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English Language Arts
Text Features

Text Features

Concept sheet | English Language Arts
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Title of a new document.
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Usage of headings and subheadings
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A table of contents presenting a document.
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An index lists topics alphabetically.
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A glossary of vocabulary definitions.
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Bold print highlighting a word.
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Italics indicating a proper noun.
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Bullet list organizing information.
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Moraine Lake in Alberta.
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Drawing of Moraine Lake in Alberta.
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Caption under a picture.
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The labeled diagram of a sailboat.
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A basic graph.
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An itinerary on a map.
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A table comparing payments.
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Illustrate what’s happening in the text.
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The beginning of a chapter.
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Image inside a book.
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Back Cover of a story.
Secondary
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Table of contents

What Are Text Features?

Definition

Text features organize the text and help the reader understand it. Most of the features are not part of the main text, instead, they are considered guides. They all serve different purposes, but their main goal is to help us quickly access information within the text.

Text features are mostly found in nonfiction texts, but some are also used in fiction.

Nonfiction Text Features

Many features help the reader quickly understand the topic and information in a nonfiction text. The following are used most frequently.

Title

Title of a new document.
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Indicates the subject or the text’s main idea.

Heading/Subheading

Usage of headings and subheadings
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Divides the text into main parts and subparts.

Table of Contents

A table of contents presenting a document.
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Indicates chapters or sections and the order they follow.

Index

An index lists topics alphabetically.
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Indicates on what pages the reader can find different topics.

Glossary

A glossary of vocabulary definitions.
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List of definitions for selected words found in the text.

Bold Print

Bold print highlighting a word.
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Highlights important words or phrases.

Italics

Italics indicating a proper noun.
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Indicates proper nouns or important vocabulary.

Bulleted/Numerical List

Bullet list organizing information.
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Organizes important elements.

Graphic Text Features

Photographs

Moraine Lake in Alberta.
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Show what something or someone looks like using a camera.

Illustrations

Drawing of Moraine Lake in Alberta.
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Show what something or someone looks like drawn on the computer or by hand.

Captions

Caption under a picture.
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Short sentences located directly under an image explaining the photograph or illustration.

Labelled Diagram

The labeled diagram of a sailboat.
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Indicates the name of specific parts of a photograph or illustration.

Graph

A basic graph.
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Organizes information to demonstrate comparisons.

Maps

An itinerary on a map.
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Shows geographical details or information.

Table

A table comparing payments.
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Organizes details, facts and numbers visually so that they are easy to read.

Fiction Text Features

Text features in fiction are less common. However, some of them can be easily identified and reveal important details about the story.

Title Page or Cover Page

Illustrate what’s happening in the text.
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Includes the title, the author, the illustrator and the publisher of the book/story.

Chapters or Section Titles

The beginning of a chapter.
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Give the reader an idea of what the chapter or section will be about.

Images

Image inside a book.
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Illustrate what’s happening in the text.
 

Back Cover

Back Cover of a story.
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Gives a short synopsis of the book/story. Can also contain quotes and/or a blurb (short promotional description).

See Also