1. Author’s Purpose, Perspective, & Audience
Written Communications

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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?

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

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

9. 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