Tone

What is Tone?

Tone

What is Tone?The writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward a subject, character, or audienceConveyed through the author’s choice of words, detail, imagery, and language

Tone

In order to understand tone, we must understand how our choice of words (or Diction) effects the tone

Diction

What is diction?

Diction

What is diction?Diction is word choice intended to convey a certain effect

Diction

What is diction?Diction is word choice intended to convey a certain effect To communicate ideas and

impressions To evoke emotions To convey your views of truth to the

reader

Diction

Levels of Diction High or Formal Diction Neutral Diction Low or Informal Diction

Words to Describe the Language

JargonSlangColloquial FormalInformalConcreteAbstractConnotativeEsoteric PlainDetached Pedantic Pretentious

OrdinaryLearnedSimpleBombasticGrotesque Poetic PicturesqueProvincial ObscureExactVulgarInsipidPrecise

Artificial Literal EmotionalEuphemistic Sensuous ExactSymbolic Figurative ObtuseMoralistic Idiomatic Cultured Scholarly

Types of Diction

Monosyllabic (one syllable) Polysyllabic (more than one syllable)

Types of Diction

Concrete – specific words that describe physical qualities or conditionsAbstract – language that denotes ideas, emotions, conditions, or concepts that are intangible

Types of Diction

Slang – a group of recently coined words (informal and goes out of style)Jargon – words and expressions characteristic of a particular trade, profession, or pursuit (Moby Dick)Dialect – nonstandard subgroup of a language with its own vocabulary and grammatical features; it often reveals a person’s economic or social class (The Skin I’m In)

Types of Diction

Denotation – the exact, literal definition of a wordConnotation – the suggestions, associations, and emotional overtones attached to a word (house/home)

Types of Diction

Figurative Language Simile – compares 2 things using ‘like’

or ‘as’ The warrior fought like a lion

Types of Diction

Figurative Language Metaphor – compares 2 things

without using ‘like’ or ‘as’ Time is money

Types of Diction

Figurative Language Personification – a kind of metaphor

that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics The wind cried in the dark

Types of Diction

Figurative Language Onomatopoeia – the use of words that

mimic the sounds they describe hiss, buzz, bang

Types of Diction

Figurative Language Alliteration – beginning several

consecutive or neighboring words with the same sound The twisting trout twinkled below

Types of Diction

Figurative Language Idioms – an expression that means

something different than its literal meaning He kicked the bucket

Levels of Diction

Levels of Diction

Levels of Diction

What Level of Diction?

Formal?

Informal?

Ordinary?

Ordinary?

Informal?

Formal?

Levels of Diction

Diction

List the Clock Exercise Presented with a vague or general word such as “house,” and you generate a list of specific words to replace that word home, domicile, castle, residence,

etc.

Diction

Funny

Diction

Sad

Diction

Happy

Diction

Upset

Writing Exercise

Respond to the prompt Write a minimum of one pageDO NOT use the same word more than once in the entire page

Prompt If you could become an expert in any

profession, sport, or activity, what would you choose and why?

OR Write about jealousy. Tell a story about

yourself; write about someone you are jealous of. Give jealousy a voice.

ORExplore the subject of illness. Select a

moment of personal experience of being sick or being a caregiver.