…to support the author’s purpose TONE …to support the author’s purpose

TONE is the author’s attitude toward the subject. You can recognize the tone by the language the author uses. The language will reveal the author’s perspective or opinion about the subject. Tone must be inferred through the use of language.

TONE can be identified by looking at four different aspects of language: DICTION: the word choice that the author makes to support the purpose of the writing DETAILS: the specific ideas the author chooses to include to describe the subject IMAGES: how the author appeals to the senses to recreate the sense experience in your head; these details must appeal to the sense of sight, hearing, taste, touch, or smell SHIFTS: the difference in tone that occurs in the text when the author’s attitude changes from one tone to another

TONE EXAMPLE The girls were playing in the pond, splashing each other and trying to catch fish with their hands. They were having fun, but kept looking over their shoulders at the looming forest. The long grass of the field kept moving and they sort of felt like they were being watched… About a half hour passed and still the girls kept checking the field for movements. It seemed like a pair of dark eyes was on them. They even considered going back inside, but that would mean homework time. So they continued splashing, but with caution now. Their eyes hardly left the field. The tone of this passage is ominous, suggesting a little bit of fear or foreboding. Words like “caution, dark, and looming” lead readers to the tone.

TONE EXAMPLE Finally, one of the girls pointed to the grass and giggled. "Meow!" A cat sat on the edge of the field and licked its paw. They did indeed have company. The girls ran over to the cat and pet his belly. They laughed and the cat sauntered back to the field. The tone of this passage is happy or relief as there was a successful, happy resolution to the problem.

TONE: Good or Bad is NOT enough! Identifying the TONE is all about knowing the definitions of many descriptive vocabulary words. Without this large vocabulary, it’s difficult to describe an author’s attitude other than “good” or “bad.”

List of Tone Words http://www.uhseport.net/published/l/wi/lwildner/collection/15/1/upload.c-lwildner-15n1.pdf

TONE EXAMPLE   And thus was born the “warning label.” To avoid getting sued, corporate America now labels everything. Thank the genius who first decided to take a bath and blow-dry her hair at the same time. The Rhodes scholar who first reached down into a running garbage disposal. That one-armed guy down the street who felt around under his power mover while it was running. Yes, thanks to them, blow-dryers now come with the label DO NOT SUBMERGE IN WATER WHILE PLUGGED IN. Power mowers warn KEEP HANDS AND FEET AWAY FROM MOVING BLADES. And curling irons bear tags that read FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY. Except maybe as food for thought. What is the tone of this passage? Think about diction, images, details, and shifts.

TONE EXAMPLE   Everyone didn’t quit overnight, but overall rates of smoking began to decrease—from 42 percent of adults in 1965 to 23 percent in 2000, and from 36 percent of high school kids in 1997 to 29 percent in 2001. The number of adults who have never smoked more than doubled from 1965 to 2000. What is the tone of this passage? Think about diction, images, details, and shifts. How does his tone help to build his ethos?

TONE EXAMPLE   We live in a ridiculously litigious society. Opportunists know that a wet floor or a hot cup of coffee can put them on easy street. Like most of you, I find many of these lawsuits pointless and frivolous. No wonder the big corporations and the politicians they own have been pushing so hard for tort reform. What is the tone of this passage? Think about diction, images, details, and shifts. How does his tone help to build his argument?

TONE EXAMPLE  We drive everywhere now. Almost nine-tenths of our daily travel takes place in a personal vehicle. Walking, actually using the legs and feet God gave us, accounts for appallingly little of our day-to-day getting around. Even on trips of under one mile, according to the Department of Transportation, we walked only 24 percent of the time in 2001 (and rode a bike under 2 percent). What is the tone of this passage? Think about diction, images, details, and shifts. How does his tone help to build his argument?

TONE EXAMPLE   Don’t do it. Please. I know this book looks delicious, with its light-weight pages sliced thin as prosciutto and swiss, stacked in a way that would make a Dagwood salivate. The scent of freshly baked words wafting up with every turn of the page. Mmmmm, page. But don’t do it. Not yet. Don’t eat this book. What is the tone of this passage? Think about diction, images, details, and shifts. How does his tone help to build his argument?