AUTHOR’S PURPOSE

A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR READING

YOUR IDEA
IS GROUNDBREAKING

Y O U R O P I N I O N M AT T E R S .
 OVERVIEW

Many different types of writing exist in the world, ranging

from classic Shakespearean plays to politicians' speeches to
the screenplay treatments that inspired this summer's biggest
blockbuster hits. These works may vary in tone, genre and
type, but as pieces of writing, they should have one thing in
common: a purpose.
 Cont’d.

Identifying the author’s purpose is an important part of reading

comprehension. That’s because knowing why an author wrote
a text is the key to knowing what to remember when you’ve
read the last page. It’s sort of like setting a purpose for
comprehension.
 Cont’d.

The author's purpose is basically the reason he or she chose to act

in a particular way, whether that's writing the passage, selecting a
phrase, using a word, etc. It differs from the main ide in that
author's purpose not the point you're supposed to get or
understand; rather, it's the why behind why the author picked up a
pen or selected those words in the first place.
 Cont’d.

As a reader, knowing the purpose or intent that the writer has for creating
the piece of work helps you EVALUATE it better. For example, if you
know that an author is trying to persuade you, then, as a reader, you would
want to be cautious about believing everything they tell you. They could
be using faulty reasoning on you or tug at your heart strings to make you
believe what they say!
 Cont’d.

As a writer, however, it's important to have a goal in mind for what you want to get
across to your reader. We all understand that sometimes it is not what we say, but how
we say it, that is important. When you write with a certain purpose or intent, you also
should be using specific word choice and stylistic elements to get your points across to
your reader. Some elements of style that you would consider is your tone, the use of
dialogue (in fiction), using imagery to describe, using figurative language to describe,
explain through comparison, exaggerate, or convey an emotion.
 Cont’d.

Authors write for many different reasons. Those reasons are

called the author's purpose. Depending on the purpose, authors
may choose all different sorts of writing formats, genres and
vernacular.
 Cont’d.

A simple trick to summarize the

three main categories of author's
purpose is to use the acronym PIE,
which stands for persuade,
inform and entertain.
 P ersuade
In a text that is written to persuade, the author’s primary purpose
is to compel readers to take action, convince them of an idea
through argument, or to reaffirm their existing beliefs.
 Cont’d.

It is true that in these types of writing the author shares his

opinion, but usually he also provides facts and examples. This
information serves to support the author's opinion and further
convince the reader to agree with him. Examples of persuasive
writing include speeches, advertisements, commercials and
newspaper editorials. Any forms of propaganda are examples of
pieces written to persuade.
 Cont’d.
An author can persuade by:

 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
 Making the other side of the story sound like a bad idea
 Using power words like amazing, free, new, you, instantly
 EXAMPLES
Persuasive writing provides the opportunity to convince someone
to adopt a particular viewpoint. Below, we'll explore various
persuasive writing examples designed to convince the reader to
take a certain action. With these samples in mind, you'll be able
to go on and write a most convincing persuasive essay.
 Persuasive Writing in Ad
1 Campaigns

