PLEASE COPY THE DEFINITIONS OF EACH OF

THE TERMS ON YOUR GUIDED NOTE SHEET. YOU WILL HAVE A QUIZ ON THIS INFORMATION. THINK OF

SOME EXAMPLES AS YOU ARE WRITING.

Nonfiction Terms

anecdote

a brief account of an interesting or amusing incident, often used as evidence to support or explain an idea, or it may be used to entertain readers or reveal the personality of the author or of another person

argument

nonfiction writing in which reason is used to influence people’s ideas or actions

article

prose writing about real people/events

autobiography

story of a person’s life written by that person from the first person point of view; typically focuses on the most significant events that happened.

biography

account of a person’s life written by someone other than the subject; can be short or book-length or span several volumes. May reflect the attitude the author has toward his/her subject.

diary

personal account of one’s daily life with entries separated by date and/or time

essay

short nonfiction work about a particular subject

expository essay

gives information, discusses ideas, explains a process

history

true facts, events, people, stories in a time before the present

journal

a record of experiences, ideas or reflections, generally kept for personal use

letter

a direct, personal or business written or printed message addressed to a person or organization

memoir

type of narrative nonfiction that presents the story of a period in a person’s life and is usually written from the first person point of view. Often emphasizes a person’s thoughts and feelings, the person’s relationships with other people, or the impact of significant historical events in the person’s life

narrative essay

writer informs reader or entertains reader by focusing on a subject of interest

nonfiction

writing that tells a true story

persuasive essay

tries to convince reader to do something or accepts writer’s point of view

prose

ordinary form of written language

speech

oral presentation of an idea, concept, position; can entertain, inform, persuade the intended audience