Reading: Skimming (Reading for Gist - Very Simple Texts): Lesson 2: Understanding if a Short Text is a List, a Sign, or a Simple Sentence

Reading: Skimming (Reading for Gist)

Lesson 2: Identifying Text Types

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to look at a short text and quickly identify if it is a list, a sign, or a sentence.

Before You Read 🧠

Key Vocabulary

Knowing these words will help you understand the lesson.

List

A series of names or other items written one after another.

Sign

A notice with words or pictures giving information or an instruction.

Sentence

A group of words that expresses a complete thought.

Text Type

The style or format of a piece of writing.

Three Common Text Types

When you know the text type, you can guess its purpose. Let's look at three types you see every day.

1. The List 📝

Look for: Numbers (1, 2, 3), bullets (•), or short lines of text.
Purpose: To organize information.

Example (Shopping list):

• Rice
• Fish
• Mangoes

2. The Sign 🛑

Look for: Very few words, often in big letters, sometimes with a picture.
Purpose: To give a quick, important instruction or warning.

Example (A sign on the road):

STOP

3. The Sentence / Paragraph 📖

Look for: Words grouped together, starting with a capital letter and ending with a period (.).
Purpose: To tell a story or describe something.

Example (Describing the weather):

The weather in Kampot is hot today. The sun is shining.

Practice What You Learned 🎯

Quiz: What am I?

1. Look at the text below. What text type is it?

GO

• A. A List
• B. A Sign
• C. A Sentence

→ Answer: B. A Sign. It is a short, important instruction.

2. What about this one?

My cat is black. He likes to sleep.

• A. A List
• B. A Sign
• C. A Sentence / Paragraph

→ Answer: C. A Sentence / Paragraph. It describes something and ends with a period.

3. And this last one?

1. Do homework
2. Wash dishes
3. Go to bed

• A. A List
• B. A Sign
• C. A Sentence

→ Answer: A. A List. It uses numbers to organize tasks.

Key Vocabulary Reference

• List (Noun) | បញ្ជី
  A series of names or other items written one after another to organize them.
• Sign (Noun) | ស្លាកសញ្ញា
  A notice with words or pictures that gives an instruction or warning.
• Sentence (Noun) | ប្រយោគ
  A group of words that expresses a complete thought, ending with a period (.).
• Text Type (Noun) | ប្រភេទអត្ថបទ
  The style or format of a piece of writing (e.g., a list, a sign, a story).

Your Reading Mission ⭐

Go on a Text Hunt!

Look around your home, your school, or your town. Find and write down in your notebook:

• One example of a Sign (e.g., on a shop, on the road).
• One example of a List (e.g., a menu, a shopping list).
• One example of a Sentence (e.g., from a book, a newspaper).

Be ready to share what you found!