• What is the structure of a text?
• What types of text are there?
• Structure of an expository text
• Structure of an argumentative text
• Structure of a narrative text

We explain what the structure of a text is, how is the structure of an expository, argumentative, narrative text and examples.

The structure of a text is governed by coherence and cohesion.

What is the structure of a text?

The structure of a text It is the way in which its parts are arranged, that is, the internal order it presents and which is governed by two basic conditions:

• Consistency: Parts of the text must be understandable, legible and convey a clear idea
• The cohesion: These parts must unite in a harmonious way, they must flow and form part of a unit.

Writing is almost always a complicated matter, since the transcription of our ideas written words requires a planning process and a very different method from spoken improvisation. To do this, it is essential to manage its structure well, which, taking into account coherence and cohesion, we can differentiate respectively in:

• Internal structure of the text, which has to do with the distribution of ideas within their respective paragraphs, so that the message that you want to give is understandable and logical.
• External structure of the text, which has to do with the ordering of the paragraphs into recognizable segments of the text, to present the reader with an orderly and methodical route of ideas.

The external structure, however, will almost always depend on the type of text we are building, since we will have a very different final task in mind, if what we write is a story, a rehearsal or a reportage journalistic. There are even very specific cases of texts that are necessarily governed by a predetermined scheme or presentation pattern.

What types of text are there?

When we speak of text, we naturally refer to a body of writing, that is, to a finite set of words organized in sentences and phrases, which in turn make up a different set of ordered paragraphs. Everything that is written is text, but not necessarily in the same way. Thus, we must distinguish between the different ways in which the text can occur, that is, the different types of text that there are:

• Expository texts. They are those in which it is sought to transmit information to the reader, through data, quotes and explanations, without thereby openly assuming a position regarding what has been said, that is, without giving an opinion or favoring any interpretation or point of view. This does not mean that they are always objective texts, but it does mean that they keep the forms regarding the way in which the information can be understood. Examples of this type of text are newspaper reports, encyclopedia entries and school textbooks.
• Argumentative texts. They are those in which a point of view is built on the subject in question, through the use of arguments, examples convenient or objective information, all put at the service of convincing the reader to interpret things as proposed. They are texts that seek to convince, demonstrate or prove something. Some examples of argumentative texts are the opinion columns in newspapers, newspaper editorials or speeches politicians.
• Narrative texts. They are those in which a story or a story of different length and nature is told, using more or less stylistic resources or literary to beautify it or to create a greater impact. This means that there are stories that are more attached to reality, and others that are more imaginative, but this does not represent any substantial difference with respect to the structure of the story. Examples of this type of text are novels, the Chronicles journalistic and children's stories.

Structure of an expository text

The expository texts seek to convey information in the most objective way possible.

Since they are generally informative texts, that is, whose purpose is to convey information in as much detail as possible, the expository texts are governed by the following basic structure:

• Introduction. Being the initial stage of the text, it seeks to enter the reader into the topic of interest, through supplementary information that goes from the most general to the most specific. This information should pave the way for the reader to understand what follows, by building a frame of reference and making it clear to him the basic things he will need for later. For example, in an encyclopedic article on Egyptian art, the introduction probably explains who the Egyptians were, at what time in antiquity they had their cultural heyday, and what were the main features of their culture.
• Developing. This is the stage of greatest density of the text, in which the most important ideas are exposed and the subject in question is fully addressed. It is common at this stage to use examples, quotes or even graphics and other materials to help illustrate what has been said. Continuing with our example, in this stage Egyptian art will be fully addressed, going from the simplest to the most complicated, and relying on illustrations, photographs and descriptions of fundamental pieces.
• Conclusions.. Final stage of the text, which serves as a closure to the topic discussed above and at the same time offers additional valuable information, which can put the topic in relation to other important ones, or can take up parts of what has been said on which it is convenient to insist, finally, here are the final ideas with which you want the reader to finally stay. And to complete the example, the article on Egyptian art would close with the relevance of Egyptian art for Western canons, citing some specialists, and summarizing some of its outstanding features that may account for it.

Structure of an argumentative text

Since argumentative texts seek to convince or promote certain ideas, their structure is similar to that of the expository text, but with notable differences. This structure would be the following:

• Thesis. The initial stage of the argumentative text starts by making clear the author's position on the subject. For this, it is possible to have a very brief introductory stage, to provide a certain context, but the most important thing will always be to show premises fundamentals that will be defended later through arguments. For example, in the case of an opinion article against the government, the author may begin by raising the most serious aspect of current politics, which he considers to be the entire responsibility of the government and warrants a change of president.
• Argumentation. Once the fundamental premises of the point of view have been exposed, the stage is reached in which it corresponds to sustain or defend them. This means that we must offer the reader arguments that support or demonstrate what we have said initially, so that they try to share our point of view, or that they refute possible objections to our initial approach. Continuing with our previous example, the opinion piece against the government could defend its point of view by citing the government's broken promises that are relevant, or by citing what the law states in this regard, or by explaining how similar situations are handled in other countries. or how previous governments dealt with them.
• Conclusions. The final stage of the argumentative text is key to leaving the appropriate impression on the reader, and in it the logical conclusions of the previous premises are established, emphasizing the way in which we must (according to the author) interpret them. It is a text generally short and to the point, which gives the reader a final, explicit point of view, with which he wants them to stay when they finish reading. Thus, the opinion article of our example would culminate by explaining to the reader that, once we have seen all of the above, there are no doubts about the responsibility of the government and that, therefore, it would be best to change it.

Structure of a narrative text

In the case of the narrative text, its fundamental structure is that suggested by Aristotle (384-322 BC) in his literary studies of Antiquity, which have remained in force since then. Accordingly, every story is made up of:

• Approach. The initial stage of any story consists of the necessary presentation of the characters, that is, in saying who is the protagonist of the story, where it occurs and other information that establishes the starting point of the story. This segment usually consists of the presentation of an initial situation that will become more complicated as the complication progresses. At the end of this first stage, we must know what is necessary to continue reading without missing anything. For example, a story about a group of soldiers returning from war might begin by introducing the storyteller -a soldier- and through him to his companions who travel with him on the ship back from abroad.
• Knot or complication. The middle point of every story is characterized by the appearance of obstacles in the path of the protagonist, that is, in the entanglement or complication of the thread of the plot. This is the moment when things get difficult for the character, when the antagonists or in which events go against him. Following our example, the knot in the soldiers' story could have to do with the mishaps of the ship on its way home, or in the fight that seems inevitable between the protagonist and one of his companions, which could cloud the return to House.
• Outcome. Finally, the denouement is the segment of the story in which the conflict and the plot reaches its end. Normally, this segment shows a change suffered by the character, be it a tragic ending or a happy ending. To end the example, the story of the soldiers could culminate with the antagonist falling out of the water during the fight, thus marking a tragic ending to what would have to be a happy return home.