Understanding Fiction and Nonfiction: A Reading Perspective, Slides of Fiction Writing

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S t a r t i n g O f f

1. Why do people read books?
2. What kinds of books do you like?
3. Describe a book that was very entertaining to you.
4. Describe a book that taught you a lot.

Fiction or Nonfiction?

V o c a b u l a r y

fiction—(noun) something that is not true, an untrue story I only read books about real events. I never read fiction. I’m taking a class in fiction writing this year. Everyone in the class has to write a story. momentarily—(adverb) for a short time The bird sat on the roof momentarily and then flew away. When the baby dropped his toy, he cried momentarily, but soon he began to smile again. flexibility—(noun) room for freedom There is some flexibility in the schedule. We can start any time between 8:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M. The teacher said that we have to write exactly three pages. We don’t have any flexibility. encompass— (verb) include The United States encompasses land from the Atlantic coast of North America to the Pacific coast. Zach is a very active man. His interests encompass all kinds of sports and outdoor activities. obscure—(adjective) little known, hard to understand My professor wrote a book about the history of western Massachusetts between 1850 and 1865. It’s a very obscure topic. I don’t think many people bought the book. Barry likes some very obscure singers. I’ve never heard of any of them.

R e a d i n g

When authors write fiction, they can create worlds in their own minds and make those worlds come alive on the pages of a book. Because their writing doesn’t have to be real, they are free to make up the most interesting stories they can. Some fiction authors write about international spies, space travel, or romance. These

Fiction or Nonfiction? (^109)

Your class has decided to read a book and discuss it. The problem is that you can’t decide on what type of book to read. The class will form two groups and debate. Group A will try to convince the class that it should read a work of fiction. Group B will try to convince the class that a work of nonfiction would be better. During this discussion, make sure that everyone has a chance to speak.

Fiction or Nonfiction? (^111)

Advantages of Fiction

Advantages of Nonfiction

Disadvantages of Fiction

Advantages of Nonfiction

W r a p U p

Which group was more convincing? What were the strengths and weaknesses of each group’s presentation?

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C o n v e r s a t i o n T i p

When you want to give someone more information, you can use these expressions: What I mean is... For example,... A: I like cookbooks. They always teach me new things. B: What do you learn from cookbooks? A: A lot. For example, I learn how to make new dishes, and I learn what food is popular in other countries.

L a n g u a g e L e a r n i n g T i p

When you see a word and you don’t know how to say it, you can use this expression: How do you pronounce (^) ———————? A: I saw this word in a cookbook. How do you pronounce it? B: You pronounce it “kim chee.” It’s a kind of Korean food. A: Oh. I’ve heard of that. Try to use these tips in your discussion.

P e o p l e S a y...

Truth is stranger than fiction. —Saying The good end happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means. — Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, poet, and novelist

What do these sayings mean? Do you know of similar sayings?

V o c a b u l a r y R e v i e w

1. We’ve learned many things about English. Our class ——————— reading, writing, grammar, and pronunciation.
2. My parents used to live in Los Angeles. Now they live in a tiny,

——————— town. You can’t even find it on a map.

3. Monique only reads the newspaper and books about art. She never reads

———————.

4. My friend and I are planning a vacation together. I have to leave on a Friday, but he has some ———————. He can leave on any day of the week.
5. The phone rang ——————— , and then the ringing stopped. Someone must have answered it.

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