3. Autobiography A story about an author’s own life Usually includes significant events Is usually fairly long Characterized by the use of first-person pronouns (I, me, we, mine, ours, etc.)
4. Biography A story about someone’s life written by someone else Usually includes significant details Is usually a longer work Characterized by third-person pronouns (he, she, they, their, his, hers)
5. Expository Writing Writing that EXPLAINS by presenting one of the following: Presenting steps Cause and effect Types of something Compare/contrast Letters Memos Emails Think five-paragraph essay
7. Persuasive Writing The author tries to convince or persuade the reader to do something, think a certain way, or believe an idea Usually tries to get you to agree with the author’s ideas Speeches, commercials (propaganda), politics, etc.
8. Response to Literature Writing that is a summary or a reaction to something the writer has read (novel, short story, poem, article, book, etc.) Think book reports, summaries, paraphrases, reading responses, etc.
10. Fable A short story that often uses animals as the main characters Usually teaches a lesson or a moral Usually has only one problem/conflict to overcome Think Aesop
11. Fantasy A story set in an imaginary land or time Some characters have supernatural powers/abilities (wizards, witches, dragons, etc.) Mythical beings/creatures are usually involved The protagonist (hero) goes on a journey to rescue someone or fight some evil. They are often accompanied by friends/mentors, but must face the final evil alone
12. Historical Fiction Made-up story based on actual historical events Characters may be made up or real people The facts of the event are shown through a fictional story Wars/politics use this often
13. Novel Fictional story containing Several characters Well-developed plot Universal themes Several types of conflict This piece of writing is usually longer (150 pages and up)
14. Play (Drama) Story that uses dialogue to tell a story Is meant to be performed in front of an audience by actors Characterized by the format that is used (Character: Dialogue, stage directions)
15. Poem Writing that uses figurative language and is more rhythmic than prose (Prose is everything but poetry) Figurative language includes such things as imagery, repetition, metaphors, similes, personification, etc. Characterized by usually being very short, concise pieces and by the first letter of each line being capitalized
16. Science Fiction Writing based on real or imaginary science Often set in the future Can occur on distant lands throughout the universe Think Star Wars
17. Tall Tale/Legend Often treated as one, they are two similar but distinct writings Tall Tale: Humorous, EXAGGERATED story about a character that does impossible things Can be a real or fictional character Legend: Told to explain some phenomenon or mystical event Passed down orally throughout generations Also told to keep people from doing certain things (ghost stories)
18. Tragedy A story in which the hero is destroyed in the end (either physically or mentally) The hero often has some fatal flaw that causes his/her downfall The hero will often save the day, but die in the process for the greater good of humanity
