key elements of nonfiction 1.thesis or central idea: the main idea the author wants the audience to...

Key Elements of Nonfiction1.Thesis or Central Idea:

the main idea the author wants the audience to understand and remember

Key Elements of Nonfiction2. Purpose: the reason the

author is writing about the topic

Key Elements of Nonfiction3. Organizational/Text

Structure: the order in which information and ideas are presented and the connections that are drawn between and among them

Key Elements of Nonfiction4. Tone: the author’s

attitude toward the topic and audience

Key Elements of Nonfiction5. Word Choice: the author’s

use of language devices and rhetoric

Analyzing the Development of

Ideas• The author develops, or elaborates on, ideas, explaining them and showing the connections from one idea to the next

• Details that illustrate, expand on, or prove the author’s ideas are called supporting details

Types of Supporting

Details1. Statement of facts2. Statistics3. Examples4. Descriptions5. Reasons6. Expert opinions

Diction• Diction – author’s choice

of words• Multiple types of diction

Diction1. Simple

diction: familiar words to clearly express ideas

Diction2. Technical language:

language specific to a discipline; an author can be precise

Also known as jargon or domain-specific vocabulary

Diction3. Figurative language:

language not meant to be taken literally

Most common: simile, metaphor, & personification

Diction• Connotation:

association the reader may have with a word

• Denotation: dictionary definition

Rhetoric • Patterns of words and

ideas used to emphasize points and make them more memorable

Examples ofRhetoric 1. Repetition: reuse or

repeating a key word, idea, or phrase

Example: He plays with skill. He plays with passion. He plays in a style of his own.

Examples ofRhetoric 2. Parallelism: the use of

similar grammatical structure to express related ideas

Example: The eagle soared above the treetops, into the heavens, and beyond reach.

Examples ofRhetoric 3. Restatement: the

expression of the same idea in different words to strengthen a point

Example: Aspire to greatness. Aim high and dream big.

Examples ofRhetoric 4. Rhetorical Question:

questions that have obvious answers and that are asked for effect

Example: Is it really so much trouble to recycle? Isn’t saving our planet worth your time?