NONFICTION TERMS: How to analyze nonfiction

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NONFICTION TERMSHow to analyze nonfiction
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What is nonfiction?

• Writing that is based on factual
  events/people/places/things

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Examples of Nonfiction

• autobiography
• diary
• newspaper/magazine article
• textbooks
• manuals/brochures

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Expository vs Narrative

• Expository-reports factual information
• Narrative-tells a story
• Examples
• Expository a Chicago Tribune article about the
  Tsunami disaster, how it happened and its effects
  on Southeast Asia.
• Narrative a Newsweek article about the Tsunami
  disastercovering the story of how a little girl
  was able to survive the tragedy

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DICTION
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FORMAL VS INFORMALInformal-conversational/everyd
ay language, may include slangFormal-literary,
technical words, proper, more sophisticated
vocabulary
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CONNOTATION VS DENOTATION

• Denotation-dictionary definition
• Connotation-emotion/feeling associated to word
• EXAMPLE snake
• Denotation- a reptile
• Connotation- untrustworthy, sly, cunning

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Common words vs Jargon

• Common word-a word everyone can recognize
• Jargon-a technical word not recognizable by
  everyone, belonging to a specific occupation,
  group, etc.
• EXAMPLE
• Common words-heart surgeon
• Jargon-cardiologist

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SUBJECTIVE VS OBJECTIVE
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Subjective

• The writer reveals his opinions and emotions
  about his subject or observations
• Example
• The beautiful girl walking down the street
  smiled angelically.
• Opinion-beautiful, angelic

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Objective

• Factual, observation without feeling, emotions,
  or opinions.
• Example
• Dressed in a red coat, the girl walked down the
  street smiling.
• -This is 100 factual-no opinions in this line

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• SENTENCES

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• Short simple sentences
• Example He ate his dinner and went to the store
  to shop for a gift.
• Long, complex sentences
• Example After finishing his dinner, which took
  him only five minutes, he went to the store to
  shop for a gift.

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• TONE VS MOOD

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TONE

• The writers attitude about his subject
• Example
• The chauvinistic pig chugged his beer and ripped
  through his steak like a wild beast.
• What is the writers tone of this sentence?

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Mood

• The readers feeling about the subject as he or
  she is reading
• ExampleAfter making six turns on the
  combination of the vault, the thief waited
  anxiously for the door to open to reveal the
  secret held in this vault for 250 years.
• What is the mood of this line?

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ELEMENTS OF FICTION

• plot exposition, rising action (conflicts),
  climax, falling action, resolution
• setting
• characterization
• dialog
• irony
• theme
• figurative language