EnglishSkillsOnline is an interactive resource for students and teachers of the English language. The site covers the language part of the secondary school English curriculum and is also useful for primary school age students. EnglishSkillsOnline includes many interactive activities to enable students to learn more about the English language and to practise their skills.
Non-fiction writing includes: biography, autobiography, feature writing, travel-writing,
textbooks, research articles, newspaper and magazine writing, personal essays,
reviews and criticism, advertisements, posters, leaflets and brochures. In fact,
the term non-fiction encompasses all writing based on real life, as opposed
to that which has its origin in an author's imagination (fiction, poetry, drama).
Reading non-fiction texts in a school English literature programme is most
likely to involve the study of biographies, autobiographies, or books of travel
writing, but there will be many occasions in class when other examples are looked
at as well. Reading (and writing) newspaper and periodical articles, reviews,
essays and criticisms all involve the skills of analyzing and practising the
effective use of language in a non-fiction context.
Non-fiction is usually written with a clear purpose in mind. The study of non-fiction
will involve recognising the author's intention or aim in writing, and examining
how successfully the choice of language, the material chosen for inclusion,
and the organization and presentation of the material all help in achieving
that purpose.
Pay careful attention to your teacher's introductory comments. These could
include information on the author and the author's times that may be significant
to a clear understanding of the book. Some important aspects of the work could
also be outlined for you e.g. themes, style, symbols, language, characterisation,
setting etc.
The purposes for writing non-fiction vary widely, but most texts will have
a number of aims:
To persuade
To entertain
To explain
To teach or instruct
To advise
To give information
Begin by reading the non-fiction work right through to gain a knowledge of
what it is about and to form your first impressions.
If you have a set assignment to complete, work through this while rereading
the text or selected parts of it. Note brief, relevant quotations as you go.
If you are completing an "open" study, the following are some possible questions
to consider:
What is the book basically about? How would you describe its content or
subject matter?
What do you consider the writer's purpose was in writing it?
Who do you think is the target audience?
What aspects of the presentation of material help it achieve its purpose?
How does it capture and hold the reader's attention and interest?
How does the writer give the reader a sense of trust and authority in what
is said?
Has the writer used facts to support what is said? What kind of factual
material has been used?
Does the writer use the opinions of others in the book? How have these been
made to appear sound or even factual?
How does the writer develop and support an effective argument?
Do you feel the writer is manipulating you in the writing? If so, how is
it being done?
What sort of language and vocabulary does the writer use? Formal? Informal?
Friendly? Conversational? Complex? A combination of several? Identify and
note quotations that show the various aspects.
What other writing and language techniques does the writer use in the work?
Find and record examples of their use from your text, so that you can include
them as quotations in any assignment writing you are asked to do. This list may help you:
Writing in the first person (using "I" as the point of view)
Addressing the reader as "you" - may help the reader feel involved
Using anecdotes and stories to catch the reader's interest, or to
entertain
Writing vividly through the use of figurative language (metaphors,
similes etc.)
Using emotive language to help present a viewpoint strongly
Balancing the use of description with writing which moves the "story
line" on
Using facts and opinions to support the writer's point of view
Using "experts" to support a point of view, and provide authority
Maintaining a conversational and friendly tone in the writing - mentioning
personal detail
Using rhetorical questions in the text to involve the reader and make
points more strongly
Using an interesting mix of sentence styles - short to long (minor,
simple, compound, compound-complex, complex)
Incorporating dialogue into the text to keep interest and add variety
Using repetition (and rephrasing) to make points more strongly
Using the technique of "building up the evidence" to prove a point
What other presentational techniques does the writer use in the book? This list may help identify examples for comment:
A catchy, or thought-provoking title
Using well-chosen illustrations (with interesting captions) to support
the text
Using a range of paragraph lengths (keeping most short) so the text
is easy to read and draws the reader on
Having an interesting layout to make the text easy to follow
Using bulleted or numbered lists, where appropriate, to make points
clearly
Breaking the text up with chapters, headings, subheadings, captions,
graphics (photographs, line drawings, cartoons, charts, graphs, maps etc.)
Using colour where possible to catch the attention
How successful do you rate the book overall? What makes it appealing and
readable? What makes it memorable?
