Author's Purpose
The author’s purpose is the main reason the writer created the text. |
Most purposes fall into three major categories: |
Persuade — The author wants the reader to believe or do something. Clues: opinions, arguments, claims, emotional appeals, strong language. |
Inform — The author wants to teach or explain something. Clues: facts, statistics, definitions, step-by-step explanations, neutral tone. |
Entertain — The author wants to tell a story or create an experience. Clues: characters, conflict, plot, descriptive language, humor, suspense. |
Additional purposes you may see: describe, explain, express feelings, instruct. |
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Quoting (How to use quotes correctly)
Quoting means using the author’s exact words to support your ideas. |
Use quotation marks around the exact words: “The sky darkened suddenly.” |
Introduce the quote so it doesn’t appear randomly: The narrator describes the moment as “terrifying and unforgettable.” |
Blend the quote smoothly into your sentence: The author reveals the theme by stating that “courage is born from fear.” |
Explain the quote afterward (never let a quote stand alone). This shows how the quote supports your point. |
Use ellipses (…) to remove unnecessary parts, and brackets [ ] to clarify or adjust grammar. |
Citing Evidence
Citing evidence means proving your answer using information from the text. |
Use direct quotes or paraphrased details from the text. |
Always connect the evidence to your claim (explain how it proves your point). |
Use sentence starters to introduce evidence: |
“According to the text…” |
“The author states…” |
“For example…” |
“In paragraph __, it says…” |
Strong evidence is specific, relevant, and clearly supports your answer |
Weak evidence is vague, unrelated, or doesn’t actually prove anything. |
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Identifying Genre Elements
Each genre has signature features. Recognizing them helps you identify the type of text and analyze it correctly. |
Fiction — characters, setting, plot, conflict, theme, dialogue. |
Fantasy — magic, mythical creatures, invented worlds, quests. |
Science Fiction — futuristic tech, space, advanced science, alternate realities. |
Mystery — clues, suspects, red herrings, detective figure, solution. |
Drama — script format, stage directions, acts/scenes, dialogue only. |
Poetry — line breaks, stanzas, rhythm, figurative language, imagery. |
Nonfiction — real facts, headings, charts, objective tone. |
Biography/Autobiography — real person’s life story, chronological events. |
Argumentative — claims, evidence, counterclaims, reasoning. |
Informational — explanations, definitions, examples, factual details. |
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