Understanding Non-Fiction
Section: Reading | Syllabus: Cambridge Primary English First Language (0058)
Non-Fiction Text Types and Their Purposes
- Information texts - explain facts about a topic (e.g. a report)
- Instruction texts - tell you how to do something, using imperative verbs and numbered steps
- Persuasive texts - try to convince the reader of something, e.g. a news article or an advert
- Recounts - tell the story of real events
- A biography is someone else's life story, written by another person
- An autobiography is a person's own life story, written by themselves
- A balanced written argument presents both sides of an issue fairly before reaching a conclusion
- Connectives like however and on the other hand are used to move from one side of the argument to the other
- Common non-fiction features: headings and subheadings, bullet or numbered lists, images and captions, glossaries and indexes
Text: "Many people believe school should start later, arguing that teenagers need more sleep to concentrate well. Later starts have been shown to improve attendance in some schools. However, other parents point out that a later finish would clash with after-school clubs and family routines. On balance, a small delay of thirty minutes may offer the benefits of extra sleep without causing major disruption."
Question: Which sentence presents the case FOR a later start, which presents the case AGAINST, and which connective signals the change of side?
The case FOR is in the first two sentences: teenagers need more sleep, and later starts improve attendance. The connective "However" signals the switch to the opposing view. The case AGAINST is that a later finish would clash with after-school clubs and family routines. AnswerFOR: teenagers need more sleep and later starts improve attendance. AGAINST: a later finish would clash with clubs and family routines. The connective "However" introduces the opposing side.
Distinguishing Fact from Opinion
- A fact is something that can be checked and proven true or false with evidence
- An opinion is a personal belief or judgement - it cannot be proven, and other people may disagree with it
- Words that often signal an opinion: I think, in my view, clearly, obviously, the best, should
- A text can mix facts and opinions in the same paragraph - read carefully to tell them apart
Ask whether a statement could be checked with evidence - if not, it's an opinion, however confidently it's written
Worked Example: Sorting Fact from OpinionText: "The new sports centre opened last month and cost 2 million dollars to build. In my view, it is clearly the best thing that has happened to our town in years. It has three swimming pools."
Question: Identify one fact and one opinion in the text.
"The new sports centre opened last month and cost 2 million dollars to build" can be checked against records, so it is a fact. "In my view, it is clearly the best thing that has happened to our town in years" is a personal judgement signalled by "in my view" and "clearly", so it is an opinion. AnswerFact: the sports centre opened last month and cost 2 million dollars. Opinion: that it is "the best thing that has happened to our town in years".
How Writers Influence the Reader's Reaction
- Writers choose particular words and details to create a mood in the reader, such as concern, hope, urgency or excitement
- Emotive language - words chosen to appeal to the reader's feelings rather than stay neutral - is common in persuasive and news writing
- Comparing two reports of the same event can reveal how word choice shapes the reader's reaction, even when the facts are similar
Report A: "The council removed 40 trees from Elm Park on Tuesday to make way for a car park."
Report B: "Bulldozers tore through Elm Park on Tuesday, ripping out 40 mature trees to make way for yet another car park."
Question: How does the writer of Report B try to influence the reader's reaction, compared with Report A?
Report A uses neutral, factual language: "removed", "to make way for a car park". Report B uses emotive, violent verbs like "tore through" and "ripping out" instead of "removed", making the action sound destructive. "Yet another car park" adds a tone of frustration, implying this has happened too often before. AnswerReport B uses emotive language ("tore through", "ripping out") and a frustrated tone ("yet another car park") to make the reader feel angry about the trees being removed, while Report A states the same event neutrally.
Common Mistakes
MistakeAssuming a sentence is a fact just because it sounds confident or is stated firmly
Fixask whether the statement could be checked with evidence - if not, it's an opinion, however confidently it's written
MistakeOnly naming an emotive word without explaining the effect it has on the reader
Fixalways explain what feeling or reaction the writer's word choice is trying to create
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