UNIT 10

SHORT MESSAGE TEXT

In this unit, students will learn how to write short message text.

Learning objectives
After learning this material, students are able to know how to write short message
appropriately and accurately.

Learning Indicators

1) Students are able to understand short message text.

2) Students are able to write short message appropriately and accurately.

Learning Materials

1) Definition of Short Message

2) Function / purpose of Short Message
3) Generic Structure of Short Message
4) Language Feature of Short Message
5) Example of Short Message
6) Grammar Review of Short Message
 What is Short message?

Dear Bulan,
Hi, Bulan. Here is some information you need. The
examinations will be held soon, starting from 2 November.
Calculators and dictionaries are not allowed. Don’t forget
to bring your examination card. See you soon.
Take care.
Bintang

1. Have you ever made that kind of text?

2. Have you ever got that kind of text?
3. What kind of text is that?
4. What is the purpose of that text?
There are some kinds of functional texts. One of them is Short Message. From the example above,
we can learn about Short Message’s definition, function, generic structure, language feature, and the
example.

Definition
1
Short message is a brief text message sent to convey something to others that the person is
doing or not doing something. Short message text is written piece information that you send / leave to
another person. There are two kinds of short message:
1) Written message
2) Electric message (WhatsApp / SMS)
 2 Social Function or Purposes

The Function of Short Message is to deliver an important message to someone, a friend,

family, or other people.

3 Generic Structures
The Generic Structures of Short Message are:
1) Receiver
Someone who receive a message (to whom the message is sent for). Write down the name of
receiver if it is needed.
2) Content
The content usually consists of intention of message from the sender
3) Sender
Someone who writes a message (the name or phone number of sender can be mentioned or
not depends of its needed).

Generic Structures A Short Message

Receiver Dear Jenny,
Content I am in the hospital now. Aunt Bella was hospitalized last
night. She had a light stroke. Will you accompany me attending
her until your Uncle John comes?
Please ask Jeremy to take you to the hospital and don’t
forget to tell Bibi to cook for our lunch.
Sender Your Mom

4 Language Features

Language features in writing short message are:

1) Simple present tense ( S + V1 (s/es) +…….)
Example: I go to hospital. She goes to school.
2) Present perfect tense ( S + Have/Has + V3 + …….)
Example: We have told you before.
3) Present continuous tense ( S + Be (is/am/are) + V(ing) + …..)
Example: They are waiting us now.
4) Imperative Sentence (Verb + Complement)
Example: Ask Jeremy to take you to the hospital.
 5 Examples

Receiver To: Berta

Content I’m sorry I can’t come to your house to do our English task this
afternoon. I must take my mother to the doctor because she has a headache.
What if we do it tomorrow?

Sender Vera

Dear Anne,
I have an essay assignment about recycle thing. Could you please
accompany me to go to the library to look up resources? The assignment
should be submitted by the end of this week. Can we go there after lunch?
Reply soon, please.
yuli

To Mecca,
Vika and I are planning to go to Vino’s house tonight. Do you want
to join us? We will do our assignment and also watching the newest movie
there. I’m waiting your reply. Reply as soon as possible.
Renny

Grammar Review
6
 Simple Present Tense

A. Functions
1) To expresses habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and
wishes. Example:
I smoke (habit)
I work in London (unchanging situation)
London is a large city (general truth)
2) To give instructions or directions.
Example: You walk for two hundred meters, then turn left.
3) To express fixed arrangements, present or future.
Example: Our exam starts at 09.00
4) To express future time, after some conjunctions (after, when, before, as soon as, until, etc.)
Example: He'll give it to you when you come next Saturday.
B. Adverbs of time
(Every …., Once a week, Usually, Always, Often, Never, Sometimes, etc.)
Example: I go to campus every day.
C. The Formulas

Verbal Sentence Nominal Sentence

(+) S + V (s/es) + O + ,,,,,,, (+)S + is/am/are + Non Verb
(-) S+do/does+not +V+O+……. (-) S + is/am/are + not + Non Verb
(?)Do/Does+S+V+ O + ……? (?)Is/Am/Are + S + Non Verb ?

D. Examples
( + ) He always swims in the evening.
( – ) He does not always swim in the evening.
( ? ) Does he always swim in the evening?
 Yes, he does.
 No, he does not.

Present Perfect Tense

A. Functions
1) Unspecified time
To describe something in the past when we don’t know when it happened or when it
happened is not important.
For example: They’ve visited to England.” (In that sentence, we don’t know the specific
time that they’ve visited to England)
2) Repetition
To describe something that has happened many times in the past.
For example, “I’ve visited to England many times”, "I've invited her twice".
3) Started in the past and continues until the present, may or may not continue into the future.
For example: “I’ve watched this movie since 1990.”

B. Adverbs of time
(Already, Just, Still, Yet, Since, For, etc.)
C. The Formulas

Verbal Sentence Nominal Sentence

(+) S + have/has+V3+O+Complement (+)S+have/has+been+Non Verb
(-) S+have/has+not +V3+O+Complement (-) S+have/has+not+been+Non Verb
(?)Have/Has+S+V3+O+Complement? (?)Have/Has+S+been+Non Verb ?

