Nonfiction Vocabulary Worksheet

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Nonfiction vocabularycaptionheadingglossaryindexdiagramtable of contentssubheadingsidebartimelinechartappendixphotographa bar marked with dates and theevent at eacha closing section that givesfurther informationa panel beside the main text withadded detailsa printed note that identifies aphoto or drawingthe list of a book's chapters in theorder they comea simple drawing made to explaina system or an ideaa list of a book's hard words withwhat they meana few words above a section thatname its subjecta camera's record of a real scenean alphabetical list of subjectsand their pagesa graph that lets readers seefigures at a glancea smaller title for one part insidea section
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Nonfiction vocabularyAnswer keycaptionheadingglossaryindexdiagramtable of contentssubheadingsidebartimelinechartappendixphotographa bar marked with dates and theevent at eacha closing section that givesfurther informationa panel beside the main text withadded detailsa printed note that identifies aphoto or drawingthe list of a book's chapters in theorder they comea simple drawing made to explaina system or an ideaa list of a book's hard words withwhat they meana few words above a section thatname its subjecta camera's record of a real scenean alphabetical list of subjectsand their pagesa graph that lets readers seefigures at a glancea smaller title for one part insidea section
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All 36 terms

Text features 12

  • appendix A closing section that gives further information. "The appendix at the back has extra maps."
  • caption A printed note that identifies a photo or drawing. "The caption says the photo was taken in a rainforest."
  • chart A graph that lets readers see figures at a glance. "The chart compares rainfall in four cities."
  • diagram A simple drawing made to explain a system or an idea. "The diagram shows how a lock lifts a boat."
  • glossary A list of a book's hard words with what they mean. "Look up habitat in the glossary at the back."
  • heading A few words above a section that name its subject. "The heading Food tells you what the section is about."
  • index An alphabetical list of subjects and their pages. "The index shows that volcanoes are on page 42."
  • photograph A camera's record of a real scene. "The photograph shows a real honeybee on a flower."
  • sidebar A panel beside the main text with added details. "A sidebar lists five quick notes about sharks."
  • subheading A smaller title for one part inside a section. "Under Weather is the subheading Storms."
  • table of contents The list of a book's chapters in the order they come. "The table of contents lists six chapters."
  • timeline A bar marked with dates and the event at each. "The timeline runs from the first flight to the first moon landing."
Show all 36 terms (24 more)

Kinds of nonfiction 12

  • almanac An annual reference packed with data and calendars. "The almanac lists the sunrise time for each day."
  • atlas A book made up of maps. "We found the river in the atlas."
  • autobiography A life story told by the person who lived it. "The pilot wrote an autobiography about her own years of flying."
  • biography An author's account of another person's whole life. "The biography follows a painter from childhood to old age."
  • diary A day-by-day record of what the writer does and feels. "He wrote in his diary every night of the trip."
  • editorial A piece that argues the stand a newspaper itself takes. "The editorial calls for a new crosswalk by the school."
  • encyclopedia A reference work of articles on every sort of subject. "The encyclopedia has an article on every planet."
  • essay A short written work that explores one subject. "Her essay argues that recess should be longer."
  • interview A question-and-answer session with a reporter. "The magazine printed an interview with the team's coach."
  • manual A booklet of directions for using a product. "The manual explains how to set the clock on the oven."
  • speech A formal address delivered to listeners. "The mayor gave a speech at the new library."
  • textbook A volume of lessons used to teach a class a subject. "Open your science textbook to chapter 3."

Reading nonfiction 12

  • anecdote A brief, interesting story about a real event. "He opened the talk with an anecdote from a fishing trip."
  • bias A leaning that stops a writer from treating sides alike. "The review shows bias: the writer owns the store."
  • evidence Proof or details that back up what a writer claims. "The author gives evidence from three studies."
  • fact Information that is known and can be proved. "It is a fact that a week has seven days."
  • opinion A personal belief or judgment, not a proven truth. "Cats are the best pets is an opinion."
  • primary source A firsthand account or object from the period itself. "A soldier's letter home is a primary source."
  • purpose The reason a text was written. "The purpose of the poster is to get people to recycle."
  • quotation Lines repeated word for word from a speaker or text. "The article ends with a quotation from the coach."
  • secondary source A work written later by someone who studied the event. "A book about the war written fifty years later is a secondary source."
  • statistic A piece of information stated as a number. "One statistic in the article: 9 of 10 students ride the bus."
  • summary A brief version that gives just the main ideas. "Her summary of the chapter was three sentences long."
  • topic The subject that a text is about. "The topic of the book is ocean animals."

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-12. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day in two dictionaries: the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and the entry in the Cambridge Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/). All 36 terms stand in both. Details of a meaning rest on articles of English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: Timeline for the bar marked with dates, and Primary source and Secondary source for the two kinds of source. The answers under the list rest on the articles Memoir, Table of contents, Index (publishing), Primary source and Tertiary source. The sentence in quotation marks after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work

How it works

This nonfiction vocabulary worksheet gives a class the words for a unit on informational books: twelve terms down the left, their meanings out of order down the right. The three sets are text features, kinds of nonfiction and reading nonfiction.

Read the full guide

Nonfiction text feature words

Set opens on Text features: caption, heading, glossary, index, diagram, table of contents, subheading, sidebar, timeline, chart, appendix and photograph. Kinds of nonfiction prints biography, autobiography, diary, essay, encyclopedia, atlas, almanac, textbook, manual, editorial, speech and interview.

Fact, opinion and source words

The third set has fact, opinion, purpose, topic, summary, evidence, primary source, secondary source, quotation, statistic, bias and anecdote. Under the tool each term has a sentence that uses it, such as "A soldier's letter home is a primary source."

Questions and answers

Is a memoir the same as an autobiography?

Not quite. An autobiography takes a whole life as its story. A memoir keeps a narrower focus, usually one stretch of the writer's life or career, or a single event or turning point.

What is the difference between a table of contents and an index?

A table of contents usually sits in the front matter, ahead of the main text, and gives the titles of the sections. An index, placed among the back pages, lists words or phrases and points to where each is found.

Is a diary a primary source?

Yes. For a historian a primary source is anything that dates from the time being studied, and diaries, manuscripts, recordings and autobiographies are among the examples.

Is a textbook a primary or a secondary source?

It can be neither. Some textbooks are counted as tertiary sources, with encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks: works that gather what primary and secondary sources have already published and add no analysis of their own.

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