Republic of the Philippines
SOUHTERN LEYTE STATE UNIVERSITY
San Juan Campus, San Juan, Southern Leyte 6611 Philippines
Website: www.slsu-online.edu.ph
Email: slsu.sj@slsuonline.edu.ph
Lesson: Nonfiction Types and Best
Examples
Objectives:
At the end of the discussion the students are expected to:
a) Determine the types of non-fiction; and
b) Identify the types of nonfiction in various writings
Let’s Get Started!
Nonfiction is a genre of literature based on facts, actual events, or real people. Non Fiction is
a broad category that includes self-help books, academic textbooks, cookbooks, reference books,
etc.
Discussion
Nonfiction is a genre of literature based on facts, actual events, or real people. Nonfiction
texts are intended to inform and to educate readers on a particular topic or various topic by
presenting accurate and truthful information. Some forms of nonfiction can be confused for
fiction because they were written as prose like a novel, but the essential difference is that the
text must be factual to be nonfiction.
Characteristics of Nonfiction
An author writes about real people, places, and events to inform readers or express ideas in
nonfiction writing. Non fiction writing is fact-based, which means it includes information that is
true and can be verified.
Nonfiction writing may include text features such as:
 Photographs
 Captions
 Diagrams
 Maps
 Glossaries
 Table of contents
 Cited sources
Nonfiction writing may be organized using various text structures such as:





Cause and Effect
- the writer describes actions (cause) that led to the main event (effect)
Sequential
- the information is presented in order (beginning, middle, and end)
Problem and solution
- the writer will present an issue that needs to be fixed, followed by one
or more possible ways to fix it
Descriptive
- the writer includes details to help a reader create mental images of the
subject
Compare and Contrast
- the writer uses details to explain ways in which two or more subjects
are alike and different
Types of Nonfiction
There are two main type of nonfiction:
1. Literary
2. Informative
Literary Nonfiction
Also called creative nonfiction, is a sub-genre of nonfiction where the author uses
storytelling to inform, educate, and entertain the reader. Literary nonfiction is considered more
engaging than informative nonfiction because the author uses fewer technical words, inserts
their point of views, or includes personal accounts. The writer uses literary techniques to
immerse the reader rather than merely presenting facts. Sometimes, an author may recall
events from one person’s perspective where another person’s perspective might be different.
However, literary non fiction must still be based on facts; otherwise, it becomes a work of fiction.
A literary nonfiction text is typically read in order since literary nonfiction tends to tell a story.
Literary nonfiction can be presented in several ways, such as historical, travel writing,
science writing, humor, autobiographies, and memoirs. Historical nonfiction is writing about
a past event from one person’s perspective. Autobiographies, biographies, and diaries are
personal accounts of a person’s life and experiences. Science writing can focus on a discovery, a
scientist, or the impact of science on the world. Travel writing, or travelogues, includes personal
accounts of the writer’s adventure or experiences. These examples are considered literary
nonfiction because they contain personal narratives, imagery, or the author’s perspective.
More examples of Literary Nonfiction are:
 Personal Journals
 Diaries
 Memoirs
 Letters
 Essays
Informative Nonfiction
Informative Nonfiction presents facts to inform a reader or explain a concept. The author of
an informative nonfiction takes an objective, unbiased view when writing on the topic.
Informative nonfiction can still be written to entertain, but its primary purpose is to teach or
inform the reader. Typically, an informative nonfiction text is organized by chapter and broken
into subtopics. A reader can use the table of contents to locate the subtopic they are interested
in and read the text in any order.
More examples of Informative Nonfiction are:
 Encyclopedias
 Brochures
 Maps
 Telephone books
 Atlases
 History and science texts
Let’s Assess!
Direction: Analyze the given texts below, identify which of them are literary nonfiction and
which are informative nonfiction.
Love Letters
Articles
Essays
Written Reports
Magazines
Maps
Encyclopedia
Thesis
Speeches
News
Science Journals
Brochures
Pamphlets
Republic of the Philippines
SOUHTERN LEYTE STATE UNIVERSITY
San Juan Campus, San Juan, Southern Leyte 6611 Philippines
Website: www.slsu-online.edu.ph
Email: slsu.sj@slsuonline.edu.ph
Lesson: Characteristics of Creative
Nonfiction Prose
Objectives:
At the end of the discussion the students are expected to:
c) Determine characteristics of nonfiction prose; and
d) Identify the different of nonfiction prose in various writings
Let’s Get Started!
Nonfictional Prose is a literary work that is very much based on fact, or may contain
contexts. Examples include biographies and essays.
Discussion
Prose is a type of language that does not have an official metrics structure. It uses the flow
of speech naturally, as well as the general structure of the system, rather than the rhythm
structure, as a traditional poetry. Common types of prose include: Nonfictional prose, Fiction,
Prosic heroic, Prose and Poetry