Tone and

Purpose
The Indirect Ways That
Writers Communicate
Understanding the
Author’s Purpose
In many textbooks, the
writer’s purpose is fairly clear.
However, sometimes a writer
will express an opinion
indirectly.
Writers use tone, style and
other features of language to
achieve the results they want.
Understanding Tone
 Refers to the author’s Examples
attitude toward his/her Instructive
subject. Sympathetic
 Think of how you interpret Persuasive
Humorous
the tone of a speaker’s voice
Nostalgic
 Pay attention to word Angry
choice, types and length of Insensitive
sentences, description Naive
 Tone is important in
determining the author’s
purpose.
Style and Intended
Audience
Style may be defined as the
characteristics that make a
writer unique.

Depending upon whom the

writer is addressing, he will
change the level of language,
method of presentation, and
word choice.
 Language
Objective Subjective
Express attitudes,
factual feelings &
opinions

Authors use language in special ways to help the

reader understand and create a picture of a situation.
Create Descriptions
Making comparisons
Using symbols
 Word Choice
Connotative Denotative
Meanings Meanings
– Opposite of – Literal Meaning
Denotation found in the
– Implied Meaning dictionary
– A Word’s Nuance— – Factual, exact
ideas associated – No added meanings
with the word’s
usage
– May be Favorable or
Unfavorable
 Connotation
positive vs. negative
• Request, demand,
• Crowd, mob, gang, command, appeal,
audience, class, plead, claim, ask
congregation • Gaudy, showy,
• Slim, skinny, slender, flashy, tawdry,
slight, wiry, scrawny glitzy, jazzy
• Intelligent, brainy, • Glance, stare, look,
nerdy, smart, gifted glimpse, peek, peer,
examine, gaze, scan
• Particular, picky,
fussy, meticulous, • Take, snatch, grasp,
filch, pocket, steal
precise, exacting
 Figurative Language
• Describes something
that makes sense on
an imaginative level
but not on a factual
or literal level.
• Example:
– Sam eats like a horse.
– The wilted plants
begged for water.
 Making Comparisons
• Similes and metaphors
• Compare one object or living thing
with another
• Questions to ask yourself
– What two things is the author comparing?
– Why did the author choose that
comparison? What do they have in
common?
 Figurative Language-
Comparison
S a m e a t s lik e a h o r s e
( s im ile )

A h o r s e e a t s la r g e a m o u n t s o f fo o d . S a m e a t s la r g e a m o u n t s o f fo o d .

• The purpose of figurative language is to paint a

word picture—to help the reader visualize how
something looks, feels, or smells
• The red sun was pasted in the sky like a wafer.
• I will speak daggers to her, but use none.
• Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
 Using Symbols
• Symbols can be either pictures or objects
that stand for ideas, people, concepts, or
anything else the author decides.
• Symbols are a communication shortcut—
make ideas more understandable by
connecting them with things the reader
can see.
• Common symbols: U.S. Flag (loyalty to
country), Statue of Liberty (freedom),
dove (peace), “golden arches”
(McDonald’s), scales (law/justice)
 Typical Stem Items
• Conclusions, generalizations,
summary, comparisons, cause-
effect, time relationships, author’s
tone
– Which of the following conclusions
about X is supported by the passage?
– Which word would the author most
likely use to describe his subject?
– The author implies that X and Y differ
in what ways?
– The author’s opinion about X is that …?
 Typical Stem Items
• Application of one or more ideas
– Based on the author’s description of
X, how would a teacher using this
plan arrange the student’s activities?
– Based on the examples provided in
the passage, how could the
government best deter illegal
immigration?
 Typical Stem Items
• Figurative language
– By the phrase, “a breath of fresh air”
in lines 6-7, the author means that …
– The use of the phrase “alien from
another planet” to describe the sister
is an example of what type of
figurative language?
– By saying “the room was like a
sauna,” the author is indicating that
…
 Review/Recall
• What are inferences and why are they
important for reading?
• What do you do with inferences once you
have made them?
• Explain why the conclusions you draw about
a reading selection can be tentative—why
you can change you mind about how you
understand them.
• What are some things that might influence
a change in how you understand a reading
selection?