Meaning & use
piece of fiction
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Meaning
phrasecountable
A single work, such as a novel or short story, that is created from imagination rather than fact.
Grammar: Countable phrase: you can say 'a piece of fiction' or 'two pieces of fiction'.
Patterns
- a piece of fiction about something
- write a piece of fiction
- read a piece of fiction
Her latest piece of fiction is a short story set in the future.
The teacher asked us to write a piece of fiction based on our own lives.
This piece of fiction has won several awards for its imaginative plot.
Word forms
| plural | pieces of fiction |
|---|
Common combinations
- a work of fiction
- The novel is a work of fiction, not a true story.
- a piece of fiction
- He read a piece of fiction before going to sleep.
- write fiction
- She likes to write fiction in her free time.
- short piece of fiction
- The magazine published a short piece of fiction by a new author.
Synonyms and how they differ
- work of fiction
- Very similar, but 'work of fiction' often suggests a complete book or major creation, while 'piece of fiction' can be any length.
- story
- A story can be true or false, whereas a piece of fiction is always invented.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: piece of fiction or friction?
piece of fiction vs friction
Friction is the resistance when surfaces rub together, while fiction means invented stories. They sound similar but are completely different.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'piece of fiction' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A piece of fiction is an invented story, so writing about a magical kingdom fits. Option 1 is wrong because a newspaper report should be factual; option 3 confuses it with a physical object; option 4 is incorrect because a medical journal publishes factual research.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “piece of fiction”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.