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