Purpose and Audience in Informative Writing PDF

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Purpose and Audience in Informative Writing Purpose in Informative Writing Informative writing shares information in an informative instead of persuasive manner. What that means is a writer whose purpose is to “inform” should be delivering their message to their readers without bias (opinion). They should be educating their readers on a particular topic by providing information and accurate facts, but without the added goal of achieving a specific reaction or change within the readers. Because of these guidelines, informative writing tends to serve five basic purposes:     

Sharing new information with readers Describing a process Clarifying a concept Giving an explanation of why or how Detailing parts of a greater whole

To illustrate, let’s look at a few examples of each of these five purposes within the context of different writing topics. As you review these examples, consider the main differences between the good and bad examples. Specifically, consider what role the temptation to turn informative topics into persuasive topics plays in the bad examples you see below. Also consider how you can avoid that risk as you write your own informative essay. Sharing New Information- Introducing your reader to information he or she may not be familiar with Sharing New Information- Introducing your reader to information he or she may not be familiar with 

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Good Examples o Detailing the health benefits of green vegetables. o Summarizing the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel. o Outlining the spiritual benefits of holding Family Councils. Bad Examples o Arguing that spinach is the best green vegetable o Asserting that repentance is the most important principle and ordinance of the Gospel o Contending that the Family Council is a “waste of time”

Describing a Process- Walking your reader through a step-by-step process or procedure 

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Good Examples o Summarizing a simple approach to cooking pot roast o Detailing a common approach to learning a foreign language o Identifying a few simple steps people can take to clean their house. Bad Examples o Arguing that the Argentine way of cooking beef is superior to all other approaches o Asserting that the Duolingo program is the best app for learning a foreign language o Contending that Marie Kondo’s method is the best way to clean your house

Clarifying a Concept- Looking at the similarities and/or differences between seemingly related topics 

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Good Examples o Clarifying the main differences between a metaphor and simile o Summarizing the similarities and differences between freshwater and saltwater fish o Outlining the main differences between top, mid, and lower-level goals. Bad Examples o Arguing that the metaphor is a more powerful literary device than the simile o Asserting that saltwater fish taste much better than freshwater fish o Contending that top level goals are the best kinds of goals to set

Giving an Explanation of Why or How- Introducing the reader to how or why something works the way it does 

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Good Examples o Summarizing the correlation between price and demand in the free market o Outlining what most plants need to survive and grow o Detailing simple steps that can be taken to overcome bad habits Bad Examples o Arguing in favor of the free market over a fixed one o Asserting that overpopulation is killing plantlife o Contending that some bad habits are worse than others

Detailing Smaller Parts- Offering details and clarification on smaller parts of a greater whole or topic 

Good Examples

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o Describing the main parts of a combustion engine o Summarizing the role of agency in the plan of salvation o Outlining a few steps to successful financial stewardship Bad Examples o Asserting that spark ignition gasoline engine is superior to the compression ignition diesel engine o Arguing that the pre-existance is more important than the earthlife stage in the Plan of Salvation o Contending that getting out of debt is the most important step toward better financial management

Ponder and Record As you review the five purposes above, consider what you want your own informative writing to accomplish and: o Decide which informative writing purpose most closely aligns with your own writing purpose (a good place to begin would be to review the prompt question you are answering) o Ask yourself, “How can I ensure that I answer my essay prompt question in a way that doesn’t take sides? What specific information can I share with my reader and how can I present it in a way that is not persuasive but informative?

