Discovering Meaning Through Structure Chapter 3 The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes PART 2 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 2 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Determining the Author’s Purpose Most writers create with at least one general purpose in mind, but most writers do not directly state their general purpose. So, the reader must use indirect clues to determine it. Usually, this purpose will fall into one of three broad categories: to inform to entertain, or to persuade. © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 3 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy An author whose purpose is to inform will provide readers with knowledge or information in an objective, neutral fashion. To inform is usually the purpose of textbooks and newspaper articles. An author whose purpose is to entertain will tell a story or describe someone or something in an interesting way. Although it may be fiction or nonfiction it will generally appeal to the reader’s imagination, sense of humor, or emotions. An author’s purpose may be to persuade which means going beyond merely entertaining or providing information and attempting to change the reader’s opinions by appealing to emotions or intellect. Political literature and newspaper editorials usually have persuasion as their purposes. © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 4 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Authors consider their audience (those they are writing for) when they choose their general purpose. For example, writers of fiction usually want to entertain readers by creating interesting characters and stories. In addition to a general purpose, authors also usually have a specific purpose, which reveals more detailed information than the general purpose. Sometimes an author will have more than one purpose in mind making one of the purposes the primary purpose. To determine the author’s general and primary purpose, identify the main idea and details that support that idea, and then note the author’s choice of words. Finally, note the source of the article or passage. © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 5 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy An Introduction to the Rhetorical Modes In longer reading selections, the main idea is often called the thesis. The thesis is sometimes called the controlling idea, because its primary purpose is to hold the essay or story together. Most writers select a mode of writing—or a rhetorical mode— that helps them achieve their purpose. The four primary modes of writing are: narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive. © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 6 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Material written in a narrative mode tells a story, either true or fictional. With material written in a descriptive mode, the emphasis is on providing details that describe a person, place, or object. An author will use an expository mode to explain ideas and how things work. Material written in a persuasive mode is meant to convince the reader of something and tends to be about controversial topics. Although it presents an argument with evidence it is often considered to be biased writing. Sometimes an author will choose to use a mixed mode in writing. For example, the author might choose to write a piece that is both descriptive and narrative. © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 7 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Outlining An outline is an orderly arrangement of ideas going from the general to the specific. An outline shows the relationship and importance of ideas by using a system of Roman numerals for main headings (I, II, III, etc.), capital letters for the next level of subheadings (A, B, C, etc.), and numbers for the next level of subheadings (1, 2, 3, etc.). Only the most important points should be included in an outline. Study Technique 4 © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 8 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Outlining An outline is an orderly arrangement of ideas going from the general to the specific. An outline shows the relationship and importance of ideas by using a system of Roman numerals for main headings (I, II, III, etc.), capital letters for the next level of subheadings (A, B, C, etc.), and numbers for the next level of subheadings (1, 2, 3, etc.). Only the most important points should be included in an outline. Study Technique 4 © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 9 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy looseadverb or adjective meaning “free or released from fastening or attachment” losea verb meaning “to come to be without” passeda verb, the past tense of the verb pass pasta noun meaning “former time.” Also, an adjective meaning “former.” Also, an adverb meaning “going beyond something” peacea noun meaning “freedom from dissension or hostilities” piecea noun meaning “a limited portion or quantity of something” Homonyms and Confusing Words (Unit 2) © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 10 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy personal an adjective meaning “concerning a particular person” personnel a noun meaning “the body of persons employed in an organization” rain noun meaning “water that falls to earth in drops formed from moisture in the air” rein noun meaning “a leather strap fastened to each end of a bit for guiding or controlling an animal” reign a noun meaning “period of rule or government by a monarch” Homonyms and Confusing Words (Unit 2) © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 11 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy rightadjective meaning “in accordance with what is good, proper, just.” Also, an adjective meaning “opposite of left.” Also, a noun meaning “something that is due to anyone by just claim” ritea noun meaning “a formal ceremony” writea verb meaning “to form words or letters; to send a message in writing” wrighta combining form meaning “a person who makes or builds something” Homonyms and Confusing Words (Unit 2) © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 12 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy stationaryan adjective meaning “not moving” stationerynoun meaning “writing paper” theiran adjective meaning “possession” therean adverb meaning “direction.” Also, a pronoun used to begin a sentence or phrase they’re a contraction for “they are” tortuousan adjective meaning “full of twists and turns” torturousan adjective meaning “involving great pain or agony” Homonyms and Confusing Words (Unit 2) © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 13 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy vainan adjective meaning “having an excessively high opinion of oneself.” Also, an adjective meaning “futile.” veina noun meaning “any blood vessel that carries blood back to the heart from some part of the body” vanea noun, a short form of weather vane weathera noun meaning “the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness etc.” whethera conjunction used to introduce two or more alternatives Homonyms and Confusing Words (Unit 2) © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 14 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy whoa subjective pronoun meaning “what person or persons or which person or persons whoma pronoun used as the object of a verb or preposition who’sa contraction of “who is” and “who has” whosea possessive adjective meaning “done by whom or which or having to do with whom or which” youra possessive adjective meaning “belonging to you or done by you” you’rea contraction for “you are” Homonyms and Confusing Words (Unit 2) © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Chapter 3: The Author’s Purpose and the Rhetorical Modes 15 The Art of Critical Reading Mather ▪ McCarthy Test-taking Tip After the Test is Returned After taking a test, think about what material the test covered and what ways the test surprised you. Change your approach to the course and the next test to take into account what you learned from the test. You also need to go back and learn better the material that gave you trouble, because you may see questions about this material again on future tests. If you did poorly on the test, work with the instructor or a tutor out-of- class or become part of a study group. © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.