Read. Supp.

13 Level3_Understanding Author's Purpose and Tone

Objective: can identify the purpose of the text / author.

Practice 1: Label the documents below. Which is ____?

1. an itinerary [Link] informal email 3. an invitation 4. a program of events

Practice 2: What is the purpose of each document?

a. _____________________________________ c. _____________________________________

b. _____________________________________ d. _____________________________________

Practice 3: Who is each document for?

a. _____________________________________ c. _____________________________________

b. _____________________________________ d. _____________________________________
Purpose and audience
Some passages explicitly state their purposes. Other passages leave it for the reader to infer the
purpose. Understanding the author's purpose helps the reader better understand the main idea of the
passage and follow the author's ideas as they progress. To understand the contents of a text better,
predict as much as you can before you start reading. As well as titles, pictures, and headings, think
about;
● layout, size, and style of the print.
● purpose, for example, to inform, to sell, to persuade, to warn, to criticize, to entertain, to compare
etc.
● audience (who it is written for), for example, a student, an expert, children, adults, parents, etc.
The choice of vocabulary, grammatical style, and punctuation of a text depends on its purpose and its
expected audience.
When you are writing, think about who is going to read your work and why you are writing. Then decide
what the overall style should be, for example literary, academic, formal, informal, etc.

Author’s Tone
The author’s tone is related to the author’s attitude toward the subject that he is writing about or how the
author feels about the subject.
● e.g. pessimistic, critical, neutral, optimistic, concerned, etc.

To understand the tone of the author:

● look at the word choice: compare fat and chubby
● look at the word placement: What words introduce or conclude the idea discussed?
● analyse the language the author uses: Is he making fun of something, giving facts without telling
his opinion, etc?
● analyse the emphasis: What points are emphasized? Are some words repeated?
● think about how you feel while reading: What emotions do you feel: angry? sad?, etc.

Adapted from Headway Academic 2 and Yıldız Technique University Author’s Purpose and Tone Booklet

Practice 4: Skim extracts a-f. What type of texts are they? Label them. Discuss their purpose and
audience with your partner.

1. poem 2. medical textbook 3. history textbook 4. novel 5. student essay 6. note

1. The chicken farm had been his idea, after Charles came back from the East with malaria.
Work in the open air, Rivers had advised. He was paying for it now. As he left the shelter of
a. ____
the hedge and set off across a two-acre field, a great gust of ‘open air’ almost lifted him off his
feet.
2. Some of the features of the typical (medieval) village were inherent in the essential needs
b ____ of agriculture and of social life, and may therefore appear too obvious to be worth specifying.
The most obvious characteristic of the village was its topography.
3. A thing of beauty is a joy for ever
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
c. ____ Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness: but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep . . .
4. Paul, can’t come to the lecture today - not feeling well.
Can you explain to the prof. and can I look at your notes.?!!
d. ____ Cheers,
Tom
5. Dysphagia: This term includes both difficulty with swallowing and pain on swallowing. The
e. ____ former symptom is more prominent in obstruction and the latter with inflammatory lesions.
The patient can sometimes point to the site of the obstruction.
6. In conclusion, it is clear that the arguments in favour of reducing carbon gases through the
f. ____ increased use of renewable sources are stronger than those supporting the increased
building of nuclear power stations.

Practice 5: Match the following words that are used for tone with their meanings.

1. neutral ____ a. ironic, making fun of something

2. cautionary____ b. not having positive or negative feelings about the subject, objective

3. sentimental____ c. worried

4. concerned ____ d. including or making severe or serious judgments

5. sarcastic____ e. supportive, showing agreement, encouraging, or approving

6. critical____ f. giving warning

7. positive ____ g. emotional

8. pessimistic____ h. being careful to avoid danger or risks

9. cautious____ i. hopeful

10. optimistic____ j. focusing on the bad part of a situation, expecting bad things to happen

Practice 6: Skim emails A and B. Which is formal? Which is informal? What are the clues that
helped you?

A. B.
Dear Nancy, Dear Dr Bryan,
Thanks for the invitation to your wedding. I have great pleasure in accepting your kind invitation to
Congratulations to you both! I’d love to the 3rd International Conference for Teachers of English
come. How exciting! !’ve already booked Language and Literature to be held in Istanbul from 5th to
flights - see attachment. 8th October. Please find attached my arrival and
It’d be great if you could send me the departure details as requested. It would be greatly
email address of the hotel you’re booking appreciated if you could send me the contact details
me into. I’m really looking forward to (email and telephone/fax) for the Istanbul City Hotel.
seeing you again. I look forward to meeting you and your colleagues in
Best wishes (and to Mark, too!), October.
Laura Yours sincerely,
Dr Laura Khuffash, Birzeit University

Practice 7: Read the texts below and circle the best answer.

