Some Types of Nonfiction

Autobiography

Biography

Essay

What Are the Elements of Nonfiction?

Feature Menu

Some Elements of Nonfiction

Perspective

Subjective and Objective Writing

Your Turn

• essay

• biography

Some Types of Nonfiction

Nonfiction provides facts about people, places, things, and events.

• autobiography

Nonfiction

• plays

• short stories

• novels

Fiction

People, places, and events

are real.

People, places, and events can

be made up.Grand Canyon

In Narnia,animals can talk.

How does nonfiction writing differ from a novel or a poem?

Some Types of Nonfiction

Nonfiction writing is based on fact.

An autobiography is the story of a person’s life, written or told by that person.

Some Types of NonfictionAutobiography

Miss Sullivan attracted my attention to . . . a great horseshoe crab. . . . I felt of him and thought it very strange that he should carry his house on his back. from The Story of My

Life, by Helen Keller

An autobiography

• is based on the author’s firsthandexperience

• uses first-person point of view:

It is with a kind of fear that I begin to write thestory of my life. . . .

A few impressions stand out vividly from the first years of my life.

from The Story of My Lifeby Helen Keller

I, me, my, we, us, our, ours

Some Types of NonfictionAutobiography

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Some Types of NonfictionBiography

Biography

A biography is the story of a real person’s life, written or told by another person.

This is a biography; someone else wroteit about a real person.

Helen Keller was born in 1880. Shegrew up in northern Alabama.

Superman was born on the planet Krypton. He grew up on Earth.

This is not a biography; Superman is not a real person.

Fiction

A biography

• is based on primary and secondary sources about a real person

• uses third-person point of view:

he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their

Helen Keller was born in 1880. She grew up in northern Alabama. After an illness left her blind and deaf, Helen could communicate only by touch. Then Anne Sullivan became her teacher. —The Story of Helen Keller

Some Types of NonfictionBiography

An essay is a short piece of nonfiction that examines a single subject or limited topic. An essay often includes personal observations.

Some Types of NonfictionEssay

Topics might be everyday experiences, like walking a dog . . .

or complex ideas like justice or freedom.

A personal essay generally reveals a great deal about the writer’s personality and tastes.

Its tone is often conversational, sometimes even humorous.

The focus is the writer’s feelings and response to an experience.

Some Types of NonfictionEssay

Quick Check

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Some people might not considerElmer García a hero. They see atall man with slightly stoopedshoulders and large hands. There doesn’t seem to be anything special about him until those handstouch an animal. Dr. García uses his gentle hands to win the trust of sick and wounded pets. He learned the importance of touch during his first year in veterinary school.

Is this paragraph part of an autobiography or a biography? How do you know?

Some Types of Nonfiction

• serious?

Some Elements of Nonfiction

Nonfiction authors can choose how to present their subjects. Important decisions include

• positive?

Perspective

• feelings?

• facts?

Objective/Subjective Writing

These decisions help writers focus their attitude toward their subject.

• one-sided?

• point of view

• stance

Some Elements of NonfictionPerspective

• viewpoint

The way a writer looks at a subject is called perspective. It is also referred to as

In writing, perspective describes the attitude an author takes toward the subject and readers.

Some Elements of NonfictionPerspective

How would you describe this writer’s perspective on soccer?

• negative?• biased?

“Playing soccer

is a waste of time.”

Some Elements of NonfictionPerspective

What is this writer’s perspective?

• neutral?• unbiased?

“Soccerplayers develop their stamina.”

“No sport is more fun than soccer.”

Some Elements of NonfictionPerspective

What is this writer’s perspective?

• positive?• biased?

Some Elements of NonfictionPerspective

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Sometimes, authors reveal their biases for or against their topics. Often, they don’t.

To detect bias, ask these questions:

• Does the author use any loaded words, like wonderful or dangerous?• Is the information one-sided?

Some authors present all sides of an issue. Others give only one point of view.

Objective writingsticks to the facts.

Subjective writing can be very personal.

Some Elements of NonfictionSubjective and Objective Writing

Term Definition Example

Objectivewriting

Subjectivewriting

Sticks to facts and supports information with evidence

Children view about 40,000 ads a year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Some commercials make me laugh; others are just annoying.

Freely expresses personal feelings, thoughts, opinions, and judgments

Some Elements of NonfictionSubjective and Objective Writing

To find out whether a writer’s perspective is objective or subjective, ask these questions:

• Is the focus on the subject, or is it on the writer?

If the focus is on facts,it’s objective.

“The relay team set a record” is objective.

“I’m thrilled by our victory” is subjective.

• Is the focus on facts, or is it on feelings?

Some Elements of NonfictionSubjective and Objective Writing

Quick Check

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Is the writer’s perspective objective, or is it subjective?

How do you know?

Some Elements of Nonfiction

My family likes my cooking—I mean, at least they do now!

It took them some time to recover from my first batch of chili. I had promised to make dinner on the day we got a new video game, and I forgot all about cooking.

Racing to make dinner, I measured the chili powder by the tablespoon instead of the teaspoon. My brother took one bite and named it “Lane’s Famous Fire-Breathing Chili.”

Your Turn

1. Explain the difference between an autobiography and a personal essay.

2. Is a personal essay more likely to be an example of subjective or of objective writing? Why?

3. What type of writing are you most likely to find in a biography?

Analyzing Nonfiction

The End