Grade 8 Reading Worksheets
Every text is trying to DO something to you: inform, persuade, or entertain. Spot the mission and you can't be fooled.
Open this lesson free →
Browse all grades
What your child will learn: Author's Purpose & Tone
- The big three purposes: to Persuade, to Inform, to Entertain (remember 'PIE').
- Tone is the author's attitude: sarcastic, urgent, playful, formal. It's the 'voice' you hear in your head.
- Word choice reveals tone: 'the crowd trudged' vs 'the crowd bounced' paint different moods.
- Ads, reviews, and speeches often mix purposes: an ad may entertain in order to persuade!
Sample worksheet questions
1. Why might humor persuade teens better than a stern lecture?
Answer: It keeps attention and avoids sounding preachy
2. Which phrases create the humorous tone?
Answer: Examples: 'not a food group', 'neon cheese puffs', 'highly scientific institution', 'be a hero'
3. What percentage statistic does the speech jokingly cite?
Answer: 34% fewer complaints about pop quizzes
4. What is the author's main purpose?
Answer: To persuade students to eat healthier (with entertainment mixed in)
5. How would you describe the tone?
Answer: Humorous, playful, mock-serious
These are generated fresh every time. Press New Worksheet in the app for a brand-new set, with a printable answer key.
Try it at home
📣 Tone Transformer: Write two 3-sentence versions of a snow-day announcement: one formal, one hilarious. Same facts, different tone!
Please note: BrightSprouts Academy is a supplemental learning resource for
families. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a replacement for any official school
curriculum, school district, state education agency, or the U.S. Department of Education. Our
lessons follow widely used US scope-and-sequence guidance as a helpful reference only. Always
follow your child's school, district and state requirements.