1. A hurricane is an enormous storm that forms over the ocean. The centre of the hurricane is called the
eye, and it is the calmest part of the storm.

a. to persuade b. to inform c. to entertain

2. Don't get caught in the rain! Buy two umbrellas and get a third for free! You'll love our new colours and
patterns.

a. to persuade b. to warn c. to specify

3. Are weeds taking over your garden? Hire Green Thumb Gardeners to prepare your garden for spring.

a. to sell b. to warn c. to persuade

4. No one had seen the dragon in years. Yet the people of the town didn't dare to go near the mountain
where he was said to live.

a. to persuade b. to sell c. to entertain

5. The first step in setting up a lemonade stand is making the lemonade. You'll also need to create a sign
that shows the price for a cup. After that, you can set up a table and start your business!

a. to inform b. to specify c. to entertain

Practice 8: Read the following paragraphs and write the author’s purpose (persuade, inform,
entertain, criticize, warn, or compare) in each of them.

1. It was a glorious morning in Alabama. The sun was shining through the trees. Alan couldn't wait to find
his fishing pole and call his friend Sam to go fishing. They had a great time on these early morning fishing
trips. They took their dogs with them and the dogs swam in the lake while they were fishing. It was so funny
to watch those dogs paddle around the lake.

The author's purpose in this paragraph is to ____________________________

2. The Slim-O-Matic will help you lose pounds and inches from your body in a month. Thanks to this
amazing machine, you can exercise correctly as it provides a video to show you the proper way to exercise.
Pay $75.99 and begin exercising today.

The author's purpose in this paragraph is to ____________________________

3. The Underground Railroad was a secret organization which helped slaves escape to freedom. Many
slaves were able to escape using the conductors and station masters. The Northern states were free states
and slaves were free when they arrived in the North. Secret codes and signals were used to identify the
conductors and station masters.

The author's purpose in this paragraph is to ____________________________

4. I went to Zebra’s Diner yesterday. The seating arrangement inside the restaurant was really poor as
customers had to face the walls. I sat at the cleanest table I could find. Fifteen minutes after I sat down, a
teenage boy with long, dirty hair finally arrived to take my order. After another 35 minutes, my food arrived,
but it was cold and not as delicious as I had hoped. Visiting Zebra’s Diner was certainly an experience to
remember, but one that I never hope to repeat.

The author's purpose in this paragraph is to ____________________________

Practice 9: Identify the author’s purpose and tone in the passages below.

1. If you ask most Kazakhstanis if bride kidnapping still exists in Kazakhstan, they will say “No! Of course
not!” However, bride kidnapping is a huge problem, especially in the southern region of Kazakhstan. During
the time that Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union, it was almost eliminated. However, after the 1990’s,
it has increased by 70%! This is outrageous and unacceptable.
Author’s Purpose: _______________________
Author’s Tone/Attitude towards bride kidnapping: ______________________

2. A group of little boys try to escape from their country where there is a war, and they get on a plane.
However, the plane crashes on a deserted tropical island. The boys who survive the accident elect one of
them, Ralph, as their leader and try to start a fire to be rescued. The flames quickly spread to the forest. It
goes out of control, and the youngest boy in their group disappears.
Author’s Purpose: _______________________
Author’s Tone/Attitude: ________________________

3. Most people consider global warming a faraway and distant problem that may or may not affect us in the
future. However, it is already affecting humans in most parts of the world, and if we do not take actions now,
we may all be doomed in the future. Many people have had to evacuate and leave their homes behind
because of rising water levels. In addition, severe weather changes never seen before are affecting crop
yields and farming in many parts of the world. Global warming is not a “future” problem; it is a contemporary
issue that requires immediate action by the entire human population.
Author’s Purpose: _______________________
Author’s Tone/Attitude towards global warming: ________________________

4. Poverty has been rising in Turkey at an alarming rate. For many poor people there seems to be no
escape from poverty. They believe there is no hope that their condition will change. In addition, they have
social problems associated with poverty including low social status, violence, poor health and lack of
education. To reduce poverty, the government should take necessary steps before it is too late for millions.
Author’s Purpose: _______________________
Author’s Tone/Attitude towards poverty in Turkey: ________________________
Poor people’s attitude towards their own situation: ________________________

Practice 10. Read the texts and choose the best answer.

