Author’s Purpose, Perspective, & Audience Written Communications

To Inform To tell or give facts and information about a topic. Examples: Encyclopedias, documents, instruction manuals, magazine articles, websites Clues: Facts and statistics, directions, steps in a process, diagrams, illustrated example

To Persuade meant to make the reader believe a certain opinion or behave a certain way Examples: Editorials, TV ads, political speeches   Clues: Statements of opinion, supporting evidence, appeals to emotion, call to action

To Entertain writing meant to be fun to read; often creative; makes reader feel emotions, but is not persuasive Examples: Short stories, novels, plays, movies, humorous essays Clues: Suspenseful or exciting situations, intriguing characters, humorous or interesting details

To Express this writing is not meant to persuade, but does relate the author’s opinion; you may learn new info, but the focus is on the author’s observations Examples: Personal essays, poems, diaries, journals Clues: Thoughtful descriptions, insightful observations, writer’s personal feelings

Author’s Perspective the way an author looks at a topic; based on writer’s experiences, values, and feelings about topic Clues: Ask the questions: what details/information is the focus of the writing? What’s the tone and word choice?

Tone & Word Choice 3. authors attitude towards subject/topic 4. the specific words the author chooses: descriptive? factual? appeal to emotions? etc.

Audience the group of readers the writer is addressing Your writing must always be geared towards your specific audience

Bucket List Essay Purpose: To inform, entertain, and express Informing the reader about the experiences on your list Entertaining the reader with vivid descriptions, sensory detail, and vibrant word choice (make the experience come alive) Express your desires and the reason(s) behind them Audience: your peers and teacher