GRADE VI

DETERMINING THE PURPOSE OF THE AUTHOR

GETTING STARTED

An author is one who makes or creates something especially a literary work. An author is a
writer of a book, a selection, or a story. All authors want that their readers would be satisfied
after reading their work. However, authors would also want to convey to their readers their
intention for writing a particular artwork. Readers must also want writing that reveals whats
going on through the writers heart and mind. This is what this module all about.

In this module, you will learn more on how to determine the purpose of the author in writing a
selection.

Review Time

Read the following paragraphs. Determine the purpose of the author in writing each paragraph
whether to entertain to inform, or to persuade.

1. Youll never get me up in one of those things; said Mandy, eying the huge hot-
air balloon. Then she took another picture.

2. How to make pork curry: heat oil and saut pork with garlic, onion, pork broth
cube and curry. Add eggplant and red pepper. Pour evaporated milk and season
chili sauce.

3. Unfortunately, many species of bats are endangered or already extinct. It is vital

that we join forces to protect the bats that remain. Bats feed on harmful insect
pests. They are also responsible for up to 95% of the residing of the tropical rain
forests. Without those forests our delicate balance of oxygen and moisture could
be destroyed.

4. Our day a hungry fox runt searching for food. Soon he saw some ripe grape at
the top of a vine that grew up along a high wall.

5. Water from this river will overflow if there are no trees to stop it. And if this
will happen. Our plants and animals will die and people will be very much
affected. Lets do tru-planting activities. Let us all unite our efforts so that we
will all survive in this world

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 Study Time

A. Read and Think

What does the author want you to achieve in reading?

Knowing an authors purpose can help you choose a purpose for reading.

Authors write for different purposes or reasons. Some purposes may be to

inform, to entertain or to persuade.

Example:

Why do you think a writer would write a story about adventures on a

space lab?

Choose the letter of the correct answer and write it in your notebook.

A. for readers to enjoy (to entertain them)

B. to teach readers something (to inform them)
C. to get readers to do something (to persuade them)

Did you choose the first answer above?

Adventure stories are most often written for readers to enjoy. Therefore, the
writers purpose is to entertain the readers.

Now suppose you read in a newspaper article that a century-old tree is going to be
cut down to give way to a road widening project.

Is the writers purpose to entertain, to inform, or to persuade?

Write your answer in your notebook.

Did you write to inform?

If you wrote to inform, then you got it right.
Suppose that next week you read a letter to the editor of the newspaper saying that
the century-old tree should not be cut down because it is part of the towns
history.

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 Is it the writers purpose to entertain, to inform, or to persuade? Write your
answer in your notebook.

Did you write to persuade? Very good then.

Now you understand these purposes for writing: to inform, to entertain, and to
persuade.

You may do the exercises as instructed.

B. Read each paragraph. Think about the authors purpose in writing them. Write E if the
purpose is to entertain, I if to inform, P if to persuade.

1. The earth is made up of three layers:

the crust, the mantle and the core.
The outer layer, called the crust, is
between 16 and 40 kilometers thick.
It floats on a thicker layer known as
the mantle, which is 2,895 kilometers thick.
The core, which is 3,475 kilometers thick,
is surrounded by the mantle.
The innermost part is solid (the inner core)
while the outer part is liquid (the outer
core).
2. An old man suffering from a nagging
back ache went to see his doctor.
The doctor wrote the prescription and
told the man to apply it on his back.
After a week, he came back still
complaining about the pain. The doctor
asked him if he followed the directions.
The man turned and on his back was
the prescription firmly posted.

3. At no time in history have

humans produced so much waste.
Ours is a throw-away society.
No matter which area is examined,
it is found that for health, safety,
advertising, or other reasons, we
produce more waste. We have to
implement ways to make use of
peoples waste to prevent further
damage to humanity.

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 4. The year is 2020. Global warfare
is raging. Not one country against
another. This is all-out war-humans
against computers. Back in 2018
what seems ages ago the Athan
Computer Group perfected a
revolutionary new chip that enabled
computers to learn. And learn
they did at a rate incomprehensible
to humans.

5. Residents of a small village in

Nueva Vizcaya can now look forward
to a continuous supply of clean and
safe water with the completion of a
water system project. The new
water system in Barangay Bangaan
here, which was funded by the
Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day
Saints, was formally inaugurated last week.

Check and rate yourself using the Key to Corrections and the Rating Scale found at the
end of the module.

You are now ready to learn more about our lesson.

Please proceed.

Practice Time

A. STARTER

Read each paragraph. Think about the authors purpose. Write E if the purpose is to
entertain, I if to inform, P if to persuade.

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 1. This paragraph is from a newspaper article on global warming.

The word global refers to the land,

sea and atmosphere of the planet
earth. Global warming is the result
of the suns radiation being
absorbed by gases in the
atmosphere. These gases are known
as greenhouse gases. Changes in the
temperature of the atmosphere
affect the movement of the air around the globe. This, in
turn, causes the weather patterns around the globe to
change. If the global warming is too great, it will severely
change the worlds weather systems which will in turn have
a disastrous effect on life on earth.

2. This paragraph is from a school newspaper.

Some pupils throw pieces of paper

and candy wrappers on the school yard.
Are you one of these pupils? Lets have
pride in our school and keep the yard
clean. It only takes a little effort.

