Author's Purpose

Understanding Author's Purpose

What is the Author's Purpose?

Reading comprehension, or understanding your reading, comes from identifying and studying key elements of a text, such as the author's purpose.

The author's purpose is the reason or motivation for writing a text.

​But Why?

Why does the purpose matter? Knowledge of the author's purpose allows readers to respond to the text and to match appropriate texts to specific needs.

Essential Questions

Element of Writing	Reader Questions
Author's purpose	What response does the author want from the reader?
Audience	Who is the author primarily addressing? How does my viewpoint compare to that of the original audience?
Genre	Is this piece fiction or informational text? How does the genre affect my understanding of the text?
Structure	What text features (headings, italics, etc.) are present? What are the relevant literary elements (plot, setting, characters, etc.)?
Content	What is included in the text and why? What information is excluded?

​But Why?

Knowledge of the author's purpose allows readers to better understand the theme!

When reading a new text, become familiar with some of the author's background to help understand the author's purpose.

• When did the author write? Consider historical, political, and social context.

• Where did the author write?

• What else did the author write? A text may be part of a sequence or reflect an evolution in the author's skills or viewpoint.

• Who is the author? What personal information does the author share? How does this information affect the text? This might include information such as authority (three-time Olympian writes about sports), bias (former child model critiques the modeling scene), and experience (marine biologist writes underwater fantasy novel).

​P.I.E.

An author may have both a specific purpose and a general purpose. For example, an author of a blog writes an article to convince people to vote for Ms. Martinez for city council. That is a specific purpose. It falls under the general category of persuasion. Before identifying an author's specific purpose, determine the author's general purpose.

Three common categories of the author's purpose are:

• Persuasion

• Information

• Entertainment

​P: Persuade

Many authors write to persuade their readers to share opinions or take action.

Persuasive writing can be found in essays, magazines, blogs, advertising, and full-length books.

An author writing to persuade gives opinions and makes emotional appeals. The information may be biased, and facts may be presented from a single perspective rather than from multiple perspectives.

​I: Inform

Some authors write to inform readers of facts and information.

Examples of informational writing include textbooks, guidebooks, some journal articles, and some news articles.

Texts intended to inform may be brief articles or full-length books. Authors writing to inform seek to include factual information without offering opinion or interpretation.

​E: Entertain

Authors may write to entertain readers.

Many fictional texts fall into this category, whether drama, science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, or realistic fiction.

Entertaining text may be short or long, and can include mixed-media genres such as graphic novels.

​Multiple Purposes

Often a text, especially a longer text, is written for multiple purposes.

An author of informational text may add elements of entertainment, or an author of fictional entertainment may attempt to sway the reader's opinions. An informational text may include an analysis or recommended reader response, combining information and persuasion.

When considering a text, look for multiple purposes that may be part of the author's work.

Multiple Choice

What is the primary reason for identifying the author's purpose in a text?

• To critique the writing style

• To match appropriate texts to specific needs

• To analyze literary devices

• To memorize the content for exams

Multiple Choice

Which of the following elements of writing is NOT considered when analyzing the author's purpose?

• Structure

• Audience

• Language proficiency

• Content

Multiple Choice

"Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a brave knight who embarked on a quest to rescue the princess from the clutches of an evil sorcerer." What is the author's purpose in this excerpt?

• Persuasive

• Informative

• Entertainment

Multiple Choice

"The life cycle of a butterfly involves four stages: egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult. Each stage is fascinating and plays a crucial role in the butterfly's development." What is the author's purpose in this excerpt?

• Persuasive

• Informative

• Entertaining

Multiple Choice

What type of writing might include biased information and emotional appeals to persuade the reader?

• Informational

• Persuasive

• Entertaining

• Educational

Multiple Choice

"Vote for Smithson for Mayor! With his proven track record of community service and dedication to our city's future, he's the leader we need." What is the author's purpose in this excerpt?

• Persuasive

• Informative

• Entertaining

Multiple Choice

What should a reader consider when trying to understand the author's purpose based on the author's biography?

• The number of awards the author has won

• The historical, political, and social context

• The author's favorite color

• The length of time it took to write the text

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a common category of author's purpose?

• Persuasion

• Information

• Description

• Entertainment