Portuguese Year 5: Encyclopedia entry, news report and interview: texts that inform
Portuguese, Year 5 (Portugal): Recognise the purpose and structure of an encyclopedia entry, a news report and an interview, and know what to look for in each.
Three genres, three purposes
Each genre has a purpose and a structure. The encyclopedia entry (verbete) informs objectively about a word or topic: it starts with the entry (the name) and a definition, then organises the information, with no opinion. The news report informs about a recent fact: headline, a first paragraph with the essentials (who, what, when, where), then the details. The interview gets information or opinions from someone: it presents the interviewee and alternates the interviewer's questions with the interviewee's answers.
Knowing the genre tells you where to look
Recognising the genre helps you read: you know what to expect and where to look. In an entry, the definition is right at the start; in a news report the essentials usually come first; in an interview the information is in the answers, and the questions show what the interviewer wanted to know. And the purpose tells you how to read: informing asks you to check; giving an opinion asks you to keep it apart from the facts.
Analysing a news item
News item (invented example): «Os alunos do 5.º ano recolheram esta semana 300 livros para a biblioteca da escola.» (Fifth-year pupils collected 300 books for the school library this week.) Step 1: purpose, to inform about a recent fact. Step 2: this opening sentence answers who (the fifth-year pupils), what (collected 300 books), when (this week) and where (at school). Step 3: the following paragraphs give details and quote a source, for example the teacher in charge. Step 4: an entry on «biblioteca» would begin differently: with the definition of what a library is.
Opinion in a news item, and whose voice is it
There are two confusions. The first is thinking it is normal to find the writer's opinion in a news item or an entry: these genres should be objective, with facts. If you see «é uma vergonha» (it is a disgrace) or «que maravilha» (how wonderful), it is already opinion. The second is reading an interview as if the lines were the journalist's: the interviewee gives the information; the interviewer's questions only guide. Always check who is speaking.
Where you meet them
You meet these genres every day: you look up a word in an online encyclopedia (entry), you read the news on a website or watch the evening news, you hear an interview with an athlete after a match or read one in a magazine. Asking «what is the purpose of this text?» helps you see what it wants from you.
Test what you learned
A text begins: «Biblioteca: local onde se guardam livros para consulta e empréstimo.» (Library: a place where books are kept for consultation and lending.) What genre is it?
- a) News report
- b) Encyclopedia entry (verbete)
- c) Advert
Correct answer: b) Encyclopedia entry (verbete) — Yes: it starts with the entry (the word) and a definition, in objective language.
A text has a short headline, a first paragraph saying who, what, when and where, then details and a quoted source. What genre is it?
- a) News report, because it informs about a recent fact, from the essentials to the details
- b) Interview, because it has a quotation
- c) Encyclopedia entry, because it has a title
Correct answer: a) News report, because it informs about a recent fact, from the essentials to the details — Yes: headline, an opening that answers who, what, when and where, then details and sources are the news structure.
A news report says: «A nova regra é uma vergonha.» (The new rule is a disgrace.) What can you conclude?
- a) It is a fact, because it appears in a news report
- b) It is an opinion, which does not belong in an objective news report
- c) It is a definition, as in an encyclopedia entry
Correct answer: b) It is an opinion, which does not belong in an objective news report — Yes: a judgement is an opinion. A news report should keep to facts, so it is better to check who is saying it.
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