student asking question

Since both of these words are not based on the true story, can I say "fiction" instead of "novel"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Fiction" is considered to be a category of literature, i.e. that which is imaginary and not real. Meanwhile, "novel" is another way of referring to a fiction book. Thus, you can say that a book is a "fiction novel" but you cannot use "fiction" in place of "novel" or "book" on its own. Ex: This book is a work of fiction. Ex: I recently read a novel that is over 200 pages in length.

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