Did you read the news today? If you did, you likely read with a purpose — to find out about events that affect your life and the world around you, to see sports scores, or to consider different opinions on issues. The people who wrote the articles had a purpose, too. An author’s purpose refers to a writer’s reason for writing.

In this lesson, you will learn that writers often write to narrate, to describe, to inform, or to persuade. You will learn to recognize an author’s purpose and to analyze the devices a writer uses to advance that purpose.