Understanding Author’s Purpose & Tone
As a paraprofessional, you’ll need to help students understand why authors write texts and the attitudes they express. This skill is crucial for comprehension and critical thinking.
What is Author’s Purpose?
Author’s purpose refers to the reason why an author writes a particular piece of text. The main purposes can be remembered using the acronym PIE or PIEE:
- Persuade: To convince readers of a particular viewpoint
- Inform: To provide information or facts
- Entertain: To amuse or engage readers
- Explain: To clarify a process or concept
What is Author’s Tone?
Author’s tone refers to the attitude or emotional state that the author conveys through their writing. Tone is expressed through word choice, sentence structure, and literary devices.
Identifying Author’s Purpose
To Persuade
Key Features:
- Presents arguments and evidence
- Uses emotional appeals
- Addresses opposing viewpoints
- Includes calls to action
- Often uses second-person (“you”)
Examples:
- Editorials and opinion pieces
- Political speeches
- Advertisements
- Campaign literature
To Inform
Key Features:
- Presents factual information
- Organized structure
- Objective language
- Statistical data and cited sources
- Minimal personal opinions
Examples:
- News articles
- Textbooks
- Encyclopedia entries
- Research papers
- Biographies
To Entertain
Key Features:
- Engaging narrative
- Creative language
- Character development
- Descriptive details
- May use humor or drama
Examples:
- Novels and short stories
- Poetry
- Comic strips
- Personal anecdotes
- Some blog posts
To Explain
Key Features:
- Step-by-step instructions
- Clear definitions
- Visual aids
- Cause and effect relationships
- Examples and illustrations
Examples:
- How-to guides
- Tutorials
- Manuals
- Process explanations
- Science articles
Multiple Purposes
Authors often write with more than one purpose. For example, a health article might primarily inform readers about nutrition while also persuading them to eat healthier foods.
Understanding Author’s Tone
Authors establish tone through:
- Word choice (diction): Formal vs. informal, positive vs. negative
- Sentence structure: Short and direct vs. long and complex
- Literary devices: Metaphors, similes, hyperbole, etc.
- Punctuation: Exclamation points, question marks, ellipses
- Level of detail: What the author chooses to emphasize
Common Tone Categories
Positive Tones
- Optimistic
- Inspirational
- Enthusiastic
- Humorous
- Hopeful
- Joyful
Negative Tones
- Pessimistic
- Critical
- Angry
- Melancholy
- Sarcastic
- Bitter
Serious Tones
- Formal
- Objective
- Scholarly
- Solemn
- Contemplative
- Urgent
Light Tones
- Casual
- Playful
- Whimsical
- Conversational
- Ironic
- Satirical
Connecting Purpose and Tone
| Purpose | Common Tones |
|---|---|
| To Persuade | Passionate, urgent, concerned, authoritative, critical |
| To Inform | Objective, factual, detached, analytical, instructive |
| To Entertain | Humorous, whimsical, dramatic, nostalgic, sarcastic |
| To Explain | Helpful, instructive, encouraging, informative, precise |
Examples and Analysis
Example 1: Editorial
“It’s time for our city council to wake up and address the growing traffic crisis. Every day, thousands of commuters waste hours of their lives stuck in gridlock while our elected officials debate irrelevant issues. We need immediate action – more public transportation, better road infrastructure, and incentives for carpooling. If you care about your quality of life in this city, contact your council member today!”
- Purpose: To persuade (urging readers to contact council members and advocate for traffic solutions)
- Tone: Urgent, critical, passionate
- Evidence:
- Strong language: “wake up,” “crisis,” “waste hours”
- Call to action: “contact your council member today”
- Direct address to reader: “If you care about…”
Example 2: Scientific Article
“The human brain processes approximately 11 million bits of information every second, but only about 50 bits reach conscious awareness. This filtering mechanism, primarily managed by the reticular activating system (RAS), allows humans to focus on essential information without becoming overwhelmed by sensory input. Recent studies using functional MRI technology have identified specific neural pathways involved in this process.”
- Purpose: To inform (providing facts about brain function)
- Tone: Objective, scholarly, factual
- Evidence:
- Precise data: “11 million bits,” “50 bits”
- Technical terminology: “reticular activating system,” “functional MRI”
- No emotional language or personal opinions
How to Determine Purpose and Tone
Steps to Identify Author’s Purpose
- Consider the genre and format – Is it a news article, poem, advertisement, or instruction manual?
- Look for key indicators – Facts vs. opinions, calls to action, storytelling elements
- Examine the structure – How is the information organized?
- Identify the main message – What is the author’s primary goal?
- Consider the audience – Who was the text written for?
Steps to Identify Author’s Tone
- Analyze word choice – Look for emotionally charged words, formal vs. informal language
- Notice sentence structure – Short and direct vs. flowing and descriptive
- Identify figurative language – Metaphors, similes, hyperbole often reveal tone
- Consider the author’s attitude toward the subject – Positive, negative, or neutral?
- Pay attention to punctuation – Exclamation points, question marks, etc.
Practice Questions
“The new tax proposal would be devastating for small business owners. While large corporations might benefit from the loopholes, family-owned shops will struggle to survive. Our community cannot afford to lose the backbone of our local economy. Call your representative today and tell them to vote NO on Bill 507.”
1. What is the primary purpose of this passage?
2. Which best describes the tone of this passage?
“The migration patterns of monarch butterflies represent one of nature’s most remarkable phenomena. Each autumn, millions of monarchs travel up to 3,000 miles from the United States and Canada to overwintering sites in central Mexico. Scientists have determined that the butterflies use a combination of directional aids, including the position of the sun and the Earth’s magnetic field, to navigate this journey.”
3. What is the author’s primary purpose in writing this passage?
4. What is the tone of this passage?
Key Takeaways
- Author’s purpose is the reason why an author writes a text (persuade, inform, entertain, explain).
- Author’s tone is the attitude or emotion conveyed through the writing.
- Purpose and tone are revealed through word choice, sentence structure, organization, and literary devices.
- Many texts have multiple purposes and may exhibit different tones in different sections.
- Identifying purpose and tone helps readers better comprehend and critically analyze texts.