Procedure Text ; Definition, Generic Structures, Purposes, Language Features

Hallo everybody.
In this beautiful day, it’s better for us to study English, because in the night we will have a good concentration to learn. It is not good if in the day we just watch television or use our mobile phone to open facebook, twitter, or whatsup. Right? But it doesn’t mean that I prohibit you to watch television or use your mobile phone. If you can use the wisely it is also good for you.

English material that we will discuss now is Procedure Text. Before I explain it, I want to ask you,Do you like cooking? Cooking is something that usually we do every day, especially for woman. Cooking can be enjoyment if we like it but there are some people lazy to cook or even afraid because, they cannot create delicious food. To help them, people who cannot cook, they can see recipes. Recipes are very helpful. When we want to make delicious food, we need recipe because there are steps that can lead us in it. Recipe is an example of procedure text. Another example is book instruction. When you buy a new TV or a new phone cell, there must be a book instruction in the box. Book instruction also one of the examples of procedure text. When you want to download something from the internet, there are steps before we do that. Those steps also procedure text. Then, what is procedure text actually?

Procedure text is a text that explains or helps us how to make or use something. Its social function is to describe how something is completely done through a sequence of series. Communicative purpose of this text is to describe how something is made through a sequence of actions or steps. There are three generic structures in procedure text. The first is goals or purposes. The second is materials or tools. The third and the last are steps or methods. To know the text that we read is procedure or not is so simple. You can read the title if the title is started with ‘how to make…’ or ‘how to use…’ it can be certainly that the text is procedure text.

1. Definition of Procedure Text

There are three definition about procedure text : (1)Texts that explain how something works or how to use instruction / operation manuals e.g. how to use the video, the computer, the tape recorder, the photocopier, the fax. (2) Texts that instruct how to do a particular activity e.g. recipes, rules for games, science experiments, road safety rules. (3) Texts that deal with human behavior, e.g how to live happily, how to succeed

2. Generic Structure of Procedure Text

# Goal : (e.g : How to make spaghetti)
# Material or Ingredient : (e.g : the material to cook omelette are egg, onion, vegetable oil, etc. )
# Step : (e.g : first, wash the tomatoes, onion, …., second cut the onions becomes slice. . . )

3. Purpose of Procedure Text

– To explain/tell (the reader) how to make/operate/do something through a sequence of actions or steps.
– To explain steps/instruction to make/operate/do something

4. Language Feature of Procedure Text :

– Use adverbial of sequence / Using temporal conjunction (e.g: first, second, third, the last)
– Use command / imperative sentence (e.g : put the noodles on the . . ., cut the onion. . ., wash the tomatoes. . . )
– Using adverbials (Adverbs) to express detail the time, place, manner accurate, for example, for five minutes, 2 hours, etc.
– Using action verbs, e.g : make, take, boil, cook
– Using Simple Present Tense

5. Examples of Procedure Text

#1 HOW TO MAKE A CUP Of COFFEE

MATERIALS AND INGEDIENTS :
– 2 spoons of sugar
– one spoon of coffee powder
– hot water
– a cup

– a spoon

PROCEDURE :
1. Prepare two spoons of sugar, a cup, hot water, one spoon of coffee powder, a spoon.
2. Put one spoon of coffee powder into the cup.
3. Pour some hot water into the cup.
4. Add 2 spoons of sugar into a cup of coffee
5. Stir it well and the hot coffee is ready to drink

#2 HOW TO MAKE NASI UDUK

INGREDIENTS :
– 2 cups of rice
– 2 cups of coconut milk
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 pandan leaf
– 1 jeruk purut leaf
– 1 salam leaf
– 1 lemon grass

UTENSILS :
– pan
– big pot
– steamer
– rice paddle

COOKING METHOD :
1. Cook the coconut milk with all the other ingredients except the rice.
2. Meanwhile, wash the rice in another big pot.
3. When the coconut milk comes to a boil, pour it in the pot filled with rice and stir frequently until all the liquid is absorbed.
4. Move the rice to a steamer until it is cooked.
5. Take out the leaves before serving.

PRESENTATION :
1. Serve hot on a platter with shredded omelet and a mixture of
fried peanuts and fried onions.
2. Garnish the platter with sliced cucumber, tomato and green
leaves. This recipe makes 4 servings.

6. Video Procedure Text : How To Make "Nasi Uduk"