3.1 Identifying Purpose and Tone Flashcards
The Objective of identifying purpose and tone.
Recognize the purpose of a text. To understand how tone adds to the meaning of a text.
Objective of identifying purpose and tone.
Recognize the purpose of a text.
Understand how tone adds to the meaning of a text.
Identifying Purpose and Tone
In this lesson, you will learn how to identify the following:
Author's Purpose Author's Tone
In this lesson, you will learn how to identify the following:
Author's Purpose Author's Tone
Think about the following words. How have you heard them used in the past? What type of tone do you think they indicate?
feminist
thug terrorism riot
The second way to identify an author’s tone is to consider the details that have been included or excluded. Think about these questions:
What details does the author choose to include?
Why does the author feel it is important to include these details? What details has the author chosen to ignore or exclude? Why does the author feel these details are unimportant?
If the author includes mainly negative details about the topic
he may want to achieve a negative tone. Likewise, if he includes mainly positive details about a topic, he probably wants to use a positive tone. A mix of positive and negative details would indicate a neutral tone.
Negative
This was the worst tornado to come through the town in over fifty years. Entire neighborhoods were damaged or destroyed, and many of the survivors were struggling to find food and shelter.
Positive
After the tornado swept through the town, the community immediately supported everyone who had suffered losses. Friends, neighbors, and strangers united in a way that transformed the entire area.
Neutral
The aftermath of the tornado resulted in several million dollars of damage. However, local outreach groups provided free food and supplies to those in need.
Purpose and tone are closely related
An author may use tone to make an argument more persuasive or to help the audience relate to the topic. If the tone doesn’t support this purpose, the author’s writing will be unsuccessful.
Tone can also indicate that the author’s purpose isn’t as clear as he wants you to think. For example, an author that claims to be informing, but uses an angry or mocking tone, might be using sarcasm.
Entertaining Text
A text that explores a topic or event in a creative or humorous way
Informative Text
A text that gives the audience information about a topic
Persuasive Text
A text that convinces its audience to adopt a belief or take an action
Purpose
The goal of a text
Reflective Text
A text that shares a personal experience or belief
