Prose and Its Forms

Prose: Some Types of FictionShort StoryNovelNovellaFolk Tale

•Prose: Some Types of Nonfiction Essay and ArticleBiography, Autobiography, memoir,

personal essay Elements of Fiction and Nonfiction

Your Turn

What Are the Forms of Prose?

Feature Menu

Imagine you’re helping with dinner, and a recipe calls for basil.

Which one is basil? Does it make a difference?

Prose and Its Forms

Yes! It definitely makes a difference! Each herb has a distinct flavor and would make the recipe taste very different.

Parsley Basil RosemaryBasil

Prose and Its Forms

Knowing the different types of prose also matters, helping you

• anticipate what you’ll find in the text

• decide how you’ll read the text

Prose and Its Forms

You might think of prose as everything that isn’t poetry.

You speak in prose You read prose

in textbooks and novels

in notes from friends

Prose and Its Forms

in everyday conversations

in e-mails and on Web sites

The prose from these sources can be divided into two main categories:

You also read prose

in magazines and newspapers

Prose and Its Forms

• fiction• nonfiction

Whatever type of prose you enjoy the most, remember that the important thing is to read.

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Prose and Its Forms

Writers create prose fiction by using imagined characters and events in a variety of ways:

• short story

• novel

• novella

• folk tale

Prose: Some Types of Fiction

A short story usually keeps it simple

by focusing on one major character, theme, and setting

and by working through a basic plot consisting of conflict, climax, and resolution.

Fiction: Short Story

A novel is more complex because it often features

more than one hundred pages

several themes and conflicts

Fiction: Novel

many characters

plots and subplots, or minor plots

A novella is just a short novel,

usually longer than twenty pages but shorter than one hundred pages.

Fiction: Novella

A folk tale

• often features fantastic elements that couldn’t happen in our world

Fiction: Folk Tale

• has no known author

• has been passed down through history by word of mouth

short story

novel

Usually 5–20 pages. A few characters work through a series of events and a conflict, leading to climax and resolution.

Usually 100 pages or more. You meet lots of characters, see subplots within the main plot, and explore many themes and conflicts.

Prose: Some Types of Fiction

Each type of fiction has distinct characteristics.

novella A short novel—longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.

folk tale

Often a mythical story with no known author, passed down by word of mouth.

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Which form of fiction do you think this is?

• short story

• novel

• novella

• folk tale

Quick Check

There once lived a wise old man named Young-Chu, who made his home in the top of the tallest maple tree deep in the forest.

Sometimes Young-Chu would grant wishes, if it were for a good cause. People came from far and wide to seek his help, writing requests on bits of rice paper. Then, one of Young-Chu’s cranes would snap up the paper in its beak and fly to the top of the tree to present the wish to the wise man.

Prose: Some Types of Fiction

Nonfiction provides facts about people, places, things, and events. Types of nonfiction include

• essay

• article

• biography

• autobiography

Prose: Some Types of Nonfiction

Essays and articles are short pieces of prose that discuss a limited topic.

Essays usually share a personal point of view.

Articles often relate facts and events.

Nonfiction: Essay and Article

A biography tells the story of a person’s life

and is written by another person.

Nonfiction: Biography

In an autobiography, the writer tells the story of his or her own life.

Nonfiction: Autobiography

essay

auto-biography

A short piece of prose that discusses a limited topic and often includes personal observations

The story of a person’s life written by that person

Prose: Some Types of Nonfiction

Nonfiction provides facts about people, places, things, and events. Types of nonfiction include

biography The story of a person’s life written by another person

article An objective description of real-life events

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What type of nonfiction is this? Why?

• essay

• article

• biography

• autobiography

Quick Check

This spring’s Bluebell Festival and Parade on May 8 attracted crowds from around the state to the city of Cottonwood.

With thousands of onlookers, the mayor sounded a cannon to signal the start of the parade. Colorful floats of all shapes and sizes snaked down Main Street, delighting young and old alike.

The parade concluded in the town square with a tribute to Ma Callahan, who founded the town 100 years ago.

Prose: Some Types of Nonfiction

What Are the Forms of Prose?

Elements of Fiction and Nonfiction

• Characters: imaginary people or animals in a story

Elements of Fiction

• Plot: series of events in a story

• Point of View: vantage point from which a story is told

• Theme: universal message about life

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Elements of Fiction and Nonfiction

• Nonfiction: about real people, events, or ideas

Elements of Nonfiction

• Point of view: told from the perspective of the author

• Presents: facts and ideas

• Historical context: may include information about the society and culture of the time

Your Turn

Fiction or Nonfiction?

1. An article supporting a proposed law

2. A story about a princess and a frog falling in love

3. A story about an imaginary character set during the Civil War

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Analyze Forms of Prose

Read the descriptions of written materials below. Decide if each description is an example of fiction or nonfiction.

The End