You better watch your tone, young man…

is your tone of voice important? Why or why not? Why do people change their tone of voice? Just as tone of voice conveys emotions and attitudes, writers create a tone in their writing to show their attitude towards the subject.

What is tone? Tone is the writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward a subject, character, or audience

How does the Writer create tone? Word choice: the author uses words with positive or negative connotation to create emotional connections in the reader Writer’s/characters’ actions Writer’s/characters’ thoughts Sentence length

Example As the charming clock chimed 5, Jennifer glanced at it and grinned. As the clock noisily clanged 5 times, Jennifer scowled at it and shook her head. The same thing is happening in both sentences, yet a different tone is conveyed. What changes did the author make in order to set differing tones?

Example Run, I think. Run. My legs won’t go fast enough. My breath becomes ragged gasps. This is it. I need to run. I begin urging my legs to go faster than I think I am capable of going. As I decrease the distance between myself and the house, my breathing becomes ragged gasps. The same thing is happening in both sentences, yet a different tone is conveyed. What is the tone of the first sentence? What is the tone of the second sentence? What changes did the author make in order to set differing tones?

Practice Write a sentence describing your lunch that conveys a tone of enjoyment or anticipation. Think about using words with positive connotation and using actions or thoughts that would show your pleasure. Avoid saying “I like,” “I love,” “delicious,” or “favorite.” Now write a sentence describing your same lunch that conveys a tone of disgust. Think about using words with negative connotation and using actions or thoughts that display your disgust without using the following words: disgusting/disgust, gross, or hate.

Read the paragraph. A quiet chirping wakes me. At first, I don’t want to open my eyes but continue to enjoy the soft downy comfort of my bed. My thoughts are half formed and fuzzy in the mist of sleepiness. However, as the golden glow of the morning sun continues to illuminate my room, I realize what today is and quickly fling the blankets off as I sit up. My feet hit the floor, slipping slightly with my enthusiasm. Today is the day!

Circle all the words/phrases with a negative connotation and box the words with a positive connotation A quiet chirping wakes me. At first, I don’t want to open my eyes but continue to enjoy the soft downy comfort of my bed. My thoughts are half formed and fuzzy in the mist of sleepiness. However, as the golden glow of the morning sun continues to illuminate my room, I realize what today is and quickly fling the blankets off as I sit up. My feet hit the floor, slipping slightly with my enthusiasm. Today is the day!

A quiet chirping wakes me A quiet chirping wakes me. At first, I don’t want to open my eyes but continue to enjoy the soft downy comfort of my bed. My thoughts are half formed and fuzzy in the mist of sleepiness. However, as the golden glow of the morning sun continues to illuminate my room, I realize what today is and quickly fling the blankets off as I sit up. My feet hit the floor, slipping slightly with my enthusiasm. Today is the day!

With a partner, read the paragraph and answer the questions following When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim’s warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping.

Read this passage and complete the questions following on your own. A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help. We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid. Most lived up to those expectations inside the classroom but subverted them on the outside. They struggled with basic reading in school but could remember how to sing a few dozen powwow songs. They were monosyllabic in front of their non-Indian teachers but could tell complicated stories and jokes at the dinner table. They submissively ducked their heads when confronted by a non-Indian adult but would slug it out with the Indian bully who was 10 years older. As Indian children, we were expected to fail in the non-Indian world. Those who failed were ceremonially accepted by other Indians and appropriately pitied by non-Indians.