MASTERY LIST - RI6. Determining Author Purpose

This list requires knowing the class’s WHO+WHAT formula, so the “RL2./RI2. Determining the Central Idea” is a prerequisite to understand this easily. It also helps to look up “infinitive.”

Important (Yet Obvious) Fact:  Everything that had ever been written was written by somebody to do something.  We will call this the author purpose.

Author Purpose – What the writer wanted to accomplish by writing.   This is important to understand if you are a writer, but also if you are reading (you can understand it better if you know what they are trying to do).

Writing does many things and serves different purposes. The purposes we talk about most:

1. To inform a reader about facts about something out in the world.

2. To persuade a reader to think or do something.

3. To tell a reader a story about something to entertain them.

4. To teach a reader to do a specific task.

5. To express to a reader a feeling.

There is another important purpose that is not our focus in school:

6. To start or maintain a personal relationship.

7. Formula:  To answer the question, “What is the author’s purpose?” when reading, or “What is my purpose?” when writing, use the following formula: IN THE [TEXT TYPE], “[TITLE],” THE AUTHOR’S PURPOSE IS [PURPOSE INFINITIVE] + [WHO+WHAT].

8. The most common text types in school are story, article, essay, n, and text.

9. A purpose infinitive is a the basic verb that shows the things that they’re trying to do.

10. to inform a reader about . . .

11. to persuade a reader to . . .                 +         [the WHO+WHAT of the writing]

12. to tell the reader a story about . . .

13. to teach a reader to . . .

Examples:

You read an article in The New York Times called “Growing Up Digital, Wired For Distraction.”  Asked what the author’s purpose is, you would say . . .

“In the article ‘Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction,’ the author’s purpose is to inform the reader about how new technology makes it hard for teens to focus.”

You read a student essay about allowing kids to chew gum in class.  Asked what the author’s purpose is, you would say . . .

“In the essay ‘Got Any Gum?’ the author’s purpose is to persuade the reader to allow students to chew gum in class.”

You read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

The purpose is “to entertain the reader with a story about a boy who trains to become a wizard.”

You read a set of directions that come with a new DVD player.  The purpose is “to teach the reader to operate the new DVD player.”