Identifying audience and purpose 

In a nutshell

People write texts for different reasons, and the purpose of a text can vary depending on the type of audience the writer has in mind. In this summary, you will learn how to identify the audience and purpose of a text.

Identify the purpose

You can identify the purpose of a text by the kind of language used, its content, its presentation and its tone. The following text purposes can help you identify the purpose of a text:

Describe

This type of text gives the precise details about a person, place, object or experience. Both fiction and non-fiction texts can be descriptive. Some examples of descriptive texts are biographies and travel writing.

Entertain

Some texts are written to keep readers entertained and at the same time make them think about issues and ideas. Novels, tales and stories are written to entertain the audience.

Instruct

When the purpose of the text is to tell the reader how to do something, usually written step-by-step. Manuals, textbooks and recipes are examples of texts that instruct.

Inform

To inform means to tell a reader about something. Newspapers, textbooks and magazine articles are some common examples of texts that inform.

Advise

A text advises when it suggests ways of dealing with one or several issues. For example, 'problem pages' in magazines give advice to people on various issues.

Persuade

When the purpose of a text is to persuade, the writer supports a specific point of view and tries to convince the reader about it. For instance, advertisements try to convince the audience to buy a product. 

Argue

Some texts introduce a statement and then argue in support of it or argue against somebody else's opinion. Sometimes the writer can provide a balanced view of the statement. Columns in newspapers are an example of a text whose purpose is to argue.

Identify the audience

The readers are the audience of a text. It is important to know the audience before writing to make the language and tone suitable. For example, if you want to write a story for children, the language must be simple and appealing to them. There are two key points that can help you identify the audience:

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Example

'Francis loves animals. She has two dogs and one kitten. Her kitten is white with orange spots and is named Pinky. Francis' two dogs are named Didi and Cece, and she loves playing with them at the park.'

The language and vocabulary of this text are simple and easy to understand. It is a descriptive text about Francis and her pets, so it's probably intended for children to read.