Answer:

Informational text is a subset of the larger category of nonfiction (Duke & Bennett-Armistead, 2003). Its primary purpose is to inform the reader about the natural or social world. Different from fiction, and other forms of nonfiction, informational text does not utilize characters. Further, it has specialized language characteristics such as general nouns and timeless verbs that are not common in other genres. Some examples of this structure would be: “Dogs bark;” “Some sea snakes are quite deadly;” or “Apples can be red, yellow, or even green!”

Authors of informational text employ a variety of structures to assist the reader in finding information quickly and efficiently. These might include a table of contents, an index, bold or italicized text, glossaries for specialized vocabulary, embedded definitions for specialized vocabulary, realistic illustrations of photos, captions and other labels, and graphs and charts. Unlike narratives that tell a story across time in a linear fashion, informational text is often (though not always) non-linear. It is popular with skillful and non-skillful readers as it is usually topical and readers can locate a text on nearly any topic of interest. Some examples of types of informational text include cause-and-effect books, “all about…” books, question-and-answer books, and most reference texts.