Recent theoretical advances in text analysis and reading comprehension research are discussed and some implications for the related domain of textual interaction in composition in English as a second language (ESL) are suggested. The reading comprehension research reviewed is research from the perspective of written text as communicative interaction, especially the empirical findings that appear to have direct implication for ESL composition instruction. The implications include the suggestion that teaching ESL writers about the top-level rhetorical organization of expository text, teaching them how to choose an appropriate plan to accomplish specific communication goals, and teaching them how to signal a text's organization through appropriate linguistic devices should all function to make ESL writing more effective. (Author/MSE)