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
information to inform
 examples: magazines,
pamphlets,
encyclopedias,
textbooks
 Literary- actual
places and true events
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
 Personal
 Narrative
 Expository
 Descriptive
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
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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
that can be proven
 OPINIONstatements 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.