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The author’s purpose is the main reason the writer created the text.
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Most purposes fall into three major categories:
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Persuade — The author wants the reader to believe or do something. Clues: opinions, arguments, claims, emotional appeals, strong language.
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Inform — The author wants to teach or explain something. Clues: facts, statistics, definitions, step-by-step explanations, neutral tone.
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Entertain — The author wants to tell a story or create an experience. Clues: characters, conflict, plot, descriptive language, humor, suspense.
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Additional purposes you may see: describe, explain, express feelings, instruct.
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Quoting means using the author’s exact words to support your ideas.
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Use quotation marks around the exact words: “The sky darkened suddenly.”
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Introduce the quote so it doesn’t appear randomly: The narrator describes the moment as “terrifying and unforgettable.”
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Blend the quote smoothly into your sentence: The author reveals the theme by stating that “courage is born from fear.”
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Explain the quote afterward (never let a quote stand alone). This shows how the quote supports your point.
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Use ellipses (…) to remove unnecessary parts, and brackets [ ] to clarify or adjust grammar.
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Citing evidence means proving your answer using information from the text.
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Use direct quotes or paraphrased details from the text.
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Always connect the evidence to your claim (explain how it proves your point).
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Use sentence starters to introduce evidence:
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“According to the text…”
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“The author states…”
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“For example…”
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“In paragraph __, it says…”
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Strong evidence is specific, relevant, and clearly supports your answer
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Weak evidence is vague, unrelated, or doesn’t actually prove anything.
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Each genre has signature features. Recognizing them helps you identify the type of text and analyze it correctly.
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Fiction — characters, setting, plot, conflict, theme, dialogue.
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Fantasy — magic, mythical creatures, invented worlds, quests.
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Science Fiction — futuristic tech, space, advanced science, alternate realities.
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Mystery — clues, suspects, red herrings, detective figure, solution.
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Drama — script format, stage directions, acts/scenes, dialogue only.
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Poetry — line breaks, stanzas, rhythm, figurative language, imagery.
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Nonfiction — real facts, headings, charts, objective tone.
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Biography/Autobiography — real person’s life story, chronological events.
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Argumentative — claims, evidence, counterclaims, reasoning.
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Informational — explanations, definitions, examples, factual details.
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Cheatography n. The art of mapping complex subjects into clear, instantly navigable reference guides.
