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What is Non-Fiction?
Non-fiction is any writing, text, speech,
video, audio, or other representation of
information that is understood to be factual.
Types of Non-Fiction
 Informational
 Narrative
 Oratory
 Persuasive
Informational Nonfiction
 Also called expository writing
 Writing for the sole purpose of
sharing information
 Should be based on research;
therefore, it should be factual
 No biases should be evident in the
writing
Facts vs. Opinions
Facts
 Objective
 Is discovered
 Can be proven
 Presented with
unbiased words
 Example sentence:
 The New Orleans
Saints are a Super
Bowl-winning team.
Opinions
 Subjective
 Is created
 Cannot be proven
 Presented with biased
words
 Example sentence:
 The New Orleans Saints
are the best team in the
NFL, and they are
definitely going to the
Super Bowl.
What are some examples of
informational nonfiction?
 Textbooks
 Technical writing
 Dictionaries, thesauruses
 Encyclopedias (print or online)
 Brochures
 Journalistic mediums*

Newspapers

Radio

Television news

Internet
Narrative Nonfiction
 A narrative is also called “creative
nonfiction”
 Has similar qualities to fiction
 Well-developed characters
 Detailed settings and scenes
 Plot stages: exposition, rising action,
climax, falling action, resolution
 However, unlike fiction, all characters
and events in the text are FACTUAL
What are some examples of narrative
nonfiction?
 Memoirs, personal
accounts of events
 Letters
 Autobiographies
 Biographies
 What is the
difference
between an
autobiography
and a biography?
 News articles
Oratory
 Oratory refers to public speaking, speeches, rhetoric
 Rhetoric (n):
 The art or science of all specialized uses of language
in prose or verse, including figures of speech
 The ability to use language effectively to get one’s
point across to an audience
 Oratory and persuasive non-fiction go hand in hand.
 Can you think of reasons why?
What are some examples of speeches/
rhetoric?
 Inaugural addresses
 State of the Union
 Campaign speeches
 Acceptance speeches
 Graduation speeches
 Monologues in movies
 Can you think of any
historical figures
known for their
rhetorical skills?
Persuasive Nonfiction
 Also referred to as argumentative writing
 Purpose of this type of writing is to persuade an
audience to submit themselves to the writer’s point
of view
 Effective persuasive writers have strong rhetorical
skills and they use logic and facts to support their
side of an argument
 Different from expository writing because, although
both are factual, in persuasive writing, there is
always an obvious bias
Can you think of some examples of
persuasive nonfiction?
 Advertisements
(magazines,
commercials, billboards)
 Opinion section of
newspapers
 Debates
 Propaganda: any
materials used in an
attempt to sway a
person’s belief or opinion
to a certain position,
usually within a political
context