o There's an entire psychology behind ad campaigns. Expert

marketers look for ways to convince customers to buy their
products. Sometimes, they'll make promise - true or false - and
other times they'll use words with a sense of urgency like
"today" or "now."
 Cont’d.
o Chippers are the crispiest, crunchiest, and most delicious brand of chips
you will ever taste. Buy a bag today.
o A Lexi Mattress is the most comfortable bed you'll ever sleep on. Take
a 30-day trial and see for yourself. If you're not satisfied, we'll come to
your home, remove the mattress, and refund you in full. You've got
nothing to lose. Give it a try today.
o Chompers Dog Food is sure to make your dog's tail wag. If you truly
love your pup, you'll try one of our all-natural selections today.
 Cont’d.
o Why risk making a mistake on your tax returns or missing out on added money in
your bank account? Trust the experts at 123 Accounting to ensure you get the
biggest tax refund possible.
o Here at Schuster & Schuster, our injury attorneys have recovered millions of
dollars for our clients. We will take your case and defend your interests to the very
end. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.
o Our holistic headache medication will get rid of your headache with just one pill
and fewer side effects than aspirin or ibuprofen. Be good to your body and try it
today.
 2 Persuasive Essay
Persuasive essays are a great way to formulate sound arguments
and distribute them to the public. If nothing else, these types of
essays may be a requirement at some point in your academic
career.
 Cont’d.
o Mandatory minimum sentencing is harmful to the human race. It is a form of
discrimination; many people receive long sentences for minor crimes. We should
overturn mandatory minimum sentencing rules and give judges more leeway in their
decision-making.
o The death penalty is a good deterrent for criminals. Beyond that, it is fair because the
Bible supports "an eye for an eye." We need to keep the death penalty on the books.
o Marijuana should be legalized. We are putting too many people in prison and
spending too much money to incarcerate them for nonviolent crimes.
 Speeches and Persuasive
3 Writing

A powerful persuasive speech stands the chance of rocking an entire

nation. Presidential candidates rally for months before an election year.
Small town councils meet regularly, often to listen to persuasive
speeches about the community. At some point in your college career, you
might even find yourself in a public speaking class that will ask you to
deliver a persuasive speech.
 Cont’d.
o Are you tired of seeing your paychecks slashed by unjust tax
deductions? We work hard to provide for our families and then
wind up only being able to live paycheck to paycheck. If you
vote for me, I'll make sure your taxes are lowered and you get
the government services that you depend on. Imagine
everything you'll be able to do with more wiggle room in your
monthly income. Cast your vote today.
 Cont’d.
o We need to act now to save our community garden. It's ten
years in the making, with enough organic vegetables to feed
every mouth in this neighborhood. Hud & Co. has no right to
come into our town and pave a parking lot over one of our
most prominent food sources. Come rally with me this Friday
night. Together, we will stand in their way and protect our
beloved town.
 Cont’d.
o Raising taxes is wrong because people should be entitled to
keep their own money and because an increase in tax revenue
will be stifling to businesses. We should keep taxes low or even
reduce tax rates to encourage growth.
 I nform
The primary purpose of texts that are written to inform is to enlighten the
reader or provide the reader with information about a topic. However, in
contrast to pieces written to persuade, these facts are not used to support a
specific opinion. The facts are presented in order to teach the reader.
Examples of texts written to inform include textbooks, cookbooks,
newspapers and encyclopedias.
 Cont’d.

A text that is written to inform may entertain readers. For example, many
readers find reading the newspaper to be very entertaining, but the primary
purpose of the majority of the text is to provide information. From other
reference texts, some readers may learn about ninjas, dinosaurs, or robots
solely for enjoyment, but the author’s main purpose in writing such texts is
to inform the reader.
 Cont’d.
An author can inform by:

 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
 EXAMPLES
The purpose of an informative essay is to educate others on a
certain topic. Typically, these essays will answer one of the five
Ws: who, what, where, when, and why. Of course, they can also
answer "how," indicating how to do something.
 Cont’d.
Informative essays must never express your opinion or try to convince
others to take a certain action or stance. That role is expressly reserved
for persuasive essays. Of course, if your informative essay is interesting
enough, it may move readers to learn more about the subject, but they'll
have to come to that on their own, thanks to the wealth of interesting
information you present.
 Cont’d.
The excerpt below is from an expository essay, the purpose of which is to inform
readers about how dolphins communicate.

If you have ever heard a dolphin make noise, the sounds you hear can be described as
whistles and clicks. Scientists think that dolphins even have a unique "signature
whistle" that can be used to identify specific members of their pod. Dolphins can also
communicate and navigate under the water using echolocation. Echolocation is a
process by which dolphins emit sound waves that bounce off of other objects under the
water.
 Cont’d.
This essay discusses the topic of donating blood.

