Matières
Niveaux
Text Features
Fiche | Anglais
Secondaire
1-5
What Are Text Features?
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
Indicates the subject or the text’s main idea.
Heading/Subheading
Divides the text into main parts and subparts.
Table of Contents
Indicates chapters or sections and the order they follow.
Index
Indicates on what pages the reader can find different topics.
Glossary
List of definitions for selected words found in the text.
Bold Print
Highlights important words or phrases.
Italics
Indicates proper nouns or important vocabulary.
Bulleted/Numerical List
Organizes important elements.
Graphic Text Features
Photographs
Show what something or someone looks like using a camera.
Illustrations
Show what something or someone looks like drawn on the computer or by hand.
Captions
Short sentences located directly under an image explaining the photograph or illustration.
Labelled Diagram
Indicates the name of specific parts of a photograph or illustration.
Graph
Organizes information to demonstrate comparisons.
Maps
Shows geographical details or information.
Table
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
Includes the title, the author, the illustrator and the publisher of the book/story.
Chapters or Section Titles
Give the reader an idea of what the chapter or section will be about.
Images
Illustrate what’s happening in the text.
Back Cover
Gives a short synopsis (summary) of the book/story. Can also contain quotes and/or a blurb (short promotional description).
