TEAS Ready✍️ Reading · Craft and Structure · Lesson 3 of 5 · 4 min
Author's purpose: why did the writer write this?
🎯 Every text exists for a reason. Spot the reason and you can predict what the writer will say next and what they want from you.
💡 Key idea
Ask what the writer wants the reader to do: believe or act (persuade), know (inform), understand how (explain), or enjoy (entertain).
🧠 The idea
The AUTHOR'S PURPOSE is the main reason a text was written. Four purposes cover most texts. To PERSUADE is to convince the reader to believe or do something (ads, editorials, campaign flyers): look for opinions, calls to action and words like should. To INFORM is to present facts neutrally (news reports, textbooks, labels). To EXPLAIN is to show how or why something works or how to do it (directions, how-to guides, process descriptions). To ENTERTAIN is to amuse or move the reader (stories, humor, personal anecdotes). A text can do more than one thing, so ask which purpose is PRIMARY. Questions may also ask why an author included one detail, such as a statistic (to support a claim) or a story (to grab attention or make a point personal).
✏️ Worked example
A flyer reads: "Our county's hospitals use about 40 units of blood every day. A single donation can help more than one patient. Give at the library this Saturday; it takes under an hour." The numbers are facts, but they are chosen to move you, and the last sentence is a call to action. So the primary purpose is to persuade readers to donate. "Inform about blood types" is wrong: blood types are never discussed. "Entertain" is wrong: there is no story or humor.
📌 Takeaways
- Persuade, inform, explain, entertain.
- A call to action points to persuade.
- Pick the PRIMARY purpose, not every purpose.
📖 Terms in this lesson
Author's purpose: The reason an author writes: usually to inform, persuade, entertain or explain; for example, a flu-shot flyer urging people to get vaccinated aims to persuade.
✅ Check yourself
Question 1 of 3
A pamphlet lists, step by step, how to set up and clean a home nebulizer. What is its primary purpose?
- To explain how to use and care for a device
- To compare different breathing treatments
- To entertain readers with a patient's story
- To persuade readers to buy a newer nebulizer model
Show the answer and rationale
Answer: A
Step-by-step instructions show readers how to do something, which is explaining. The pamphlet does not urge a purchase, tell a story or weigh treatments against each other.
Question 2 of 3
An editorial argues that the city should add more crosswalks near schools. Why does the author most likely include the number of crashes near schools last year?
- To support the argument with evidence
- To entertain readers with a surprising fact
- To show that the author is undecided
- To explain how crosswalks are built
Show the answer and rationale
Answer: A
In a persuasive piece, a statistic is usually chosen to back up the claim. It is not there for amusement, it does not show doubt, and the editorial is about where crosswalks are needed, not how they are built.
Question 3 of 3
Which text is most likely written mainly to ENTERTAIN?
- A funny story about a dog that steals socks
- A hospital's visiting-hours policy
- A letter urging neighbors to recycle more
- A newspaper report on a town budget vote
Show the answer and rationale
Answer: A
A humorous story exists mainly to amuse, so its purpose is to entertain. A policy and a news report inform, and a letter urging neighbors to act is persuasive.
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