3. This paragraph is a legend from Northern India:

Brahmagupta was the head

astronomer. He sat with his students
in the shade of a banyan tree. He
was giving a lesson on positive and
negative numbers. This was an important field of mathematics, which he
has just discovered. He explained, If I make a profit, then Im richer than
before. Thats positive. If Im in debt, then Im poor. Thats negative. If
I increase my profits, thats positive positive. If I decrease my profits
thats negative positive.

4. This paragraph is an article about camels.

Camels feet are soft pads, not

the sharp hooves of animals like cattle
or sheep. Camels do not eat grass
much (grasses hold the soil together)
but prefer to nibble at trees and shrubs.
But they do seem to eat all of a

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 particular plant that they take a great liking to, so maybe they have
affected the type of plants which grow in the dry parts of Australia. They
may have even wiped out some kind of plants.

5. This paragraph is from a message.

Do you sometimes wonder why you English

need to learn English when you can
communicate with others in Filipino? Filipino
This is because you are a growing
individual and you live in a fast-changing
world. As you grow in this kind of world
your communication also needs to grow.
That is why it is better to invest now by
learning the universal language. English through reading,
speaking, listening and writing.

You are now ready to go to the next part of the module.

B. REINFORCER

Read each paragraph carefully. Write the purpose of the author in writing the selections
in your notebook: to inform, to entertain or to persuade.

1. Are you one of the culprits who make our world a messy
place? Would you believe if I told you that some even have
gone to the extent of littering our galaxy! Can you believe
that? Amazing! But sadly, it is true, Who? How? The
culprits are the scientists who send satellites and spaceships to
survey other planets. The junk of their failed experiments litter
our galaxy. But thats going too far. Lets just see what is
happening on earth.

2. Animals that live entirely in water are called fish. They have
bodies that are covered with scales. They easily move through
the water by means of their fins and tails. Some of their fins
act as keels and some are used for keeping their balance and
steering. A fish breathes by means of gills, taking in the water
by opening its mouth, absorbing the oxygen into its blood, and
then passing the air out through the gill openings. There are
over twenty four thousand different kinds of fish in the world.

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 3. Once there was an argument among all the beasts as to which
of them could produce the largest number of youngsters at
birth. They went to the lioness and asked her to settle the
dispute.

And how many do you have at birth? they asked.One,

she said defiantly, but that one is a lion!(No matter how
much you have, never argue with quality.)

4. Laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated

emission of radiation. Laser light is so concentrated and pure
that it is so intense, but not because of the energy input. While
a pulse from a ruby rod laser can produce a hole through a
thick steel plate, that same pulse cannot boil an egg. It does
not have enough energy.

5. Our preschoolers will go through many firsts. Interacting with

people in school, learning, drawing and memorizing. Times
like these demand a lot from them. And you may not be
always there to guide them. Prepare her now with Sustagen
Junior with Mind Pro made specially for toddlers. You are
now going to find out how much you have learned about our
lesson.

Key Points

To be able to understand fully an article or a paragraph, it is important for the

reader to know that the purpose oof the author may be:
To inform to give factual information
To entertain to give laughter or relief
To persuade to encourage the reader

Test Yourself

A. Read each paragraph carefully. Write the purpose of the author. Write the answer in
your notebook.

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 1. There are two schools of thought on homework. One says that
homework is of great value because it provides revision of
what has been done in class that day. The other groups states
that homework is of little value. Children with learning
difficulties have problems so all homework does is reinforce
the failures these children already experience everyday.

2. Kites come in many shapes and sizes. They can be constructed

from a large variety of materials, from the simplest, such as
paper or cloth, to the most advanced, such as carbon fibre and
tear-proof sailsheet.

3. Bad land management practices, such as ploughing and

clearing steel slopes, using too much irrigation help to remove
vegetation and leave the soil open to the effects of wind and
rain. At present we remove 12 million hectares of forest every
year. At this rate, we will lose 18 percent of the farmable land
on earth on a yearly basis. Isnt it about time we do something
to prevent this?

4. A thesaurus is a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms. It is a

special dictionary that gives a listing of words with words that
are similar and opposite in meaning. This book is important to
everyone who wishes to communicate his ideas precisely and
vividly by using different words.

5. Once upon a time, on a moonlit night, three young men were

walking along a solitary country road. They came to a place
where the road branched into three. There, a helpless old man
lay groaning as if in mortal pain. At the sight of the travelers,
he tried to raise his head, but in vain. The three companions
ran to him, helped him up and fed him a part of the rice they
had with them.

B. Read the topic and the authors purpose. Develop a four to five sentence paragraph
following the concept of each purpose required. Write them in your notebook. Have an
elder in the family or a friend check your work.

1. Topic: The services offered by your barangay in promoting the health and
safety of the people.
Purpose: To Inform.

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 2. Topic: A funny incident that happened in your life.
Purpose: To Entertain.

3. Topic: A native delicacy in your place and its special characteristics.

Purpose: To Persuade.

You have successfully completed this module.

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 Key to Corrections

STUDY TIME

1 I Rating Scale
2 E
3 P
5 Outstanding
4 E
5 I 4 Very Satisfactory
3 Satisfactory
STARTER 2 Fairly Satisfactory
1 Fair
1. I 0 Needs Improvement
2. P
3. E
4. I
5. P

REINFORCER

1. to persuade
2. to inform
3. to entertain
4. to inform
5. to persuade

TEST YOURSELF

1. to persuade
2. to inform
3. to persuade
4. to inform
5. to entertain

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