1. Elements of Voice: Tone

2. Elements of Voice: Tone
What is Tone?
Tone is the expression of the author’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject or toward the audience.

3. Elements of Voice: Tone
What is tone?
More specifically, tone is the means the author’s attitude is communicated to his audience.

4. Elements of Voice: Tone
How does a writer convey tone?
Convey Tone through these techniques:
Diction
Detail
Imagery
Figurative Language
Syntax

5. Elements of Voice: Tone
How is this important for the
AP English Language and Composition Exam?
On the AP Language exam, the words “tone” and “attitude” are used almost synonymously.
So, consider tone and attitude as the same thing – the author or speaker’s feelings about the subject or audience.

6. Elements of Voice: Tone
How is this important for the
AP English Language and Composition Exam?
On the AP exam, you may be asked to identify an author’s tone and to discuss how he conveys that tone in a particular text.
This is a two-part task: identify and analyze.

7. Elements of Voice: Tone
How do I identify and analyze tone?
Two types of tone:
oral
written

8. Elements of Voice: Tone
What is oral tone?
Every time you speak, your words convey a tone to your listener.
Oral tone involves the way your voice sounds, not just the meaning of the words themselves.
Facial expression, gestures, and body positions also contribute to the tone your words convey.

9. Elements of Voice: Tone
What is Oral Tone?
Consider this situation:
You are frantically studying for a physics test that is crucial to your grade for the semester. The tone your simple words “I’ll be there in a minute would likely vary greatly as a response to these interruptions:

10. Elements of Voice: Tone
What is Oral Tone?
Your mother calls you and tells you to take out the garbage immediately.
When you answer her, your tone might be “exasperated” or “frustrated.”

11. Elements of Voice: Tone
What is Oral Tone?
Your little brother asks you for the fourth time to help him with a model he is building.
Your tone might be “irritated” or perhaps “angry.”

12. Elements of Voice: Tone
What is Oral tone?
Your girlfriend, an “A” student in physics, calls you on the phone, says she has ordered your favorite pizza, and asks if you want to come to her house and study for the test.
Your tone might be quite “agreeable,” or perhaps even “enthusiastic.”

13. Elements of Voice: Tone
Identifying Oral Tone
Stop now and apply your knowledge: Oral Tone Group Practice.

14. Elements of Voice: Tone
How do I identify Written Tone?
The difference between oral and written tone is that the author must use words alone to convey his attitude.

15. Elements of Voice: Tone
How do I identify Written Tone?
Tone is an element of all verbal communication, whether oral or written.
Even a statement such as “Resident Parking” has a tone: straightforward, matter-of-fact, informative.

16. Elements of Voice: Tone
How do I identify Written Tone?
Even slight changes can affect the tone conveyed.
“Resident Parking Only” sounds a bit sterner, and a non-resident may sense that he is being not only informed, but warned.

17. Elements of Voice: Tone
How do I identify Written Tone?
If the word “only” is underlined or an explanation mark is added, the tone becomes more emphatic.
If such a small alteration can affect the perceived tone of a simple parking sign, imagine how important an author’s choices are in determining the tone he conveys to a reader.

18. Elements of Voice: Tone
Recognizing Tone
Work on the Recognizing Tone handout
(from Collier’s Magazine)