1. Nonfiction is prose that
is based on fact.
can be verified.

2. Fact vs. Truth
Although nonfiction IS based on fact, it is false to assume that “fact” and “truth” are the same thing.

3. The Truth
It is impossible to tell the “whole truth” about any experience.

4. Nonfiction
The very act of putting something into words changes it.

5. Diction
The particular words an author chooses to use – Word Choice - They tell something about
the actual experience
our personality
our personal beliefs or prejudices
our background
and MOST IMPORTANTLY
our purpose as the writer (*)

6. Purpose
Every good writer of nonfiction has a purpose when he or she writes.

7. Purpose The purpose may be to explain or inform
to create a mood or emotion
to tell about a series of events
to persuade the reader to believe something or to do something.

8. Forms of nonfiction:
Reports:
Factual accounts of places or events

9. Personal essays:
- Reveal a great deal about the writer - Tone: conversational, sometimes humorous - Focus: writer’s feelings and responses to an experience - May be no attempt to be objective

10. Article:
A prose composition, usually comparatively brief and always nonfiction, which deals with a single topic. An article is
a direct, expository or descriptive factual statement
a type of formal essay
usually considered to have less dignity and weight
frequently considered journalistic

11. Speech:
A form of communication in spoken language made by a speaker before an audience for a given purpose

12. Biographies/Autobiographies/Memoirs:
Biography: an account of a person’s life, written or told by someone else.
Autobiography: an account
of the writer’s own life,
as told by the writer.

13. Memoir (form of autobiography)
Record of facts and events
concerns a particular subject or period
usually written from the writer’s personal knowledge,
experiences, and observations

14. Nonfiction All types of nonfiction
include literary methods and devices.

15. Nonfiction Description Narration Exposition Persuasion
Four major methods
used in nonfiction:
Description
Narration
Exposition
Persuasion

16. Methods used in Nonfiction
Description:
establishes a mood or emotion
uses images – words that appeal to our senses
(see, hear, smell, taste, or touch)

17. Methods used in Nonfiction
Narration:
- tells about a series of events
- usually chronological order

18. Methods used in Nonfiction
Exposition purpose:
- to explain or inform
- to define
- to clarify an idea

19. Methods used in Nonfiction
Persuasion purpose:
to convince the reader or listener to think or act in a certain way.

20. All essay forms answer certain questions:
Expository answers:
“What is it and how does it work?”
Description answers:
“What does it look, sound, smell, feel, and/or taste like?”

21. All essay forms answer questions:
Narration answers:
“What happened?”
Persuasion answers:
“What should I feel or do about it?”

22. Nonfiction purpose The writer tries to interest us
with the purpose of the piece.

23. Nonfiction elements
To interest us, he/she uses many elements also found in fiction:
Conflict Irony
Suspense Comedy
Characters Figures of Speech Dialogue

24. Other terms to learn in this unit:
Objective Accuracy
Subjective Propaganda
Purpose Evidence
Pun Attitude/ Tone
Inference Slice of Life
Human Interest Anecdotes
Allusions Genre Jargon Fact Stereotypes Opinion Realism
Exaggeration/Overstatement Stream of Consciousness