10 Talking about books A question of genre When we talk about books we usually divide them into different categories, so that people know what kind of book they can expect. These categories are called “genres”. People often use the genre as a guideline to find books which they might like. The two most important genres are fiction and non-fiction. • Fiction books contain stories which have not happened, although they may be based on real events. • Non-fiction books are about real things, people, events and places, ranging from how-to books about DIY to history books which analyse past events. a) Fill the table below with suitable genres. b) Can you guess the genres of the books presented on the two previous pages? c) Go online and try to find at least one example for each genre! mystery novel thriller fantasy story science fiction novel gardening handbook biography travel guide reference book cookery book classics self-help guide how-to guide romance young adult novel adventure story dictionary detective story children’s book Fiction Non-fiction Questions and answers a) Look at the diagram and prepare as many questions as you can, e.g.: Who wrote the book? What is it about? b) Talk to a partner and ask these questions about a book your partner has read. Then change roles. 1 t 2 Fiction Non-fiction story plot development characters setting themes patterns main topics information reality historical background title author genre writing style reading experience 132 Books Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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