Watch: Purpose for writing
There are lots of different purposes for writing - entertainment, expression, description, explanation, evaluation and information are just some of them.
When you are writing, don't forget the purpose or who the audience will be.
Hey Frank!
Oh, okay.
Hey, Frank's assistant!
Could you tell Frank, he might be the world’s biggest selling horror author, but has he ever tried writing anything else?
There are different purposes for writing, you know, why that piece of writing is being written.
If you were looking to entertain you could use jokes.
To express or describe something you could use poetry.
Or you might want to argue or persuade your point of view.
And of course you can teach, explain and evaluate.
What if you were writing for a newspaper?
Imagine what would happen if you wrote a news article in the same way you write your scary stories.
Maybe instead of scaring people, you should inform them with facts.
Got the hang of that I see!
Well done Frank, thinking about your writing’s purpose before you start will mean it’s more likely to be understood by your readers…oh, and your fans.
Writers also need to consider the purpose of their writing (the thing they are aiming to do or achieve in their writing), as this affects what words they choose as well.
There are lots of different purposes for writing.
For example, to:
- entertain the reader or make them laugh
- express an opinion
- describe facts or situations
- explain a process or problem
- evaluate results or evidence
- inform the reader about something, such as news
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Activity 3
Read the text below.
‘In the past, three diminutive porcine creatures (also known as little pigs) were domiciled in a verdant pasture.’
It's the start of The Three Little Pigs but instead of writing words a young child could understand, the writer has used long, formal words that make the story much harder to follow.
For a young child, the start of the story would have been better written as:
Once upon a time, three little pigs lived in a green field.
Top tip!
- 'Diminutive' means little, 'were domiciled' means lived, 'verdant' = means green, 'pasture' means field.
Read through the formal sentences below then re-write each of the sentences in simpler words so a five year-old could enjoy them.
The first sentence has been started for you.
| Formal sentence | Simpler sentence |
|---|---|
| The three diminutive porcine creatures decided to construct three dwellings (or homes). | 1. The three little pigs… |
| The largest porcine creature announced he would construct a dwelling from dried stalks of grain (sometimes known as straw). | 2. |
| The second of the porcine creatures announced he would construct a dwelling from slender woody shoots (or twigs). | 3. |
| The third of the porcine creatures announced he would construct a dwelling from rectangular clay blocks (or bricks). | 4. |
Top tip!
- Use a dictionary or thesaurus to help you work out the meaning of any other tricky words.
Play our fun English game Crystal Explorers. game
Use grammar, punctuation and spelling skills to explore jungles, caves and tombs on your mission!
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