I will describe an extended formal document by using a “newspaper” as one of my examples.
Newspaper
Newspaper article is an article which stands out of a section, of a larger written work. An article is non-fiction and is usually about political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Newspapers are commonly printed out on a daily or weakly basis, they focus on the community where there target (reader) life.
Features of a newspaper:
- Weather news and forecast
- Advice column
- Critic review of movies plays, restaurants etc.
- Expression of the editor
- A gossip column
- Comic strips and entertainments like games.
- A sports column
- A humour section
- A food column
Articles can be divided in 2 different sections; news or features. Articles about news are about the events or economic issues around the world, whereas a feature article is more about social and entertainment like gossip and celebrities.
The structure of a newspaper often includes pictures, accounts, graphs and topics. The newspaper can write about who, what, where, when, why, how and can write about facts.
These are the features of a newspaper:
- Column which there is written a specific area of a topic.
- Filler means a short non-fiction writing which is written usually under 300 words to fill up the gaps of a newspaper
- Headline is a text which is on top of the newspaper which shows you what the article is about in the column, the headline is catchy, and so it can catch the readers’ attention.
- Lead this is a sentence writing which should take the readers attention and which leads it to a topic.
- Conclusion is to a final saying of the author or writer.
First newspaper was made in the ancient Rome by Julies Caesar where they were carved by stone or metal and posted to the public. In 1704 the first daily newspaper called the daily courant was published.
There are different types of newspapers which are produced on different times; the daily newspaper is made every day. The Sunday daily newspaper tends to be far more expensive. Most daily newspapers are produced every morning. Example of national newspapers:
- Telegraph The
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- The independent
- The times
There are also weekly newspapers, which are made every week and are smaller than the daily newspaper. But in the United States they are made twice or three times in a week (these are tend to be called weekly).
Audience type
The audience type for newspaper (extended formal document) is for the public in general. There is no specific age limited in a news paper, because there are all kinds of newspapers, As long as the reader is capable of reading the newspaper. It is designed for people who want to be updated with the news, sport or celebrity news.
Graphical documents
Graphical document is an image or graphic which provides pictorial information or just used for decoration, For example photo’s, background, lines, diagrams, charts, graphics, and drawings.
Graphical document is often used in ICT and is used to give information by a diagram like graphs, drawings, charts or lines.
I will describe a graphical document using “charts, bar chart” as one of my examples.
Charts:
We use charts for presenting data, people might use it for teaching or work. A chart provides data and information. A chart can be made by using computers or by hand on a graph paper. Types of charts: bar char pie chart, line graph and Gantt chart. People understand the data that the chart provides because it has less text and a diagram, which is very clear.
Certain types of charts are better used in different ways like:
- Data that is presented in percentages are often used in pie charts, but more easily understood in a horizontal bar chart
- But when you have a data that provides a time period (1900/200), it is better to use a line chart
History
A Gantt chart was made by Henry L. Gantt in 1917. He was an American engineer and a social scientist. His Gantt chart was a horizontal bar chart developed as a control tool. A Gantt chart provides a graphical illustration of timetable which helps you to plan coordinate and tracks specific task of a project.
Bar chart
- A bar chart is chart with rectangular bars with lengths that represent a value.
- Bar charts are often used to compare two or more values.
- The bars can be horizontally or vertically.
Audience type
The audience type for bar chart (graphical document) is for teenagers and adults, depending on when they understand how a bar chart works, because most of the time teenager need to understand bar charts for their exams in math’s whereas adult might need it to compare two things. Bar charts are also used for business and schools, making it a very formal document.
Promotional documents
A promotional document is a document which advertises goods, events or organisations to the public. Like leaflets, web page etc.
Webpage
A webpage is used for all kinds of stuff, like advertising, business, entertainment and the possibilities are endless. It has got all kinds of information which can be access world wide.
A web page has a lot of information; the reason for this is because the page can scroll down for as long as necessary. But it is more efficient if the main information is held a top of a page, where it is possible for the visitor to see.
A webpage has coloured text, backgrounds and often has pictures, media and are used for different types of uses, like:
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Information ()
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Teaching ()
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Learning ()
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Entertainment ()
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Communication ()
A webpage is designed for different uses like starting a business or teaching school children.
Viewing a web page in order to graphically display a web page, a web browser is needed, this type of software to retrieve seepages from the internet most software are able to view the source code.
Feature of a website:
- These are non-textual information:
-Animated gif which is a drawing which can move.
-Video which can watch by QuickTime software.
- Comments
- Scripts
- Textual information
- Interactive information
- Hyperlinks
- Forms
- Buttons
- Text
- Background
- Logo
You can make you own webpage by buying a software like Mr. site which is a program to make your own web for more info got
Audience type
The audience type for web page (promotional document) is for a specific group, who are interested in the web page because of the information it provides or the products it sells. Adults aged 18 and above and teenagers aged 12 and above, are the most common people who use a web page to access for information or goods. Any one who has access to internet can find a web page.
Presentation
Presentation is a process of showing and explaining any kind of topic, you can make a presentation on PowerPoint presentation or openoffice.org impress. Presentations are used for different kinds of things:
- Showing on audience of children in a class a lesson.
- Presenting a business plan to the dragons den.
- Marketing in public by using a presentation.
- Using it for assembles
- There are slides called photo slideshows, they are used for showing wedding pictures, birthday pictures, invitations and all these kinds of celebrations.
Children, teachers, adults, businesswoman/man use presentations, most schools have facilities for children and teachers to use PowerPoint presentation.
There are two types of presentation:
- Projecting from a computer, this can be used by teachers to show the audience (children) the work: like the aim, title and starter
- Viewing a computer display, the presentation can be viewed directly from the computer. When can use this when we are making are own PowerPoint presentation by using PowerPoint presentation.
Slide show
I will describe a presentation document by using “slide show” as one of my examples.
Slideshows is a modern word for slide show; a slideshow is a display of slides which include images, videos, sound and text which is often done professionally or just instructive. A computer running presentations is the latest, slideshow where originally used for theatres screens by magic lanterns-this was a program of an early moving slide show.
Audience type
The audience type for slide show (presentation) is for a adults and students, it is meant for people aged: 12 and above, because students use it to for their course work and adults use it to present it to an audience, like showing it to their share holders and the income they are earning.
Informal documents
Informal document are document which are more personal and private. The structure of an informal document depends on the person writing it, it could be very messy or Informal, like for example you send an email to your friend and you write “u” instead of “you”. Informal documents are usually opposite of formal documents.
I will describe an informal document by using “SMS” as one of my examples.
SMS stand for short message service, this software allows people to communicate by mobile phones at time when they can’t see each other. Short message or often hand full when you can send a friend or anybody else that something happened and you can’t make it. SMS is just a great way of communicating. The word SMS is also called text messaging.
We use text messaging for:
- Keeping contact with friends
- Having a laugh with a friend
- We use it because it is cheaper than calling.
- We use it because everyone has a mobile phone
- We use it to tell people what we are doing and send something quick to tell them we can’t make it to the party.
SMS
Audience type
The audience type for SMS ( informal document) is for a individual, it is meant for people aged: 12 and above, because at this specific age, a lot of people have a phone, and especially teenagers, use SMS to stay in contact with their friends, they often use slang.
What is the difference between informal documents and formal documents?
The difference between formal documents and informal documents is that informal documents would be send to a friend and relative. It would also have a less structured layout and it is more focusing on the content. Whereas a formal document, is usually like a legal documents and important letters form a business. It also has no slang or dialect, written in proper English and the layout is very structured.
Informal document: presented as a sms.
Formal document presented as a letter
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