TOUCHSTONES 1
What do I know?
What Is Non-Fiction?
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ACTIVITY
Before you begin this chapter, check what you already know about non-fiction text by filling out the non-fiction knowledge download activity in your activity book (see pages 128–129).
Non-fiction speaks to the head. Fiction speaks to the heart. Poetry speaks to the soul.
Joan Didion
Ellen Hopkins
With non-fiction, the task is very straightforward: do the research, tell the story.
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Writing non-fiction is more like sculpture, a matter of shaping the research into the finished thing.
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Non-fiction text is writing that deals with real life or facts. In short, non-fiction is anything that is not fiction. You come across non-fiction texts all the time in your everyday life, from the words on the back of your cereal box at breakfast to advertising billboards, from movie reviews to the textbook you are reading right now!
Laura Hillenbrand
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Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling.
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Arundhati Roy, War Talk
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Which of these quotes do you like best? Which quotes do you agree with? Are there any you disagree with?
Non-Fiction Texts
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As a student of English, you will encounter many different types of non-fiction texts. Each of these is written for a purpose, perhaps to inform people or to explain something, maybe to persuade someone to do something or to provide entertainment.
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It is important, when studying or writing non-fiction, to be aware of the audience of the text. The audience can be specific, for example an email to one person, or wider, for example a speech to your class. The audience you are writing for should have an impact on your choice of tone. For an email to a group of teenagers you might choose an informal tone, but for a letter to your principal you would use a formal tone. Newspapers
Advertising
Magazines Letters
Social media Non-fiction texts Emails
Speeches
Persuasive
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