When you woke up this morning, did you think today would be the day you save a life?
In fact, it's quite easy to save a life and it only takes a little bit of your time. You don't
even need to be a paramedic or firefighter. All you have to do is set aside approximately
one hour to donate blood. This essay will explore how to donate blood, whom it
benefits, and how often you can contribute to these life-saving measures.
 Cont’d.
This essay explores the history of Ireland from the perspective of its iconic castles.

Ireland is a country steeped in history. In fact, its history dates beyond 3,000 B.C, when
the megalithic tombs were constructed in Newgrange. Throughout the country's
expansive evolution, the Irish fought time and again to maintain their independence as
a sovereign nation. Evidence of the rich history is clearly visible through its many
castles, including Leighlinbridge Castle and Carlow Castle, two of Ireland's oldest
establishments.
 E ntertain
The primary purpose of texts that are written to entertain is to
amuse readers. This does not mean that the text must be happy;
the text could be a tragedy, but the main reason for writing the
text is to amuse readers.
 Cont’d.
Examples of texts that are written to entertain are stories, poems, dramas
and songs. Of course, this is not to say that stories, poems, or plays cannot
be informative. These texts may even express values and ideas that will
persuade readers to view the world differently. Nonetheless, if the text is
not entertaining, readers are unlikely to find enlightenment or be moved by
such a text. Therefore, the primary purpose of any text, poem, play is to
entertain readers.
 Cont’d.
An author can entertain by:

 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
Using the anagram ENTERTAIN, teachers and students can easily
remember the important aspects of writing to entertain.

Enjoyable
Novels, poetry, or short stories
Tell a story
Everyone laughs
Reader’s attention is held by using humor
Try to hold reader in suspense
Adventure awaits!
Investigate character and setting
Nursery rhymes are a great way to engage young students
 EXAMPLE
The passage below is written to entertain the reader.

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a poor baker named
Elyan. Elyan’s parents had passed away when he was a little boy, so Elyan
had raised himself by learning how to bake and selling his bread in the
market. However, due to the recent drought, there were no grains to be
found in the land. Elyan decided that he would take the walk to the King’s
castle to see if he could find any work for himself.
 Identifying the
Author ’s Purpose

Identifying the author’s purpose may be challenging to students who have

not had much exposure to this skill, but after a little bit of practice, most
students whom I have had the pleasure of teaching correctly identify the
author’s purpose with consistency. Here are three questions that you can
ask yourself to help you identify the author’s purpose:
 Cont’d.

1. Is the text a poem, play, or story?

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.
 Cont’d.

2. Does the text provide a lot of facts and information?

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.
 Cont’d.

3. Is the text attempting to get the reader to do something?

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.
 OTHER AUTHOR’S
PURPOSES
 Describe. An author is attempting to describe something,
someone, or an event. The main purpose is to offer rich details
for the reader.

 Narrate. An author is attempting to tell a story. The main

purpose is to tell the story by developing a plot and characters.
 OTHER AUTHOR’S
PURPOSES
 Persuade. An author is attempting to persuade the reader by presenting
an opinion and making an argument. The main purpose is to persuade
by presenting details and examples that support the argument.

 Exposition. An author is attempting to explain or inform the reader of

something. The main purpose is to provide details and information that
help the reader to understand the topic.
 REMEMBER…

Purpose Definition Examples

Persuade The author wants you to do, buy, or believe Advertisements, persuasive letters,
something opinions, campaign speeches
Inform The author wants to give you information Textbooks, non-fiction books, expository
essays, biographies, newspaper articles,
directions
Entertain The author wants to amuse you for you to enjoy the Fiction stories, poems, songs, plays, jokes,
writing narratives
Explain The author wants to tell you how to do something or Instructions, directions, steps, procedures,
how something works how-to, recipes
Describe The author wants you to visualize or experience a Product, descriptions, descriptive essays,
person, place, or thing imagery
THANK YOU