Elements of Non-Fiction

By Mr. Antal
 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.
 Two Categories of Nonfiction

 Informative- factual  Literary- actual

information to inform places and true events

 examples: magazines,
pamphlets,
encyclopedias,
textbooks
 Autobiography

 A true story about a

person’s life told by
that person (usually
a book)
Biography

 A true story of a
person’s life as told
by someone else, a
biographer writes it
 Essay

 A short piece of
nonfiction writing
that deals with one
subject
 Types of Essay

 Persuasive  Expository
 Personal  Descriptive
 Narrative
 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
 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
 Personal Essay

 Expresses a writer’s thoughts, feelings, or

opinions on a subject; usually written in an
informal, conversational style.
 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
 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
 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
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
 Strategies for Nonfiction
Reading
 1. Preview
 2. Figure out the organization
 3. Separate FACT and OPINION
 4. Question????
 5. Predict
 6. Build
 7. Evaluate
 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
2. Figure out the Organization

 Chronological order or how the work is

arranged
3. Separate Fact and Opinion

 FACTS- statements  OPINION-

that can be proven statements that
cannot be proven
 4. Question

 Why did things happen the way they

did? Do you share the writer’s opinion?
 5. Predict

 What will happen next? What will the

author say about an issue?
 6. Build

 Add new information to what you

already know, and see if your ideas or
opinions change.
 7. Evaluate

 Form opinions about people, events,

and ideas. Decide whether or not you
like the way a piece is written.