5 Elements of Good Writing (Element 1: Purpose)

Analyzing a Paragraph

Answer the Preview Questions, based on your experience. Then, read the process paragraph
and answer the questions that follow.

Preview Questions

Have you ever seen a mural? Where? What was the subject? Yes, in my school. The subject
was about Christmas but the main reason and what they wanted to show was the importance
of reusing and recycling because it was made with recycled materials.

What are some characteristics of a mural? I think that the first one is to express something
important and to make people stop in front of them to see what is posted. In other words to
attract.

Post-Reading

1. What is the writer’s purpose for writing this paragraph? To inform people the steps to
make a good mural. And also to show that the process of making a mural is not easy.

2. Does the writer stay focused on one idea or topic? If not, explain where the writer gets off
topic. The writer talks a lot about the size and the amount of paint that it’s used based on the
size of the mural but he always talked about a mural.

3. Do you think the writer achieved his or her goal for writing this paragraph? Explain. Yes, in
my opinion he inform me because I learn new things and also persuade me because I was
always interested in the topic.

Writing Purpose Statements

Read each of the following topics. Then write a purpose statement for each one.

1. Topic: Your craziest experience in a restaurant

Purpose statement: The purpose of this paragraph is to tell about the time that my
nephew started a food fight in a restaurant.
2. Topic: Alternative sources of energy
Purpose statement: The purpose of this paragraph is to explain some alternatives that
it can be used to receive energy.
3. Topic: The most important invention of the last 50 years
Purpose statement: The purpose of this paragraph is to describe what the most
important thing was created of the last 50 years
4. Topic: My worst family vacation
Purpose statement: The purpose of this paragraph is to tell the time when my dad
showed us the house that we were going to use on that vacations.
5. Topic: The dangers of genetically modified food
Purpose statement: The purpose of this paragraph is to explain why we have to be
more aware of what we eat.
6. Topic: How to learn up to 50 idioms a day
Purpose statement: The purpose of this paragraph is to inform how we can learn 5o
idioms a day.