Author's Purpose, Tone, Audience and Point of View

Determining the Author's Purpose

Author's purpose refers to the primary reason a writer creates a specific text. While an author might weave different elements together, writing generally centers on an overarching objective. The four most common general purposes for writing are to persuade, inform, entertain, and explain. Additionally, an author writes to describe by portraying a person, place, object, or event, often relying on sensory details to bring the subject into focus for the reader.

An author writes primarily to inform when presenting facts and explanations rather than trying to persuade the reader. Informative texts frequently include dates, statistics, definitions, and historical accounts, and textbooks often inform or explain. In contrast, an author writes to explain or instruct by detailing how a mechanism functions or presenting steps to complete a task. While textbooks frequently explain concepts, everyday materials like instruction manuals and medical procedural guides usually provide instructions.

When an author writes to persuade, the goal is attempting to convince the reader to adopt a belief or take action. Persuasive texts may use opinions, evidence, emotional appeals, and calls to action to move the audience. In these passages, words such as 'should,' 'must,' 'ought to,' and 'best' can signal a persuasive purpose, depending on context. Conversely, an author writes to entertain by engaging the reader through storytelling, humor, suspense, or emotional drama. These entertaining works may use fictional elements, witty dialogue, or creative narratives, though entertaining writing can also be nonfiction.

While a passage may contain secondary purposes within individual paragraphs, standardized reading questions focus on the primary overall purpose. For instance, a persuasive piece might share a factual statistic to support an argument, but its ultimate aim remains persuasion. To identify an author's primary purpose, consider the text as a whole, including its introduction, main ideas, and conclusion.