1. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3 Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7 Inferring Tone

2. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 2 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 2 Tone refers to the emotional quality of an article. Just as a speaker’s voice can convey a wide range of tones, so can a writer’s voice. We infer a speaker’s tone by paying attention to such things as word choice, voice volume, and facial expressions.

3. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 3 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 3 The available clues are more limited when we are trying to infer the tone of a piece of writing. If we want to identify the tone of a written work, we can only look at what the author has written. Word choice, phrasing, and subject matter all contribute to the tone of a piece of writing.

4. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 4 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 4 When you’re reading something, it’s important for you to be aware of the author’s tone. Understanding the tone of a piece of writing is important to understanding its meaning. A piece of writing can express one or more of a great variety of possible tones.

5. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 5 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 5 Words to Describe Tone (Words on the same line have a close or similar meaning.) 1. excited, stirred up, impassioned 2. loving, affectionate, fond 3. surprised, astonished, amazed, incredulous 4. mournful, sorrowful 5. cruel, brutal, vicious 6. angry, outraged, offended 7. bitter, resentful 8. formal, stiff 9. patronizing, condescending, supercilious 10. cheerful, glad, joyful, ecstatic, elated

6. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 6 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 Words to Describe Tone 11. humorous, funny, amusing, comical, entertaining 12. arrogant, haughty, contemptuous 13. cynical, negative, pessimistic 14. optimistic, positive, encouraging 15. whining, complaining, querulous 16. witty, clever 17. peevish, cross, irritable 18. charming, pleasing, attractive, delightful 19. flattering, fawning, obsequious 20. skeptical, doubtful, questioning

7. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 7 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 7 21. scolding, chiding 22. sad, glum 23. dictatorial, domineering, overbearing, tyrannical 24. rude, churlish, boorish 25. compassionate, caring, solicitous 26. self-pitying, self-indulgent 27. alarmed, fearful, anxious 28. critical, disapproving 29. depressed, gloomy, discouraged 30. solemn, grave, somber Words to Describe Tone

8. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 8 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 8 Words to Describe Tone 31. informal, casual, relaxed 32. objective, neutral, matter-of-fact 33. evasive, secretive, furtive 34. remorseful, regretful 35. scornful, derisive, contemptuous 36. vindictive, vengeful 37. serious, earnest, sober 38. befuddled, confused 39. sarcastic, mocking, sneering 40. admiring, appreciative

9. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 9 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9 Words to Describe Tone 41. playful, lively 42. irreverent, disrespectful, impertinent 43. disgusted, offended 44. appreciative, thankful, grateful 45. nostalgic, sentimental, wistful 46. perplexed, puzzled, bewildered 47. contemptuous, disdainful, scornful 48. ambivalent, conflicted, wavering 49. informative, instructive 50. sincere, honest, frank 51. satiric, mocking 52. ironic, tongue-in-cheek

10. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 10 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10 Irony and Satire Irony refers to a contrast between what people say and what they actually mean. An ironic comment intends a meaning that is contrary to its stated meaning. The intended meaning is often the opposite of the stated meaning. Since the meaning of an ironic statement is often expressed indirectly, you must use inference to discover it.

11. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 11 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 11 Satire refers to comments that exaggerate flaws or failings for the purpose of making them seem ridiculous. Because satire relies on distortion, it is often humorous. Almost anything can be satirized, including people, institutions, and ideas.

12. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 12 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 12 Chapter 7 Test Taking Tip— Taking Multiple-Choice Tests Continued Here are some more tips for taking multiple-choice tests: 1. When the question asks you to pick a missing word, look for grammar clues such as a and an. A goes before words beginning with consonants and an goes before words beginning with vowels. 2. Sometimes one of the answers will be all of the above. If you are pretty sure that two of the three answers are correct, but are unsure about the third answer, go with all of the above.

13. © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Art of Critical Reading Mather ● McCarthy Part 3: Interpreting What We Read Chapter 7: Inferring Tone 13 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 13 3. Two questions on the test may be similar. Use the correct answer for one question to help you find the correct answer for the other. 4. If there is no penalty for guessing, make an educated guess rather than leaving a question blank. 5. If you are using a computerized scoring sheet, be sure to eliminate any stray marks.