Author's Purpose for Writing - Worksheet for Elementary Grades - Includes Answer Key

An author writes for three main purposes or reasons. A book or article may contain more than one purpose at times. When an author writes to inform, he/she is basically giving the reader information such as dates, events, places and times. When an author writes to persuade, he/she is trying to convince the reader that his/her point of view is correct. They give reasons why they think that something may be better when comparing two things. When an author writes to entertain, he/she tries to make the reader laugh or to amuse them in some way.

Read each paragraph and decide whether the author's purpose is to inform, persuade, or entertain. (Only one answer is correct)

1. John Pauling's birthday is on March 12^th. He was a great and well known man in his town. He was remembered for helping his community right up until he passed away. ________________

2. The Oreck Bread Machine will allow you to make pizza dough in just over an hour. All you do is put the ingredients in and the machine does all the work. You just hit start and that's it. Be sure to get yours today.

__________________

3. I had the best time last night at the party. I laughed all night with my friends. One friend of mine named James, told us some funny stories. One story was about when his tongue got stuck in the freezer. I laughed so hard that I fell to the floor.

4. The class had a great time making a craft for Mother's Day. They used construction paper, bows and tape and made lovely presents for their mothers. Some students wrote funny things in their cards. _____________

5. Jane and John were throwing paper airplanes in the classroom when the teacher stepped out for just a moment. They threw one towards the door just as the teacher came back and it hit her right in the face. She was not happy but the kids had a good laugh. _________________

6. You have to see this movie called Fireproof! It's about a firefighter who rescues his own family from a hotel fire while on vacation. It's the best movie I've ever seen. Try to see it as soon as possible. _______________

Answers:

1. inform

2. persuade

3. entertain

4. inform

5. entertain