Identify author's purpose to persuade

Today we will learn how to identify author's purpose to persuade. Reading and writing help us share our ideas with others.

Author's purpose is why an author writes a text—their reason or goal. The three main purposes (PIE): Persuade (convince the reader to think, feel, or do something—often found in editorials, advertisements, opinion pieces), Inform (teach or share factual information—found in textbooks, news articles, how-to guides), Entertain (engage the reader through story, humor, or emotional experience—found in fiction, poetry, personal essays). To identify purpose: look at the content and tone; persuasive texts take a side and use emotional language; informative texts are objective and factual; entertaining texts focus on narrative and emotional engagement. Authors may have multiple purposes simultaneously. Recognizing purpose helps you evaluate whether information is objective or biased.

Let's break this down step by step so it's easy to understand. Follow along with the examples, and don't worry if it takes some practice to get the hang of it!

Remember: Making mistakes is part of learning. If something is tricky, try again, look at the examples, or ask for help.