Under each of these two broad purposes, they identify a host of more specific purposes. They suggest that most texts written in college or in the workplace often fill one of two broader purposes: to be informative or to be persuasive.

In the textbook Writing Today, Johnson-Sheehan and Paine discuss purpose more specifically in terms of the author of a text. Authors and audiences tend to bring their own purposes (and often multiple purposes each) to a rhetorical situation, and these purposes may conflict or complement each other depending on the efforts of both authors and audiences. Rhetorical situations rarely have only one purpose. It is the varied purposes of a rhetorical situation that determine how an author communicates a text and how audiences receive a text. The importance of purpose in rhetorical situations cannot be overstated. This presentation is suitable for the beginning of a composition course or the assignment of a writing project in any class.Īuthors and audiences both have a wide range of purposes for communicating.

This presentation is designed to introduce your students to a variety of factors that contribute to strong, well-organized writing. Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students.

Authors purpose inform definition