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Learn about the three common purposes in writing - to inform, persuade, or entertain readers. Understand the different approaches used in each type of writing and explore examples to enhance your communication skills.
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Three Common Purposes for Writing • To inform • To persuade • To entertain
To Inform • A common purpose is to pass information along to the reader. • Informative reading materials are textbooks, encyclopedias, professional journals, and newspapers. • The organizational patterns used in informative writing are discussion, description, analysis, explanation, example, or definition.
To Persuade • When an author is trying to be persuasive, he or she will use information, ideas, and emotions to influence the readers. • Persuasive reading materials often provide only one side to an argument. • It can be judgmental or controversial.
To Entertain • Often authors narrate a story to entertain their readers. • The narrative can be fictional or non-fictional. • Some forms of reading materials that are meant to entertain are romance novels, inspirational books, memoirs, and mystery novels.
Source • Hancock, Ophelia. Reading Skills for College Students. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007.