Author’s Purpose Authors write for many reasons… Cohen 1/11/11

To entertain… Entertain means to amuse or excite someone through writing. fictional stories comics poems jokes riddles Cohen 1/11/11

To inform… Inform means to give someone information about something. news reports, research papers encyclopedias, maps school newsletters, instructions timelines, schedules charts, graphs Cohen 1/11/11

To influence/persuade… Persuade means to try to convince someone to think the same way you do. ads / junk mail newspaper editorials political speeches posters Cohen 1/11/11

To express an opinion or emotion… Express your opinion means to tell the reader what you are thinking. journals diaries letters letters to the editor Cohen 1/11/11

Practice 1.Number your paper I will describe a piece of writing. 3.You will write the author’s purpose: to inform, persuade, entertain, or express.

1. The story of a teenage boy learning to understand and live with his father, who is an alcoholic Vietnam war veteran.

2. A list of the 25 richest athletes in the world.

3. An article arguing why Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever.

4. An “X-men” comic book.

5. A 1920 diary from your great- grandmother written during her college days.

6. A “National Geographic” article about the eating and breeding habits of the endangered bald eagle.

7. A website saying that a new shopping mall should not be built because it threatens an endangered bald eagle’s home. The website urges readers to sign a petition.

8. A poem about bald eagles.

9. A magazine ad telling you to buy Nike Hyperdunk shoes because you’ll jump higher.

10. A sign saying, “Rest Stop Five Miles Ahead.”

1.Entertain (story) 2.Inform (list) 3.Persuade (arguing) 4.Entertain (comic) 5.Express (diary) 6.Inform (non-fiction) 7.Persuade (should not be built) 8.Entertain (poem) 9.Persuade (buy this) 10.Inform (road sign)