Report Text

Genre of the text : Report

Social FunctionTo describe the way things are, with reference to a range of natural, man-made and social phenomena in our environtment.

Generic structureGeneral calssification; tells what the phenomenon under discussion is,Description tells what the phenomenon under discussion is like, in terms of (1) parts, (2) qualities, (3) habits or behaviors, if living; uses, if non-natural.

Significant Lexicogrammatical Features

Focus on Generic Participants,Use of Relational Processes to state what is and that which it is,Use of simple present tense (unless extinct), No temporal sequence.

Sample and Text Structure

The Pelicant Report

General Classification The White pelican is one of successful fish – eating birds

Description The success is largely due to its command hunting behavior. A group, perhaps two dozen birds, will gather in a curved are some distance offshore. The birds then begin to move forward towards the shore, beating the water furiously with their winds, driving the fish before them.When the water is shallow enough for the birds to reach the fish the formation breaks up as esch bird dips its bill into the water to scoop up its meal. As the birds lifts its head, the water drains from its bill leaving the fish which are then swallowed. Pelicans are among the oldest group of birds. Fossils of this genus have been found dating back 40 millions years.