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ELA 4: Types of Biographies 277 Views


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Description:

Today we'll learn about biographies and autobiographies. And no, the second one has nothing to do with the lives of cars. 

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

It’s usually pretty easy to get to know people. You can look at their Facebook… [Person checking facebook profile]

00:16

or their Twitter… or their Instagram…

00:18

Or, if you’re not super into cyber-stalking, you can ask them questions about themself.

00:24

But what if you want to get to know somebody who isn't easy to access? Well, Shmoopers,

00:28

that’s what biographies are for. Biographies are a type of writing that help [Coop explaining what biographies are]

00:32

blend together facts and descriptive writing. This helps the reader remains interested and

00:36

entertained while they learn!

00:37

Learning and fun – our two favorite things here at Shmoop.

00:40

…That wasn’t a joke, guys, that’s really what we’re all about.

00:43

Well…that and the hokey-pokey. It really is what it's all about. [Girl performing hokey-pokey]

00:46

Anyway, biographies come in two styles.

00:49

There's the plain old biography, where an author chooses an interesting person and writes [Dino discussing biography types]

00:52

about their life...

00:53

…then there's the autobiography, where people write about themselves.

00:57

That's right, you can write your own biography. Pretty cool, right? But you have to stick

01:01

to the facts. No writing that you went to outer space when you were six. [Astronaut bouncing on the moon]

01:05

Unless you did… In which case, we bow down to you.

01:08

But whether you're writing a biography about someone else or an autobiography about yourself,

01:13

you need to be sharp, witty, and have some pretty strong writing skills to boot. [Girl flexing her arms]

01:18

And why is that? Well, because biographies are about facts. And sometimes, writing fact

01:23

after fact can get a little boring for the reader – so it's up to the writer to use [Person writing with a pencil]

01:27

interesting words and engaging language to keep things interesting.

01:30

That's the difference between, "Chuck farted in class one day. His classmates didn't like

01:35

it. Chuck was embarrassed," and "one dismal and grey November day, Chuck let out a silent

01:41

but deadly toxic gas…from his butt. While his classmates desperately fanned the foul

01:46

fumes away, Chuck was busy turning redder than a tomato."

01:50

See? Using strong adjectives, synonyms, and the occasional simile or metaphor will go [Dino explaining biography techniques]

01:56

a long way.

01:56

It’s basically like when you do everything you can to snazzify your school uniform. So

02:00

add scarves and barrettes and cool shoes galore, and get writing!

02:03

…Just…use actual words. Sorry. We should've specified that. [Girl searching for clothing on computer]

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