An author’s purpose is their <u>reason for or intent in writing,</u>purpose may be to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader, or to satirize a condition.
Four general purposes in mind:
Relate a story or to recount events, an author uses <u>narrative writing</u>.
Tell what something looks like, sounds like, or feels like, the author uses <u>descriptive writing.</u>
Convince a reader to believe an idea or to take a course of action, the author uses <u>persuasive writing.</u>
Inform or teach the reader, the author uses <u>expository writing</u>.
To understand an author’s purpose look at what is reflected in the way they write about a topic. If the purpose is to amuse, he will use jokes or anecdotes in his writing. Clues to an author’s purpose may be found in titles, prefaces, and the author’s background, also.