DIDLS

Let’s Refresh Those Memories Symbol: The use of an object, person, situation or word to represent something else, like an idea Theme: The underlying message or big idea Motif: Any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story Tone: The writer or speaker’s attitude in regard to the subject and the audience.

D IDLS: The Basic Elements of Tone Diction: The connotation of the word choice To walk: to saunter, to stroll, to amble, to stagger To say: to reveal, to articulate, to declare, to exclaim To laugh: to chuckle, to giggle, to cackle, to snicker Self-confident: proud, conceited, smug, egotistical House: home, hut, shack, mansion, cabin, shanty

D” I ”DLS Images: The use of vivid descriptions or figures of speech that appeal to sensory experiences (helps to create the author’s tone).

DI” D” LS Details: most commonly the facts given by the author or speaker as support for the attitude or tone. The speaker’s perspective shapes what details are given. The inclusion/exclusion of certain details will affect how the facts are perceived by different audiences. “Write” a factual report of an event to two different audiences. Example: How might an adolescent decide to include or omit details when reporting a minor car accident to his/her parents? A police officer? His/her friends at school? Use appropriate diction to choose precise, effective words rather than vague, general ones.

DID” L ”S Language: Language is the entire body of words used in a text, not just isolated bits of diction. Unlike tone, these words describe the force or quality of the diction, images, and details. These words qualify how the work is written, not the attitude or tone. Words to describe language: academic, artificial, casual, bland, colorless, emotional, grotesque, figurative, exact, esoteric, informal, obscure, ordinary, simple, slang, symbolic, trite, vulgar, plain, moralistic, etc.

DIDL” S ” Sentence structure (Syntax): How a speaker or author constructs a sentence affects what the audience understands. Short sentences are often emphatic, passionate, or flippant whereas longer sentences suggest the writer’s thoughtful response. Consider the following: Sentence length (short, medium, long?) Sentence beginnings (variety or repetitive pattern? Natural order (subject first, then predicate) Inverted order (predicate first, then subject) Repetition (words, sounds, ideas repeated to create emphasis)