Author’s Purpose: Three Reasons for Writing
There are three main reasons or purposes for writing. Any text that you encounter (whether
the menu for your favorite restaurant or Shakespeare’s Hamlet) will serve one of the three
following purposes:
1. Writing to Entertain
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.
Examples of Texts that Are Written to Entertain:
Stories
Poems
Dramas
Songs
2. Writing to Inform
The primary purpose of texts that are written to inform is to enlighten the reader or provide
the reader with information about a topic.
Examples of Texts That Are Written to Inform
Expository Essays or Articles
Instructions or Directions
Encyclopedias or Other Reference Texts
3. Writing to Persuade
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.
Examples of Texts That Are Written to Persuade
Advertisements
Campaign Speeches
Persuasive Letters or Notes
Author’s Purpose Activity
Directions: Read the descriptions of each item and determine the author’s main purpose
(to entertain, persuade, or inform). Then, in a sentence or two, explain your answer.
1. A story about a family trying to stick together and survive through the Great Depression in the
Midwest in the 1930s
Author’s Purpose: _______________________________________________________________
Explain Your Answer (write a sentence or two): _______________________________________
2. A section in a history book describing the conditions and causes of the Great Depression in the
Midwest in the 1930s
Author’s Purpose: _____________________________________________________________
Explain Your Answer:
_______________________________________________________________
3. An instructional booklet describing how to operate a smart phone
Author’s Purpose: _______________________________________________________
Explain Your Answer: _____________________________________________________
4. An article where the author argues that an iPhone is better than an Android phone
Author’s Purpose: _______________________________________________________
Explain Your Answer: _____________________________________________________
5. A poem about why the iPhone is the greatest consumer electronic device ever made
Author’s Purpose: _______________________________________________________
Explain Your Answer:_____________________________________________________
6. The story of a young athlete who takes steroids and his life and future fall apart
Author’s Purpose: _______________________________________________________
Explain Your Answer: _____________________________________________________
7. A medical report describing the effects of steroids on the human body.
Author’s Purpose: _______________________________________________________
Explain Your Answer: _____________________________________________________
8. A speech written by a professional athlete listing the negative effects of steroids and urging
young athletes to not use steroids
Author’s Purpose: _______________________________________________________
Explain Your Answer: ______________________________________________________
9. A booklet containing the school rules and the consequences for violating those rules.
Author’s Purpose: __________________________________________________________
Explain Your Answer: _______________________________________________________
10. A story written about a young boy who moves to a new school and is bullied, but he gains self-
confidence by joining a sports team and learns to stand up for himself.
Author’s Purpose: __________________________________________________________
Explain Your Answer: _______________________________________________________
Read each paragraph. Then select the answer that best describes the author’s purpose in writing.
The word is terracide. It is not committed with guns and knives, but with relentless bulldozers,
roaring dump trucks, and giant shovels like mythological beasts. Dynamite cuts and rips apart
mountains to reach the minerals inside, leaving nothing but empty, naked hills. The land is left
wasted and allowed to slide down upon houses and into streams, making the land unlivable and the
stream water undrinkable. This is terracide, or if you prefer, strip mining.
1. The author’s purpose is to
a. inform you about the purposes of strip mining.
b. describe a strip mining operation.
c. persuade you that strip mining is bad for the environment.
d. define terracide.
To make a delicious New England pit, proceed as follows: take some water and flour; then construct
a bullet-proof dough. Make this into a disk-shaped object. Dry it for a couple of days in a mild
temperature. Pour on stewed dried apples and slabs of citron; leave it in a safe place until it
petrifies. Serve cold at breakfast and invite your mother-in-law.
2. The author’s purpose is to
a. tell the steps in making a pie.
b. make fun of (satirize) New England cooking.
c. persuade the reader to buy New England pie.
d. describe New England pie.
I will try to give the reader of this article some idea of the real nature of Gothic architecture, not just
of Venice, but of universal Gothic. One of the most interesting parts of our study will be to find out
how far Venetian architecture went in achieving the perfect type of Gothic, and how far it fell short
of it.
4. The author’s purpose is to
a. explain the importance of Gothic architecture.
b. describe Venetian architecture.
c. show how Venetian architecture is different from Gothic architecture.
d. show the nature of Gothic architecture.
On September 23, a large cavalry troop from Fort Robinson arrived at the camp of Sitting Bull. Just as
he was about to give a welcoming speech, a commotion broke out among the watching warriors.
Rifles were fired, and the meeting ended in a massacre of the soldiers.
5. The author’s purpose is to
a. describe Sitting Bull’s camp.
b. persuade the reader that the Indians were bloodthirsty.
c. tell the events leading to a massacre.
d. explain the problems of the Calvary.
Tofu is a product that is becoming very popular as a low-calorie, cholesterol-free meat substitute.
Formerly it was found exclusively in Oriental markets and health food stores, but today tofu can be
purchased in most supermarket produce departments. This white, cheese like substance is made
from the condensed milk of soybeans. It is extremely high in protein and low in sodium. Tofu is
almost tasteless by itself, but it can be easily mixed into sauces and soups; it can even be made to
imitate scrambled eggs.
6. The author’s primary purpose is to
a. evaluate Oriental cooking.
b. persuade you to eat low-cholesterol foods.
c. describe tofu.
d. to compare tofu with meat.
Dear Tall, Dark and Handsome — This is your lucky day! The girl of your dreams is just a phone call
away. I am 5’ 10’’, slim, pretty, and only 23. I love pop music, good books, exotic foods, and foreign
travel. Give me a ring any day after 6 P.M. You won’t be sorry.
Your gal,
Jackie.
7. The author’s purpose is to
a. convince the reader to call the writer.
b. describe the writer objectively.
c. criticize the writer’s lack of intelligence.
d. entertain the reader with some interesting facts.
Our criminal justice system today is a disgrace. Modern day criminals have more rights than an
honest citizen ever imagined were written into our U.S. Constitution. Murderers and rapists are
typically set free on legal technicalities and seldom face any jail time. While that scum is back to
work finding new victims, the pleas of those they have killed, maimed, or violated go unheard. Until
we begin giving some real consideration to people who obey the law, instead of those who break it,
things are going to continue getting worse.
8. The author’s purpose is to
a. describe the actions of the criminals.
b. compare criminals with honest citizens.
c. inform the reader about the extent of crime in America.
d. criticize our criminal justice system.
