Types of non-fiction
- Newspaper articles, reports, letters, speeches, travel writing, autobiographies (a person's life written by themselves), biographies (written by someone else), diaries, leaflets, reviews and blogs.
- Think about PAF: Purpose (to inform, persuade, argue, advise, entertain or explain), Audience (who it is for) and Form (the type of text).
Fact, opinion and bias
- A fact can be proved true. An opinion is someone's view.
- A biased text gives a one-sided view. Check who wrote it and why.
- Summarising means giving the main points briefly, in your own words.
Features and techniques
- Presentation: headlines, subheadings, bullet points, pictures and captions.
- Techniques: statistics, expert opinions, anecdotes (short personal stories), rhetorical questions, direct address ("you"), emotive language, superlatives and exaggeration.
- Always explain why the writer uses a technique and its effect on the reader.
Comparing texts
- Compare the writers' viewpoints (what they think) and methods (how they show it).
- Use comparative connectives: similarly, likewise, whereas, however, on the other hand.
Key terms
- Purpose
- Why a text was written, such as to inform or persuade.
- Audience
- The people a text is written for.
- Form
- The type of text, such as a letter or article.
- Fact
- Something that can be proved true.
- Opinion
- Someone's view or belief.
- Bias
- A one-sided view.
- Anecdote
- A short personal story used to make a point.
- Rhetorical question
- A question asked for effect, without expecting an answer.
- Direct address
- Speaking to the reader as "you".
- Summary
- The main points of a text, written briefly.