People who write informational text have a difficult job. They have to present information to their readers in a way that is both understandable and interesting. And presenting information, especially a large amount of information, requires a writer to organize facts and details in a way that will best help readers understand the subject. This organization—the way a writer presents a topic—is the called the text structure.

While the exact organization of an article depends on the subject, there are several text structures that appear over and over again. Authors tend to choose from among these text structures when they are ready to write an article. An article about Thomas Edison’s life, for instance, would be organized in a different way than an article explaining how a cell phone works. Likewise, an article about places to visit in Rome would be organized differently than an article about how scientists can tell a volcano is going to erupt.

Watch this video to learn more about some common text structures.