Persuade, Inform, or Entertain?

Authors write for three big reasons: to persuade, to inform, or to entertain.

Every text has a purpose, the reason the author wrote it. The three big purposes are to persuade, to inform, and to entertain. A persuasive text tries to convince you to think or do something, like an ad or an opinion letter. An informative text teaches facts, like a science article or a how-to guide. An entertaining text is meant to be enjoyed, like a funny story, an adventure, or a poem.

Compare three texts about dogs. 'Adopt a shelter dog today. You'll save a life! ' persuades. 'Dogs have about 300 million scent receptors in their noses' informs. 'Biscuit the dog was sure the vacuum cleaner was a monster, so he planned a sneak attack' entertains. Same topic, three different purposes. Identifying the purpose helps you read with the right mindset.

• 1Persuade means trying to convince.
• 2Inform means teaching facts.
• 3Entertain means giving enjoyment.