narrative, description, procedure, and review. At least, there are five reading texts relate to monolog text in the form of procedure, descriptive,
recount, narrative, and report text
11
and each of them should provide linguistic feature, generic structure, and social function.
a. Narrative Text
A popular genre that commonly entertains readers and has power to change social opinion and attitudes is narrative.
12
It means readers can find the narrative text in such science fiction
book, historical fiction, and fairytales that use narrative to raise topical social issue and present their complexities. The
following features of narrative text are: 1.
Constructing a Narrative It consists of three parts: Orientation, sequencing a series of
events, and resolution.
13
Orientation introduces the reader or listener to the people, time, and place. It also uses the
sequence to describe how the characters react to the problem. Then, the resolution tells about the characters in
the story solve the problem. 2.
Grammatical Features of Narrative The following grammatical features of narrative are:
a. Using action verbs and temporal connectives when
sequencing people and events in time and space, action, and creating effective images;
b. Using rhythm and repetition to make certain effects;
c. It is written in the past tense unless quoting direct
speech; d.
It also plays with sentence structure.
14
11
Standar Isi untuk Satuan Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah, Jakarta: BSNP, 2006, p. 124.
12
Peter Knapp and Megan Watkins, Genre, Text, Grammar: Technology for Teaching and Assessing Writing, Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, 2005, pp. 220-221.
13
Ibid., pp. 222-223.
14
Ibid., pp. 221-222.
b. Procedure Text
The Anderson states, procedure is a text that tells the audience about the way to do something.
15
Reader or listener are able to get instructions for making something, doing
something, and getting somewhere from the procedure text. They can get it from food recipes, directions, instructions, etc.
The more information about procedure can be identified from its features, are:
1. Constructing a Procedure
There are three sections to construct the procedure. The first section is an introduction that provides the goal of the
procedure. The second is a list of materials that are needed to complete the procedure. Last, a sequence of steps is
needed to reach the goal.
16
2. Grammatical Features of a Procedure
The following grammatical features of procedure are: a.
Sentence consists of verbs are stated as commands; b.
Number tells about the order for carrying out the procedure;
c. Adverb is the way the action should be performed in
the procedure; d.
Precise term and technical language.
17
15
Mark Anderson and Kathy Anderson, op. cit., p. 28.
16
Ibid.
17
Ibid.
c. Descriptive Text
A text can be known from the content and the purpose of the story that describes the subject features. In this case, the
text tells the readers a picture of someone or something in words.
18
The additional information about descriptive can be identified from its features, are:
1. Generic structure
It is divided into two: Identification that identifies phenomenon to be described and description that describes
parts, qualities, characteristics.
19
2. Linguistic features
a. Focus on specific participants;
b. Use of attributive and identifying processes;
c. Frequent use of epithets and classifiers in nominal
groups; d.
Use of simple present tense.
20
d. Recount Text
The story tells about past events occurred, the reader or listener are provided with a description of events occurred and
its time is called a recount.
21
Recount texts are easy to find in letters, speeches, newspaper reports, etc. and the features of a
recount are able to identify from: 1.
Constructing a Recount Three parts of constructing recount are the first paragraph
tells background information about who, what, where, and
18
John Langan, College Writing Skills with Readings, Fifth Edition, Boston: McGraw- Hill, 2000, p. 175.
19
Standar Kompetensi Mata Pelajaran Bahasa Inggris SMP MTS, op. cit., p. 76.
20
Ibid.
21
Mark Anderson and Kathy Anderson, Text Types in English 1, South Yarrra: Macmillan, 1997, p. 48.
