Look for a narrative inside an argument, or a description inside an exposition. For example, a scientific paper (Expository) might include a mini-narrative about how a researcher discovered a chemical.

In the PDF, Adam describes five major prototypical sequences. Here is a breakdown of each as found in the original work:

No theory is perfect, and in later editions of the book (often missing from older PDF scans), Adam himself revised his model.

“Prototypes,” she muttered. “What does that even mean?”

“Now,” the grandfather continued, “you need an explanatory sequence. That’s the ‘why’ – the core of Adam’s idea. Why are prototypes useful?”

Les textes : types et prototypes de Jean-Michel Adam demeure une pour tous ceux qui s'intéressent à la linguistique textuelle. En substituant à l'idée de typologie textuelle celle de typologie séquentielle , Adam a résolu l'une des principales apories du domaine. Son modèle, centré sur cinq prototypes (narratif, descriptif, argumentatif, explicatif et dialogal), offre une approche souple pour appréhender la complexité des textes.

: The sequence is positioned between the individual sentence (proposition) and the full text. It is a self-contained organizational unit with a rigorous internal structure.