Author's Purpose, Point of View, and Tone

 Author’s Purpose, Point of View, and Tone

ECAT – English (Test #1) 

Author’s Purpose, Point of View and Tone).

🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of the lecture, students should be able to:

1. Identify an author’s purpose (to inform, persuade, entertain, satirize, warn, etc.).
2. Recognize the point of view (stance, perspective, underlying attitude).
3. Analyze the tone (the emotional quality of language: serious, satirical, critical, urgent, etc.).
4. Apply these skills to comprehension questions similar to the ECAT test.

Part 1: Warm-up 

• Ask students: “Why do writers write? What are some reasons?”
• (Elicit answers: to inform, to persuade, to criticize, to entertain).
• Give a simple example:
• Purpose: If I say “You must stop wasting water immediately!” → The purpose is to persuade.
• Tone: Serious, urgent.
• Point of View: Critical of water wastage.

Part 2: Key Concepts 

1. Author’s Purpose

• Why the author wrote the passage.
• Common purposes:
• Inform/Explain (academic, historical, factual)
• Persuade/Convince (argumentative, critical)
• Entertain (stories, satire, humour)
• Warn/Advocate (cautionary, urgent)

👉 Example (Passage 6, Climate Change):
Purpose = To warn that technology alone won’t solve climate change without cultural change.

2. Point of View (Stance/Perspective)

• The attitude or position the author takes toward the subject.
• Types: Critical, Supportive, Balanced, Neutral, Cynical, Optimistic.

👉 Example (Passage 7, Democracy):
POV = Idealistic but realistic → democracy has flaws, but its strength is in self-correction.

3. Tone (Author’s Voice/Emotion)

• The “flavor” of the language.
• Tone words: serious, humorous, satirical, analytical, urgent, admiring, skeptical.
• Look for signal words: exaggeration, irony, conditionals, contrasts.

👉 Example (Passage 4, Self-help Industry):
Tone = Satirical (mocking exaggeration: “humans cannot be trusted to tie their shoes”).

Part 3: Guided Practice with Paper Passages (20 minutes)

📖 Passage 1 (Scientific Progress)

• Purpose: Correcting oversimplification of scientific discovery.
• POV: Collaborative progress, not lone genius.
• Tone: Critical but explanatory.

Ask: Which option fits best? (Answer = B).

📖 Passage 2 (Social Media)

• Purpose: To expose flaws in design.
• POV: Critical of structure (not people only).
• Tone: Analytical, critical.

Answer = C.

📖 Passage 3 (Justice & Algorithms)

• Purpose: Warn about hidden power in code.
• POV: Concerned, cautionary.
• Tone: Ironical, questioning.

Answer = C.

(Continue similarly with Passages 4–7, involving students by asking them to justify answers).

Part 4: Strategies for Students 

1. Spot the thesis sentence. (Often near the end of the passage).
2. Watch for contrast words. (Yet, but, however, although, unless).
3. Notice exaggeration/irony. → signals satire.
4. Separate acknowledgment from endorsement. (Author may mention both sides but still take a clear stance).
5. Check adjectives and verbs. (Reveal tone: “warn,” “lament,” “celebrate,” “mock”).

Part 5: Quick Practice Activity 

Give them 3 mini-statements and ask: Purpose? POV? Tone?

1. “Without radical reform, education will collapse under outdated systems.”
• Purpose = Warn
• POV = Urgent reformer
• Tone = Serious, urgent
2. “Apparently, we need a guidebook now to remind us to drink water.”
• Purpose = Criticize
• POV = Mocking
• Tone = Satirical
3. “The strength of democracy lies in its self-correction.”
• Purpose = Defend democracy
• POV = Realistic optimism
• Tone = Balanced, thoughtful

Part 6: Wrap-up 

• Recap difference:
• Purpose = Why the author writes.
• Point of View = What the author thinks.
• Tone = How the author sounds.
• Encourage students to apply these distinctions in practice tests.