WH – Question in Present Perfect Tense

Who Have I Liked ?
What You Thought
Where We Studied
Why They eaten
When went
Has She
How Worked
He
How often Had
It
How much

WH Question ( Subject Questions)

{ Question Words + has + Verb 3 }
Who has cared you? My mom cared me
Who has given a present for you? My Dad given a present for me.
Who has woken you up? My sister woken me up.
What has happened here? Accident happened here.
 When we have to put have/has?
Has Have
She, He, It, and name of the person I, You, They, We

D. Examples
( + ) He has just arrived here.
( – ) He has not just arrived here.
( ? ) Has he just arrived here?
 Yes, he has.
 No, he has not.
( + ) They have played football for two hours
( – ) They have not played football for two hours.
( ? ) Have they played football for two hours?
- Yes, they have.
- No, they have not.

Present Continuous Tense

A. Functions
1) To describe an action that is going on at this moment.
Example: We are studying English speaking in the laboratory.
2) To describe an action that is going on during this period of time. Example:  Are you still
watching the movie?
3) To describe an action or event in the future, which has already been planned or prepared.
Example: I am going on holiday next month.
4) To describe a temporary event or situation.
Example: My sister usually sings a song, but she's playing drum tonight.
B. Adverbs
(Always, usually, seldom, never, sometimes, often, frequently, generally, habitually,
occasionally, etc.)
C. The Formulas

Verbal Sentence Nominal Sentence

(+) S + is/am/are +Ving+Complement (+)S+is/am/are+Non Verb
(-) S+ is/am/are+not +Ving+Complement (-) S+ is/am/are +not+ Non Verb
(?)Is/Am/Are +S+Ving+Complement? (?)Is/Am/Are +S +Non Verb ?
WH Question ( Subject Questions)
{ Question Words + is + Verb 1 + ing }
Who is caring you? My mom is caring me
Who is giving you a present? My Dad is giving me a present.
Who is waking you up? My sister is waking me up.
What is happening here? Accident is happening here.
 WH – Question in Present continuous tense
Who am I Looking for ?
What are You thinking ?
Where We Studying
Why They eating
When going
How Is She Working
How often He

How much It

When we have to put is/am/are?

Am Is Are
I She, He, It, and name of the person You, They, We

D. Examples
( + ) He is playing game here.
( – ) He is not playing game here.
( ? ) Is he playing game here?
 Yes, he is.
 No, he is not.
( + ) They are reading magazine now.
( – ) They are not reading magazine now.
( ? ) Are they reading magazine now?
- Yes, they are.
- No, they are not.

Imperative Sentence

A. Definition
An imperative sentence is a sentence that tell someone what to do. They have an
important role in both speaking and writing.
Example: Open your book. Leave me now!
B. Formulas
1) Positive sentence

Verb + Object/Complement
Example:
 Stay away from me, please.
  Be a good friend for me, please.
2) Negative sentence
Don’t + Verb + Object/Complement
Example:
 Don’t stay away from me, please.
 Don’t be a bad friend for me, please.

Conclusion
7
Short Message Text
Social Function To send an important message to other people, friend, or family.
Generic Structure  Receiver
To whom the message is sent for. Write down the name of receiver
if it is needed.
 Content
The content of short message usually consists of intention of
message from the sender
 Sender
The name or phone number of sender can be mentioned or not
depends of its needed.
Language Feature  Simple present tense (S + V1 +…….)
 Present perfect tense (S + Have/Has + V3 + …….)
 Present continuous tense (S + Be (is/am/are) + V(ing) + …..)
 Imperative Sentence (Ver 1 + Complement)

Exercises
8
Write a short message based on the situation below!
1. Mr. Harry is joining the meeting in the office so he comes late to the class. He leaves a message
to the captain of the class.
2. When Marry came to Fitri’s home to return her dictionary, Fitri was not at home. So, Marry gave
the dictionary to her sister and leaved a short message for Fitri.
3. Mother is so busy today, so she cannot make lunch to her son. She leaves a message to her son.
4. Sandra gets stomach ache. She leaves a message with her friend to the captain of class that she
cannot join the presentation today.
5. Henri has a birth day party today. His friend Reno can’t come to his party because he must do his
assignment. Reno sent message to Henri that he can’t come to his party.

Identify the structures of the following short messages!

1. Rani,
Sorry, I can’t come to your house tonight to do our assignment. My grandma has just
come and wants me to accompany her to my aunt’s house. I will meet you at school
tomorrow.
Erika
2. Ratna,

I came to your office to give the proposal just now, but you were not in. So I put the
proposal on your table.

Bella

3. Hi, Ayu!

By the way, we have a project in English subject. It’s about a speech. We are in the
same team, right? How about do it next two days in my home?

Bianka. 

4. Dear Fika,

Remember, we’d had an appointment to go swimming after English class. I’ll be

waiting for you at home. Don’t forget to bring money. See you!

Nandita

References

Andersons, Mark and Kathy Andersons. 2003 Text Type in English 1-2. Australia: MacMillan
Education.

Blishaell, C. Kemp. N. & Martin,F. H. 2001. “Text-messaging practices and links to general spelling
skill: A study of Australian children:, Australian Journal of educational and developmental
psychology 11, 27-38.

Gerot, Linda and Peter Wignell. 1994. Making Sense of Functional Grammar. Australia: Gerd
Stabler.

Knapp, Peter & Megan Watkins. Text Genre, Grammar: Technologies for Teaching and Assessing
Writing. New South Wales Press, Ltd : Australia.

Spencer, D.H. 1967. Guided writing Exercises. London: Longman.

Whison, G.E. and J.M. Burk. 1980. Lets write English. London: Litton Ed. Publishing.

Yousaf, Z. & Ahmed, M., 2003. “Effects of SMS on writing skills of the University of Gujrat, Asian
Economic and Financial Review 3 (3), 389-39