1. A tornado swept through this town three years ago. It damaged hundreds of houses and businesses. At
the hardware store one day after the storm, I met Leo Jackson, a retired carpenter, who was buying wood
to rebuild his house "sooner than the state will do it." He told me: "I don't like change, so I'm going to make
sure the next one can't do more than knock at my door." After this past storm swept through his town, I
drove by his new house to check on him. He was sitting on his porch waiting for the interview, and not one
window was broken.

The author quotes Leo Jackson in order to _____.

a) inform the readers about his plans for rebuilding his home
b) explain how the storm affected the community
c) compare his new attitude to his old one
d) illustrate one resident's determination

2. The Romantic Period in literature resulted from the reaction to 18th century rationalism in which writers
tried to order their experiences with the world. During the 18th century the emphasis was on logical
conclusions and reason as shown in the study of physics and mathematics and shown in the literature of
the time. The Romantics, on the other hand, turned away from these concepts due to the feelings and
immediate experiences. They turned their backs on the idea of people and showed them in all their
complexity, warmth, and diversity as individuals.

The first sentence of the paragraph indicates that the author's purpose is to _____.

a) describe the romantic period b) analyse literature of the romantic period

c) contrast the romantic period with the past d) define just what the romantic period involved

3. The word is terracide. It is not committed with guns and knives, but with bulldozers, noisy dump trucks,
and giant shovels like mythological beasts. Dynamite cuts and splits apart mountains to reach the minerals
inside, leaving nothing but empty, naked hills. The land is left wasted making the land unliveable and the
stream water undrinkable. This is terracide, or if you prefer, strip mining.

The author’s purpose is to _____.

a. inform you about the purposes of strip mining b. describe a strip mining operation
c. persuade you that strip mining is bad for the environment d. define terracide

4. The human sex chromosomes are of the XX-XY pattern. The Y chromosome is much smaller than the X
chromosome. Two types of sperm cells are formed during gametogenesis; half of these have the X
chromosome and the others have the Y chromosome. Every egg cell has an X chromosome; therefore,
fertilization determines the sex. If a Y sperm cell fertilizes the egg, a male develops.
The author’s purpose is to _____.
a. explain how the sex of humans is determined b. describe chromosomes
c. tell the steps in fertilization d. contrast X and Y chromosomes

5. To make a delicious New England pie, follow these steps: take some water and flour; then make hard
dough. Make this into a disk-shaped object. Dry it for a couple of days at a mild temperature. Pour on
stewed dried apples and pieces of citron; leave it in a safe place until it petrifies. Serve cold at breakfast.
The author’s purpose is to _____.

a. tell the steps in making a pie b. make fun of (satirize) New England cooking
c. persuade the reader to buy New England pie d. describe New England pie

READING TEXT

Let's Get Cracking!

Read the text and answer the questions below using your own words.

Like most living things, the crab has defences that discourage other animals from eating it. The crab's
tough shell protects it from attackers. Wild animals, though, have worked out ways to get inside the crab's
shell. For example, some animals cleverly wait for the time every year when the crab sheds its old hard
shell and grows a new soft one. Other animals, like sea otters, simply smash the crab against a rock and
gobble down the meat.

Humans have also come up with ways to eat crab. Although we, too, have to work to get the meat, its
sweet taste makes the effort worthwhile. Along with the great taste, crabs are a good source of nutrition. A
crab is high in protein and has only about eighty-five calories. Mastering the art of crab eating is messy but
fun.

First, choose a good place to eat. You could choose to eat crabs in a fancy restaurant or dining room, but a
picnic table is probably a better spot for such messy food. Be sure to cover the table and the ground with
newspaper.

Next, gather all of your crab-eating supplies. You will definitely need plenty of napkins or paper towels. You
will also need tools. Without the right tools, you will have a hard time getting out the meat. A nutcracker or
mallet, like a hammer, works well to crack the tough shell. A small knife helps slice through the claws. To
poke the meat out of the shell, you will need a small fork or pick. If you are eating crabs steamed in spices,
have ice water-lots of it-standing by to cool your mouth. Finally, once you have everything set, get cracking.

When you finish eating the first one, you will be sitting in front of a messy newspaper with a great pile of
used napkins to one side. You will probably have bits of crab shell in your hair, too. Take a big gulp of water,
and then reach for another crab. By the end of the meal, you will have gained a great talent.

1. Write a statement of purpose for the text. Make sure your statement has enough details to tell what the
text is about.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. List several important details from the text to support your statement of purpose.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Do all the details in Question 2 support your statement of purpose? If not, revise your statement or write
a new statement.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Which details give the most important clue to the author's purpose? Explain your answer.

_____________________________________________________________________________________