Purpose: Audience Are you writing or is the reading...? Is your audience or the author’s audience...? To Inform (Expository) General Reason: Curious & Interested Expository writing shows or explains facts. Knowledge: A minimal level of Examples: Awareness Expectations: Formal and a lot of Details Biography of Barack Obama College Instructor News report about a shooting Reason: Professional responsibility Knowledge: Well informed To Persuade (Persuasive) Expectations: Formal, Serious, Usually makes an argument. Thoughtful, Enough Research for Sound logic Examples: Work Political speeches Reason: Reliance on job performance Knowledge: Informed about business Advertisements Expectations: Reliability, Ethical, and Entertain (Narrative or Poetry) Technical as needed A may have a lesson, but the author’s Friend main purpose is to entertain. Reason: Personal interest Examples of Writing to Entertain Knowledge: minimal knowledge on topic Harry Potter books Expectations: Informal and lots of Poems about love Details
Purpose: Are you writing or is the reading...? To Inform (Expository) Expository writing shows or explains facts. Examples: Biography of Barack Obama News report about a shooting To Persuade (Persuasive) Usually makes an argument. Examples: Political speeches Advertisements Entertain (Narrative or Poetry) A may have a lesson, but the author’s main purpose is to entertain. Examples of Writing to Entertain Harry Potter books Poems about love Audience Is your audience or the author’s audience...? General Reason: Curious & Interested Knowledge: A minimal level of Awareness Expectations: Formal and a lot of Details College Instructor Reason: Professional responsibility Knowledge: Well informed Expectations: Formal, Serious, Thoughtful, Enough Research for Sound logic Work Reason: Reliance on job performance Knowledge: Informed about business Expectations: Reliability, Ethical, and Technical as needed Friend Reason: Personal interest Knowledge: minimal knowledge on topic Expectations: Informal and lots of Details
audience_and_purpose_checklist.docx