• What to write and for whom
• Guides the writer on what the content would
be and how the ideas are to be written
Refers to the many different reasons for or
intent in writing which may be to amuse the
reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the
reader, or to satirize a condition.
the author shares their
opinion with the reader
the author presents facts
to the reader
the author amuses the
reader
Basically, authors may write depending on
their purposes such as using narrative
writing to relate a story or to recount
events; using descriptive writing to tell
what something looks like, sounds like, or
feels like; using persuasive writing to
convince a reader to believe an idea or to
take a course of action; or using
expository writing to inform or teach the
reader.
• Text written to persuade means the
author's goal is to convince the
reader to agree with the author.
• This might mean the author wants
the reader to think or even act in a
specific way.
• Any piece which pushes a certain
opinion or asks for some sort of
call for action is persuasive writing.
• Giving us information that makes something seem really
important right now!
• Giving us convincing facts and details
• Getting someone famous to agree with him or her
• Giving us information about only one side of the story and making
the other side of the story sound like a bad idea
• Using power words like amazing, free, new, you, instantly
• Seen on advertisements, newspaper, editorials, junk mail, or
posters.
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TV commercials or print ads
Newspaper editorials
Personal opinion or thought pieces
Political speeches
To identify when the author’s purpose is to
persuade, students should ask themselves if
they feel the writer is trying to get them to
believe something or take a specific action.
OH DEER!
It’s hard to spell when your hungry. If you keap makinh typing mistakes,
grab yourself a snickers fast!
Danger: Cell Phone Driver
A law should be passed that bans the use of a cell phone while driving. Too
often I have seen people driving recklessly while engaged in conversation on a
cell phone. They can't seem to find time to exercise proper vehicle functions or
safe driving procedures because they are too busy gabbing on their little
phones. One hand holds the phone to the ear, and the other hand might be used
to steer. In fact, a study has shown that more accidents are caused by people
using cell phones while driving than by people who are drunk while driving. The
need for restricting cell phone use, then, is clear. These careless people are
endangering you and me on the public streets, and I personally believe the time
has come to call for an end to this needless and potentially dangerous practice.
• When an author’s purpose is to
inform, they usually wish to
enlighten their readership about a
real-world topic. Often, they will do
this by providing lots of facts.
Teaching us something new about a topic
Including interesting details
Including numbers, dates, and examples
Giving us a lot of details about one thing
Giving us different kinds of information
Writing the information as an article, story or a poem
Including pictures or other graphics to help us understand the
information.
• Seen on news reports, research papers, encyclopedias, school
newsletters, instructions, maps, timelines, schedules, charts,
graphs
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In the process of informing the reader, the
author will make use of facts and this is one
surefire way to spot the intent to inform.
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Expository Essays or Articles
Instructions or Directions
Encyclopedias or Other Reference Texts
The Underground Railroad was a secret organization which helped slaves
escape to freedom. Many slaves were able to escape because of the
conductors and station masters. The northern states were free states
and slaves were free once they arrived in the north. Secret codes and
signals were used to identify the conductors and station masters.
On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft launched from the Kennedy Space
Center in Florida. Its mission was to go where no human being had gone
before—the moon! The crew consisted of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins,
and Buzz Aldrin. The spacecraft landed on the moon in the Sea of
Tranquility, a basaltic flood plain, on July 20, 1969. The moonwalk took
place the following day. On July 21, 1969, at precisely 10:56 EDT, Commander
Neil Armstrong emerged from the Lunar Module and took his famous
first step onto the moon’s surface. He declared, “That’s one small step
for man, one giant leap for mankind.” It was a monumental moment in
human history!
• When an author’s chief purpose is
to entertain the reader they will
endeavor to keep things as
interesting as possible.
• The primary purpose of texts that
are written to entertain is to
amuse readers.
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Making something funny
Using words that paint a picture in our mind
Adding suspense to the writing
Including lots of feelings
Including fantasy
Making the characters seem real
Adding some surprises
When a writer is attempting to entertain or
amuse the reader they will use a variety of
techniques to engage their attention. They may
employ cliffhangers at the end of a chapter,
for example.
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Stories
Poems
Dramas
Songs
Joe had been fishing for over two hours without a single bite. Suddenly
there was a nibble at the end of his fishing line. He stood up on the boat
and leaned out too far. Just there was a sharp yank on the line. Joe fell
overboard and landed head first into the water. Joe and his friends
laughed and laughed.
Once upon a time in a faraway land, there lived a beautiful, magic frog
named Frogella. This frog was so beautiful that people would come from
far and wide to admire her. As if being this beautiful were not enough,
Frogella could turn rocks into diamonds. Her father feared that an evil
villain in the neighboring kingdom had plans to kidnap Frogella and use her
magic to get rich. He visited the magic penguin and asked that she put a
spell on Frogella so that no one from the neighboring village could recognize
her. She sent a potion home for Frogella to drink. To everyone in her village,
she remained a beautiful frog. But, they knew the spell worked when the
evil villain came to town and asked Frogella if she knew where he could find
the beautiful Frogella. When he left without seeing Frogella, the town
celebrated with joy. Their beautiful frog was safe!
However, sometimes an author can have more
than one purpose out of the three major
categories which is to entertain, to inform, or to
persuade.
If the text is a poem, play, or story, then it’s safe to say that
the author’s main purpose is to entertain readers. If the text
is not a poem, play, or story, ask yourself the next question.
If the text is primarily providing readers with facts and
information, then we can conclude that the author’s main purpose
in writing the text is to inform readers. If the text does not
contain an abundance of what appears to be factual information,
then go to the next question.
If the text contains many arguments and claims, or a call where
the reader is urged to take action, then the author’s main
purpose is to persuade. If the text does not appear to be
persuasive, reanalyze the text and repeat the process.
1.
The story of a teenage boy learning to understand and live
with his father, who is an alcoholic Vietnam war veteran.
2.
A list of the 25 richest athletes in the world.
3.
An article arguing why Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball
player ever.
4.
An “X-men” comic book.
5.
The story about a young girl with low self-esteem learning to love
herself.
6.
A National Geographic article about the eating and breeding habits of the endangered bald
eagle.
7.
A website saying that a new shopping mall should not be built because it threatens an
endangered bald eagle’s home. The website also lists other reasons why the mall should not
be built.
8.
A poem about bald eagles.
9.
A magazine ad telling you to buy Nike Hyperdunk shoes because you’ll jump higher.
10. A sign saying, “Rest Stop Five Miles Ahead.”