Understanding Author's Purpose

Three Main Goals Inform Persuade Entertain

Writing to Inform Shows or explains facts Examples:  Biographies  News reports  Essays

Writing to Persuade Tries to influence the reader Makes an argument Examples  Political Speeches  Advertisements  Cover letters (for resumes)  Essays

Writing to Entertain Stories that have a beginning, middle, and end. The story may have a lesson, but the purpose is to entertain. Examples  Nonfiction novels  Poems  Scripts  Narrative essays

How to identify the Purpose Ask yourself the following questions Is the text a poem, play, or telling a story?  If YES, then it is to ENTERTAIN.  If NO, go to the next question. Does the text give mainly facts and information?  If YES, then it is to INFORM  If NO, go to the next question Does the text make arguments or present different points of view?  If YES, then it is to PERSUADE  If NO, start over.

Seven Common Types Of Text Structure

1. Sequence Chronological, time order, narration, steps and stages – Chrono = time, Logic = order All narrative have a time line: – beginning, middle, and end – Past, present, future Usually contains/refers to specific place and time. Cause and effect language is sometimes used here, but the text is mainly concerned with time. Author's purpose is usually to entertain.

Chronological: information in the passage is organized in order of time. Jack and Jill ran up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.

2. Compare and Contrast Similarities and differences of two things (or more) can be explored. Uses two types of organization  Block  Point by point It uses specific signal phrases (contrast, similar). This text structure is often used to inform readers.

Compare and Contrast: two or more things are described. There similarities and differences are discussed. Linux and Windows are both operating systems. Computers use them to run programs. Linux is totally free and open source, so users can improve or otherwise modify the source code. Windows is proprietary, so it costs money to use and users are prohibited from altering the source code

3. Order of Importance Ideas and steps are organized depending on the importance or value of each.  It can be from least → most important or viceversa Can be confused with Cause and Effect text structure Can be confused with Sequence text structure, but uses words like “finally” It is similar to the structures above, but remember the most important thing is hierarchy.

Order of Importance: information is expressed as a hierarchy or in priority. Here are the three worst things that you can do on a date. First, you could tell jokes that aren’t funny and laugh really hard to yourself. This will make you look bad. Worse though, you could offend your date. One bad “joke” may cause your date to lash out at you, hence ruining the engagement. But the worst thing that you can do is to appear slovenly. By not showering and properly grooming, you may repulse your date, and this is the worst thing that you can do.

4. Listing Series, addition, enumeration, process, how-to Could list facts, reasons, examples, items, and features. Explains instructions, directions, processes. Do not confuse with Chronological!  This does not have a specific time and place Uses specific signal phrases (addition)

Sequence / Process Writing: information is organized in steps or a process is explained in the order in which it occurs. Eating cereal is easy. First, get out your materials. Next, pour your cereal in the bowl, add milk, and enjoy.

5. Spatial Also known as “Descriptive Writing.” Organized in order of space and/or location. In general, will describe location or space. Used in both fiction and nonfiction writing.

Spatial / Descriptive Writing: information is organized in order of space (top to bottom, left to right). when you walk into my bedroom there is a window facing you. To the right of that is a dresser and television and on the other side of the window is my bed.

6. Cause and Effect Sometimes called “result” Explains why something happened or Explains the effects of something Order can be Causes → Effects, or viceversa Uses two styles of organization  Block  Point by point These structure is usually used to Persuade and to Inform

Cause and Effect:The results of something are explained. The dodo bird used to roam in large flocks across America. Interestingly, the dodo wasn’t startled by gun shot. Because of this, frontiersmen would kill entire flocks in one sitting. Unable to sustain these attacks, the dodo was hunted to extinction.

7. Problem and Solution Informative in nature Presents a problem as well as propose a solution. Similar to Cause and Effect structure, but this proposes a solution (which C/E generally does not).

Problem and Solution: a problem is described and a response or solution is proposed or explained. Thousand of people die each year in car accidents involving drugs or alcohol. Lives could be saved if our town adopts a free public taxi service. By providing such a service, we could prevent intoxicated drivers from endangering themselves or others.