| Process Description | Instructions | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose: | Inform (and entertain) the reader, show the reader a process | Enable reader to perform a task |
| Reader's motivation: | Wants to learn what happens during a process | Wants to learn how to do something |
| Reader's knowledge level; effect on text form: | Varies; target knowledge level affects amount of detail and background information needed | No previous knowledge (beginner) or general knowledge of process, but no experience with the specific process (intermediate); beginners need more background information |
| Format: | Continuous prose text, essentially a narrative form | List of equipment and supplies; step-by-step instructions, either in the form of a numbered list or in the form of a continuous text |
| Typical language: | Third person, passive voice sometimes used, sequencing language | Imperative, concise, precise language, articles may be omitted, sequencing language |
Examples:
Instructions: Notice the use of verbs
in the imperative.
Cream Fritters
(October)
Ingredients:
| 1 cup of heavy cream | cinnamon |
| six eggs | syrup |
Preparation: Take the eggs, crack them, and separate the whites. Stir the six yolks with the cup of cream. Beat until the mixture becomes light. Pour it into a pot that has been greased with lard. The mixture should be no more than an inch thick in the baking pan. Place it on the heat, over a very low flame, and allow to thicken.
Process Description
(in a fictional narrative—the process being described here involves more
than the preparation of cream fritters):
Tita was preparing these fritters at the specific request of Gertrudis;
they were her favorite dessert. It had been a long time since she had had them,
and she wanted to make them before leaving the ranch, the next day. Gertrudis
had only been home for a week, but that was much longer than she had intended.
While she greased the pot where Tita would pour the beaten cream, she never
stopped talking. She had so many things to tell Tita that she could talk day
and night for a month without running out of conversation. Tita listened, greatly
interested.
Laura
Esquirel,
in Like Water for Chocolate:
A Novel in Monthly Installments,
with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies
Process Analysis:
Planting an azalea involves four steps: 1) preparing the location, 2)
removing the plant from its container, 3) planting the azalea, and 4)
watering. First, a hole is dug approximately 6-10 cm wider and deeper
than the azalea's current container. Azaleas like a slightly acidic soil,
so a layer of peat moss mixed with humus is placed at the bottom of the
hole. Next, the plant is carefully removed from the container so that
the roots are damaged as little as possible. If the root ball is extremely
tightly packed, the gardener may use a knife to make vertical cuts in
it to stimulate root growth. The plant is then placed in the hole to test
for depth. The top of the root ball should be no more than 2 cm below
the level of the surface; if necessary, the amount of peat moss and humus
in the hole is adjusted. When the depth is right, the space around the
root ball is filled with peat moss and humus. The soil is tamped down
to eliminate air pockets. A shallow indentation, or moat, is left to prevent
excess runoff when the plant is watered. Finally, the plant is given a
thorough watering with a weak fertilizer solution.
Quick review: Test your understanding of instructions and process descriptions with this quick review quiz.
UWS
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