Unit 2: Introduction to Nonfiction

14 words 257 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. nonfiction
    prose writing that is not formed by the imagination
    Nonfiction writing deals with real, not imagined, people, places, things, and events.
  2. biography
    an account of the series of events making up a person's life
    A biography is the story of a person’s life told by someone other than that person.
  3. autobiography
    a book or account of your own life
    An autobiography is the story of a person’s life, written by that person. Like other types of personal narratives, the autobiography expresses the first-person point of view and uses the pronoun “I.”
  4. memoir
    an account of the author's personal experiences
    A memoir is a type of autobiography that focuses on one incident or period in a person’s life. Memoirs are often based on an individual’s memories of, and reactions to, historical events.
  5. essay
    an analytic or interpretive literary composition
    Another form of nonfiction, the essay, is a short work that presents a single main idea, or thesis, about a particular topic.
  6. thesis
    an unproved statement advanced as a premise in an argument
    Another form of nonfiction, the essay, is a short work that presents a single main idea, or thesis, about a particular topic.
  7. speech
    a formal spoken communication to an audience
    A speech is a public address that was originally delivered orally. Many historically significant speeches were recorded in writing and are widely read today.
  8. informational
    relating to or conveying facts and knowledge
    An informational text aims to convey or explain information.
  9. purpose
    an anticipated outcome that guides your planned actions
    A writer’s purpose is his or her aim, or goal.
  10. mode
    how something is done or how it happens
    The following chart lists some of the modes, or forms, and purposes of writing.
  11. informative
    serving to instruct or enlighten
    informative: to inform (news article, research report)
  12. narrative
    an account that tells the particulars of an act or event
    narrative: to express thoughts or ideas, or to tell a story (personal account, memoir)
  13. descriptive
    serving to inform
    descriptive: to portray a person, place, object, or event (travel brochure, personal profile)
  14. argumentative
    given to or characterized by a tendency to dispute
    argumentative: to convince people to accept a position and respond in some way (editorial, petition)
Created on Tue Mar 02 10:26:08 EST 2021 (updated Wed Mar 10 09:24:48 EST 2021)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.