Elements of Non-Fiction

1. Elements of Non-Fiction By Mr. Antal

2. NONFICTION Nonfiction is writing about real people, places, and events. • Mainly written to convey factual information. • Information may be shaped by the author’s own purpose and attitudes.

3. Informative- factual information to inform examples: magazines, pamphlets, encyclopedias, textbooks Literary- actual places and true events Two Categories of Nonfiction

4. Autobiography • A true story about a person’s life told by that person (usually a book)

5. Biography • A true story of a person’s life as told by someone else, a biographer writes it

6. Essay • A short piece of nonfiction writing that deals with one subject

7. Persuasive Personal Narrative Expository Descriptive Types of Essay

8. Persuasive Essay • Writer tries to convince a reader to share a belief, agree with an opinion, or to take some action. • 1. Facts are selected and arranged in a way to get readers to share a writer’s opinion. • 2. Examples: newspaper editorial, political speech

9. Expository Essay • Writer’s primary purpose is to convey or explain information. • 1. Facts are used as neutrally as possible • 2. Examples: report on a scientific discovery, instructions

10. Personal Essay • Expresses a writer’s thoughts, feelings, or opinions on a subject; usually written in an informal, conversational style.

11. Descriptive Essay • Writer tries to recreate a person, place, or event mostly through language that appeals to the senses. • * Examples: traveler’s journal, autobiographical essay of a hometown

12. Narrative Essay • Writer’s purpose is to relate a series of events, usually in chronological order. • Has the form of a story (often with characters and dialogue) • Examples: historical essay, account of a soccer game

13. Thesis • Theme of an essay. • 1. In narrative nonfiction (like biographies), theme is a perception about life • 2. In no narrative fiction (like essays), theme is the main idea or opinion the writer wants the reader to understand

14. Objective versus Subjective Writing • 1. Objective: facts, which can be proved to be true by the senses, the calendar, or the clock • * Examples: the geographic location of a city, the time of day • 2. Subjective: details that may be true, but are verifiable only by reference to your own state of mind • a. Examples: feelings about an event, description of a person • b. Word connotation (associations that affect meaning

15. Strategies for Nonfiction Reading • 1. Preview • 2. Figure out the organization • 3. Separate FACT and OPINION • 4. Question???? • 5. Predict • 6. Build • 7. Evaluate

16. 1. Preview • Skim selection to get an idea of what it’s about by looking at title, pictures diagrams, subtitles, and terms you see in boldface

17. 2. Figure out the Organization • Chronological order or how the work is arranged

18. FACTS- statements that can be proven OPINION- statements that cannot be proven 3. Separate Fact and Opinion

19. 4. Question • Why did things happen the way they did? Do you share the writer’s opinion?

20. 5. Predict • What will happen next? What will the author say about an issue?

21. 6. Build • Add new information to what you already know, and see if your ideas or opinions change.

22. 7. Evaluate • Form opinions about people, events, and ideas. Decide whether or not you like the way a piece is written.