--- title: Reading non-fiction: recount, instructions, report — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Reading non-fiction: recount, instructions, report», a lesson of the english course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Non-fiction texts are about real things, and each kind has its own shape. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/) / Reading non-fiction: recount, instruct… # Reading non-fiction: recount, instructions, report Lesson 23 of the english course of Mova's primary school: 31 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/0/) — Non-fiction texts are about real things, and each kind has its own shape. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/1/) — A recount retells real events in time order: «On Tuesday, Class 4 went to the seaside. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/2/) — First, we found crabs in rock pools. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/3/) — Next, we ate lunch on the beach. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/4/) — Finally, we built a huge sandcastle.» Time words like first, next, then and finally show the order. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/5/) — Instructions tell you how to do something. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/6/) — «How to plant a seed. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/7/) — You will need: a pot, soil, a seed, water. 1. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/8/) — Fill the pot with soil. 2. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/9/) — Push the seed in. 3. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/10/) — Water it.» They have a title, a list of what you need, numbered steps in order, and bossy verbs (fill, push, water) at the start. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/12/) — A report, sometimes called a non-chronological report, gives facts about a topic grouped by idea, not by time: «Hedgehogs are small mammals covered in spines. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/13/) — They eat insects, worms and slugs. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/15/) — Ali skips the glossary and then gets stuck on «hibernate»: it means a long winter sleep. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/16/) — Dad builds a bookcase without reading the instructions, and it wobbles. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/17/) — Reading every step before you start saves trouble. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/18/) — And reports should be facts, things that can be checked, not opinions, which are what someone thinks. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/19/) — «Barn owls have heart-shaped faces» is a fact; «owls are the best birds» is an opinion. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/21/) — Recounts use time words such as first, next, then, after that and finally. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/22/) — A recount written by someone who was there uses «I» and «we»: this is first person. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/23/) — A recount about other people uses he, she, they or a name, like «Jo visited Gran»: this is third person. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/24/) — Instructions have a title, a list of what you need, numbered steps and bossy verbs. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/25/) — Bossy verbs, also called imperative verbs, tell you what to do: mix, fill, push, stir. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/26/) — Steps in instructions are numbered so you do them in the right order. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/27/) — A report gives facts about a topic, grouped by idea rather than by time. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/28/) — Even a dull report can teach you something: look for one surprising fact. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/29/) — A glossary is a list of key words and their meanings, usually at the back of a non-fiction book. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/30/) — A fact can be checked and proved; an opinion is what someone thinks or feels. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/31/) — Hedgehogs are small mammals with spines that eat insects, worms and slugs and hibernate in winter. - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/32/) — Most owls hunt at night, and barn owls have heart-shaped faces. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/23-reading-non-fiction-recount-instructions-report/33/) — Slang: «mardy» (North and Midlands of England) means grumpy or sulky; «heaps» (Australia) can mean very or a lot. - ← previous: [Reading a story: characters, plot and setting](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/22-reading-a-story-characters-plot-and-setting/) - next →: [Persuasive letters, newspaper articles and diaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/24-persuasive-letters-newspaper-articles-and-diaries/) - ↑ back to [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/)