Prose and Its Forms

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What Are the Forms of Prose?
Prose and Its Forms Prose Some Types of
Fiction Short Story Novel Novella Folk
Tale Prose Some Types of Nonfiction Essay and
Article Biography Autobiography Elements of
Fiction and Nonfiction Your Turn
Feature Menu
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Prose and Its Forms
Imagine youre helping with dinner, and a recipe
calls for basil.
Which one is basil? Does it make a difference?
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Prose and Its Forms
Parsley
Basil
Rosemary
Basil
Yes! It definitely makes a difference! Each herb
has a distinct flavor and would make the recipe
taste very different.
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Prose and Its Forms
Knowing the different types of prose also
matters, helping you

• anticipate what youll find in the text

• decide how youll read the text

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Prose and Its Forms
You might think of prose as everything that isnt
poetry.
You speak in prose
You read prose
in textbooks and novels
in notes from friends
in everyday conversations
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Prose and Its Forms
The prose from these sources can be divided into
two main categories

• fiction
• nonfiction

in e-mails and on Web sites
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Prose and Its Forms
Whatever type of prose you enjoy the most,
remember that the important thing is to read.
End of Section
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Prose Some Types of Fiction
Writers create prose fiction by using imagined
characters and events in a variety of ways

• short story
• novel
• novella
• folk tale

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Fiction Short Story
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.
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Fiction Novel
A novel is more complex because it often features
more than one hundred pages
many characters
plots and subplots, or minor plots
several themes and conflicts
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Fiction Novella
A novella is just a short novel,
usually longer than twenty pages but shorter than
one hundred pages.
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Fiction Folk Tale
A folk tale

• has no known author

• has been passed down through history by word of
  mouth

• often features fantastic elements that couldnt
  happen in our world

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Prose Some Types of Fiction
Each type of fiction has distinct characteristics.
short story
Usually 520 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.
novel
novella
A short novellonger 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.
End of Section
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Prose Some Types of Fiction
Quick Check

• Which form of fiction do you think this is?
• short story
• novel
• novella
• folk tale

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-Chus 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.
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Prose Some Types of Fiction
Quick Check
Which form of fiction do you think this is?
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-Chus 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.
This is an example of a folk tale, which features
mythical elements that couldnt happen in our
world.
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Prose Some Types of Nonfiction
Nonfiction provides facts about people, places,
things, and events. Types of nonfiction include

• essay
• article
• biography
• autobiography

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Nonfiction Essay and Article
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.
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Nonfiction Biography
A biography tells the story of a persons life
and is written by another person.
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Nonfiction Autobiography
In an autobiography, the writer tells the story
of his or her own life.
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Prose Some Types of Nonfiction
Nonfiction provides facts about people, places,
things, and events. Types of nonfiction include
A short piece of prose that discusses a limited
topic and often includes personal observations
essay
An objective description of real-life events
article
The story of a persons life written by another
person
biography
auto-biography
The story of a persons life written by that
person
End of Section
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Prose Some Types of Nonfiction
Quick Check

• What type of nonfiction is this? Why?
• essay
• article
• biography
• autobiography

This springs 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.
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Prose Some Types of Nonfiction
Quick Check
What type of nonfiction is this? Why?
This springs 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.
This is an example of an article that details
real-life events and facts about people, places,
and dates.
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What Are the Forms of Prose?
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Elements of Fiction and Nonfiction
Elements of Fiction
Characters imaginary people or animals in a
story
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
Elements of Nonfiction
Nonfiction about real people, events, or ideas
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
End of Section
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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.
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
End of Section
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The End