What Are the Forms of Prose? Prose and Its Forms Prose: Some Types of Fiction Short Story Novel Novella Folk Tale Prose: Some Types of Nonfiction Essay and Article Biography Autobiography Elements of Fiction and Nonfiction Your Turn Feature Menu

Prose and Its Forms Imagine you’re helping with dinner, and a recipe calls for basil. Which one is basil? Does it make a difference?

Prose and Its Forms Parsley Basil Basil Rosemary Yes! It definitely makes a difference! Each herb has a distinct flavor and would make the recipe taste very different.

Prose and Its Forms Knowing the different types of prose also matters, helping you anticipate what you’ll find in the text decide how you’ll read the text

Prose and Its Forms You might think of prose as everything that isn’t poetry. You speak in prose You read prose in everyday conversations in textbooks and novels in notes from friends

Prose and Its Forms You also read prose in magazines and newspapers The prose from these sources can be divided into two main categories: fiction nonfiction in e-mails and on Web sites

Prose and Its Forms Whatever type of prose you enjoy the most, remember that the important thing is to read. [End of Section]

Prose: Some Types of Fiction Writers create prose fiction by using imagined characters and events in a variety of ways: short story novel novella folk tale

Fiction: Short Story A short story usually keeps it simple by focusing on one major character, theme, and setting and by working through a basic plot consisting of conflict, climax, and resolution.

Fiction: Novel A novel is more complex because it often features more than one hundred pages many characters plots and subplots, or minor plots several themes and conflicts

Fiction: Novella A novella is just a short novel, usually longer than twenty pages but shorter than one hundred pages.

Fiction: Folk Tale A folk tale has no known author has been passed down through history by word of mouth often features fantastic elements that couldn’t happen in our world

Prose: Some Types of Fiction Each type of fiction has distinct characteristics. short story Usually 5–20 pages. A few characters work through a series of events and a conflict, leading to climax and resolution. novel Usually 100 pages or more. You meet lots of characters, see subplots within the main plot, and explore many themes and conflicts. novella A short novel—longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. folk tale Often a mythical story with no known author, passed down by word of mouth. [End of Section]

Prose: Some Types of Fiction Quick Check Which form of fiction do you think this is? short story novel novella folk tale There once lived a wise old man named Young-Chu, who made his home in the top of the tallest maple tree deep in the forest. Sometimes Young-Chu would grant wishes, if it were for a good cause. People came from far and wide to seek his help, writing requests on bits of rice paper. Then, one of Young-Chu’s cranes would snap up the paper in its beak and fly to the top of the tree to present the wish to the wise man.

Prose: Some Types of Fiction Quick Check Which form of fiction do you think this is? There once lived a wise old man named Young-Chu, who made his home in the top of the tallest maple tree deep in the forest. Sometimes Young-Chu would grant wishes, if it were for a good cause. People came from far and wide to seek his help, writing requests on bits of rice paper. Then, one of Young-Chu’s cranes would snap up the paper in its beak and fly to the top of the tree to present the wish to the wise man. This is an example of a folk tale, which features mythical elements that couldn’t happen in our world.

Prose: Some Types of Nonfiction Nonfiction provides facts about people, places, things, and events. Types of nonfiction include essay article biography autobiography

Nonfiction: Essay and Article Essays and articles are short pieces of prose that discuss a limited topic. Essays usually share a personal point of view. Articles often relate facts and events.

Nonfiction: Biography A biography tells the story of a person’s life and is written by another person.

Nonfiction: Autobiography In an autobiography, the writer tells the story of his or her own life.

Prose: Some Types of Nonfiction Nonfiction provides facts about people, places, things, and events. Types of nonfiction include A short piece of prose that discusses a limited topic and often includes personal observations essay article An objective description of real-life events The story of a person’s life written by another person biography auto- biography The story of a person’s life written by that person [End of Section]

Prose: Some Types of Nonfiction Quick Check What type of nonfiction is this? Why? essay article biography autobiography This spring’s Bluebell Festival and Parade on May 8 attracted crowds from around the state to the city of Cottonwood. With thousands of onlookers, the mayor sounded a cannon to signal the start of the parade. Colorful floats of all shapes and sizes snaked down Main Street, delighting young and old alike. The parade concluded in the town square with a tribute to Ma Callahan, who founded the town 100 years ago.

Prose: Some Types of Nonfiction Quick Check What type of nonfiction is this? Why? This spring’s Bluebell Festival and Parade on May 8 attracted crowds from around the state to the city of Cottonwood. With thousands of onlookers, the mayor sounded a cannon to signal the start of the parade. Colorful floats of all shapes and sizes snaked down Main Street, delighting young and old alike. The parade concluded in the town square with a tribute to Ma Callahan, who founded the town 100 years ago. This is an example of an article that details real-life events and facts about people, places, and dates.

What Are the Forms of Prose?

Elements of Fiction and Nonfiction • Characters: imaginary people or animals in a story • Plot: series of events in a story • Point of View: vantage point from which a story is told • Theme: universal message about life

Elements of Fiction and Nonfiction Elements of Nonfiction • Nonfiction: about real people, events, or ideas • Point of view: told from the perspective of the author • Presents: facts and ideas • Historical context: may include information about the society and culture of the time [End of Section] 25

Analyze Forms of Prose Your Turn Read the descriptions of written materials below. Decide if each description is an example of fiction or nonfiction. Fiction or Nonfiction? 1. An article supporting a proposed law 2. A story about a princess and a frog falling in love 3. A story about an imaginary character set during the Civil War [End of Section] 26

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