps and falls are very abundant in these, apart from confusion. For example, “No News from Gurb” by Eduardo Mendoza.
Humor in Characters
In these novels, there are often strange and funny characters. For example, “Pantagruel, son of Gargantua” by François Rabelais.
Humor in Language
Humor may also be created by playing with words. For example, the invented words of Gregorio Ramón Gómez de la Serna.
Absurd Humor
This type of humor mixes impossible situations, nonsensical dialogues, and strange characters. An example of this is the work of Woody Allen.