1. AP Language and Composition
Tone
AP Language and Composition

2. Exercise
Read the following lines at the top of the slide with a variety of meanings

3. “I Love You”
Affectionately

4. “I Love You”
Questioningly

5. “I Love You”
Sarcastically

6. “I Love You”
Coldly

7. Exercise
Try it again.

8. “I See You”
Affectionately

9. “I See You”
Questioningly

10. “I See You”
Sarcastically

11. “I See You”
Coldly

12. What is tone?
Tone…
Is the manner in which an author expresses his or her attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning
Describes the author’s attitude toward his or her material, the audience, or both
Is easier to determine in spoken language than written language (the reader does not have voice inflection to carry meaning). Thus, deciphering tone requires close attention to word choice, details, imagery, and language.
Tone is described by adjectives, and the possibilities are nearly endless. Often a single adjective will not be enough, and tone may change or shift from chapter to chapter or stanza to stanza or even line to line.
Considering how a work would sound if it were real aloud can help in identifying an author’s tone.
To misinterpret tone is to misinterpret meaning!

13. Shifts in Tone Great authors are rarely “monotonous”
Clues for shifts in tone include:
Key words (e.g., but, yet, nevertheless, however, although)
Punctuation (e.g., dashes, periods, colons)
Paragraph divisions
Changes in sentence length

14. Tone & Diction Every text always contains diction and tone
As a reminder…
Diction—deliberate word choice, especially with attention to correctness, clearness, and effectiveness.
-formal vs. informal
-ornate vs. plain
Note: Avoid saying “the author uses diction.” That’s like saying “a painter uses paint.” Instead, use adjectives and tone words to describe the author’s diction.
Thus, when looking for devices/strategies in a text, you can always fall back on tone and diction.