Guide for the Informative Essay Structure An outline is a general guide of an essay and an informative essay is a type of academic writing assignment. Students write an informative essay to educate their readers on a specific topic in a clear and concise manner. It emphasizes on the unbiased facts and evidence, without reflecting on the writer’s view about the topic. When writing an informative essay outline, you need to concentrate only on the facts. Avoid conveying your opinion as readers aren’t especially concerned in knowing the details of your viewpointAdvantages of Informative Essay Writing: 

Informative essay used for illustration: Many informative essays can be used as something similar to a visual help. In this type of informative essay, a different situation is offered to develop the main points of the essay. For example, if the informative essay discusses the benefits of a particular selfhelp medicine, then the essay may start with how the individual has controlled a particular health issue due to the regular administration of this

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particular medicine. There will be a primary connection between the drug and the person’s health. The rest of the essay will comprehensively describe on how the particular medicine has helped them. Informative essays expanding on a cause and effect scenario: This particular type of informative essay focuses more on the effects that a particular situation or scenario has on something else. This type of informative essay addresses the unique factors of the causes and effects, with facts that clearly bridge these two aspects. Informative essays for steps: Informative essays underline the importance of clear, succinct information that is easy to follow. This is why informative essays are particularly prevalent when it comes to subjects that require steps. For example, a process analysis paper informs the reader on the prerequisite compulsory stages to complete the preferred end result.

Informative

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Structure

The basic structure of an informative essay is very simple and easy to follow. Like most types of essays, the informative essay will consist of the basic format of four to five paragraphs. These five paragraphs will include the introduction, two to three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, a longer format may be appropriate if the topic is particularly complicated, or if you want to conclude every possible explanation. The most significant thought, while writing an informative essay, is your topic presence. This topic will be the title of your essay.

Introduction: Introduction is vital in order to catch the reader’s attention i.e. make him/her want to hang onto reading your essay. If the reader finds the opening of the essay boring and uninteresting, the chances are high he/she will move on to something else. The introductory paragraph in an informative essay will usually start with a strong sentence. When writing an informative essay you should, of course, open with the “hook”. It’s the first sentence of your essay, and therefore it has to curious enough to “tempt the reader”. This part of the introduction should be both exciting and directly related to the topic. The selection of a hook depends on your inclinations, topic, context etc. You can even apply a question, statistics, facts etc. It is important to understand that in an informative essay, facts are clear, concise, and free of fillers. Each sentence in an informative essay has a meaning. It’s important to start your informative essay with a strong lead-in

sentence, with an opening that will introduce your reader to the topic and the point that you will address. Every informative essay is based on a great thesis. Its objective is to give a sort of navigation for your essay and steers you on the right path. Without a thesis, you’d write about everything and anything in general, abandoned from the main topic, and end up with too much information overload but nothing worthwhile for the subject you were supposed to write about. Thesis lets readers be familiar with what they`re going to read about. This is the final sentence of the introduction segment; it should be specific, authoritative, and explanatory.

Body paragraphs: Now that you have a solid, informative, and stimulating introduction it’s time to start with the body paragraphs. The main aim of this section is to give a deeper exploration into your topic. The body of your informative essay should develop on the opinions that were presented in your introduction. Body paragraphs consist of distinct opinions that develop or support the essay. Each paragraph should feature a different opinion to back your main thesis statement. Each topic (point) requires separate paragraph and the exact number depends on the parameters of the assignment and topic. If the subject calls for additional points, then include more paragraphs. Alternatively, if the topic requires fewer points, then reduce the number of these sections. The two to three body paragraphs are used to argue your point and counteract opposing ideas with better evidence. With each paragraph, ensure that there is a solid opening sentence so that the reader can be aware of the point that you are going to develop upon. Use simple and direct words and make sure that every word you write add something worthy to the paper. It’s extremely important to unite the evidence and topics you’re going to include. You can line up points or topics according to the significance or chronologically. Without appropriate direction, there is a possible risk of confusing readers by randomly separating evidence.

Conclusion: After you have explained or defined the subject with solid proof, you are ready to conclude the work. Just like the introduction, this part should be relatively short, but still strong enough not to ruin everything you have mentioned above. The concluding paragraph will ensure many things: it will reaffirm the thesis statement in addition to directing a finishing objective for the reader. In informative essay writing, conclusions should be exact and consistent. Don’t present fresh pieces of evidence because it would lead to an unnecessary exhaustive discussion. Therefore a short summary signifying the importance of the topic is always a good way to end. The main rule you should follow is that the closing part of the essay should cover the justification of how the reader can benefit from the conclusions....