Non-fiction
1. Newspapers
Newspaper stories always start with a headline that catches your attention and tells you what the story is about. The first paragraph then summarises (sums up) the whole story briefly. The rest of the story gives the reader all the details.
Some newspapers are chatty and informal and use terrible puns (word-play) in their headlines.
2. Adverts and brochures
Adverts use persuasive writing to get you to buy things. Because people are trying to make their products sound good, you’ll hear lots of positive, persuasive words such as great, free, improved, new, brilliant and exclusive.
Although an advert should be factual (true), the writer probably won’t tell you what is bad about the thing they are selling.
Adverts and brochures often use glossy photographs of the things they are selling. When you see pictures of people in adverts, they are often smiling to show how happy they are with the product.
3. Reference books
Reference books usually focus on a particular subject (for example, plants, history or science) and should have a clear, straightforward style.
The information in reference books is organised to make things easy to find. The information in a dictionary, for example, is organised alphabetically.
Many reference books have an index. This is an alphabetical list of all the things you’ll find in the book, and tells you which page each thing is on.
Reference books are often illustrated to give the reader even more information about the subject. The pictures may also have labels that will give you even more information.
4. History books and biographies
People writing about history and people’s lives (biographies) will often use an informal style of writing to make the subject more interesting. You’ll find lots of descriptive language (adjectives and adverbs) in this sort of writing, and the writer may try to describe how people from the past felt, not just list what they did on a particular date.
Even if a non-fiction book is as descriptive and atmospheric as a novel (fictional story), it should be based on fact and not made up!
