Discourse structure
The overall organisation and pattern of extended talk or text beyond the sentence level. Discourse structure includes narrative structure, argument structure, and conversational structure.
Real World
A broadsheet newspaper opinion piece follows a clear argumentative discourse structure: problem identification, evidence, counter-argument, and rebuttal — the same macro-structure used by columnists such as Caitlin Moran in The Times.
Exam Focus
Map the macro-structure before analysing micro-features — showing awareness of how a text is organised at the global level demonstrates the highest-level analytical thinking.
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