Authors Purpose

“Once upon a time in a magical kingdom, there lived a great hero. He was about to set out on a dangerous quest!”

• Explain

• Persuade

• Entertain

• Inform

What is the purpose of a narrative written by another student about the first time she tried to ice skate?

• Entertain

• Explain

• Persuade

• Describe

Sarah knew time travel was impossible. Everything she’d learned in science told her it couldn’t be done. But as she looked around the street, noting the horse-drawn carriages and the women dressed in long dresses and hats, she realized she was in the nineteenth century.

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

• Describe

Many people buy vegetables in the grocery store without knowing where they were grown or how they arrived at the store. Supermarkets should be required to label each fruit or vegetable with a sign telling shoppers where and when the food was grown and how far it traveled to the supermarket.

• Inform

• Explain

• Persuade

• Describe

What is the purpose of a book of jokes about being in the fourth grade?

• Explain

• Entertain

• Persuade

• Inform

Hellen Keller was born in 1880 and died in 1968. Despite being deaf and blind, Keller was a political activist, a lecturer, an author, and a tireless advocate for those with disabilities.

• Entertain

• Explain

• Inform

• Describe

What are the three reasons we write?
(Authors purpose for writing)

• Persuade, Inform, Electrify

• Perform, Infer, Entertain

• Persuade, Inform, Educate

• Persuade, Inform, Entertain

The author wants to give you information.

• Entertain

• Persuade

• Inform

the author wants to amuse you or for you to enjoy the writing

• Entertain

• Inform

• Persuade

the author wants you to do, buy, or believe something 

• persuade

• inform

• entertain