Task - Context, audience and purpose
The following article has appeared in your local paper:
Park or car park?
Ashfield Park is threatened with closure next month as a local business has applied for planning permission to turn the area into a car park. Local residents have begun a fierce campaign to save the park, which is a popular walking spot for young children and the elderly, as well as home to the War Memorial and many wildlife species.
Task
Write to your local paper, arguing that the park should be preserved.
Question
What is the context, audience and purpose of what you are writing?
Context - the situation is that you need to write a formal letter to a newspaper that responds to what you know concerning the business, the car park and your desire to save the park.
Audience - it is for local people, a general adult audience.
Purpose - it is to argue for your viewpoint, that is, to persuade. This means you want to influence the newspaper’s readers and convince them that what you think is right.
Move on to the next page to take a closer look at how you might plan this piece of writing.