1. Diction & Tone

2. Diction refers to the author’s
choice of words.
Tone is the attitude or feeling
that the writer’s words express.
The author’s choice of words
express the tone of a story.

3. When analyzing diction, consider
such questions as:
• Are the words monosyllabic or polysyllabic?
• Do the words have interesting connotations
(hidden meanings)?
• Is the diction formal or casual?
• Is there any change in the level of diction in the
passage?
• What can the reader infer about the speaker or the
speaker’s attitude from the word choice?

4. The choice of diction contributes to the tone.
When discussing tone, consider such questions as:
• What seems to be the speaker’s attitude in the
passage?
• Is more than one attitude or point of view
expressed?
• Does the passage have a noticeable emotional
mood or atmosphere?
• Can anything in the passage be described as
irony?

5. ALWAYS use an adjective when
describing diction and tone.
____ diction contributes to the
____ tone.

6. Now --- let’s try it

7. Bouncing into the room, she lit up the
vicinity with a joyous glow on her face
as she told about her fiancé and their
wedding plans.
What are the specific words that create
the feeling of the sentence? What words
did the author use to create the feeling of
the sentence?

8. Bouncing into the room, she lit up
the vicinity with a joyous glow on her
face as she told about her fiancé and
their wedding plans.
Bouncing – lit – joyous – glow – fiancé
- wedding
What kind of words are these?

9. Bouncing into the room, she lit up the vicinity with a
joyous glow on her face as she told about her fiancé
and their wedding plans.
____ diction contributes to the ____ tone.
Cheerful diction contributes to the euphoric
tone.
Or uplifting diction contributes to the joyful
tone.

10. She huddled in the corner, clutching her
tattered blanket and shaking convulsively, as she
feverishly searched the room for the unknown
dangers that awaited her.
____ diction contributes to the ____ tone.
frightening diction contributes to the alarming
tone.

11. She lay on the couch in a white evening
dress, whispering softly in the ear of her fiancé,
running her fingers through his hair and gently
nibbling his earlobe.
____ diction contributes to the ____ tone.
suggestive diction contributes to the
seductive tone.

12. Harvard accepted her, allowing this child
the opportunity to study in the same halls as the
many famous scholars before her, giving her the
chance to excel in her field in the best college in the
United States.
____ diction contributes to the ____ tone.
lofty diction contributes to the elevated tone.

13. Bursting through the door, the flustered
mother hollered uncontrollably at the innocent
teacher who gave her child an F.
____ diction contributes to the ____ tone.
fierce diction contributes to the antagonistic
tone.

14. Drawing the attention of his classmates, as
well as his teacher, the student dared to experiment
with his professor’s intelligence by interrogating
him about the Bible.
____ diction contributes to the ____ tone.
challenging diction contributes to the
confrontational tone.

15. He furtively glanced behind him, for fear of his
imagined pursuers, then hurriedly walked on,
jumping at the slightest sound, even of a leaf
crackling under his own foot.
____ diction contributes to the ____ tone.
threatening diction contributes to the frantic
tone.

16. Gently smiling, her mother tenderly tucked
the covers up around the child’s neck, and carefully,
quietly, left the room, making sure to leave a
comforting ray of light shining through the opened
door should the child awake.
____ diction contributes to the ____ tone.
loving diction contributes to the serene tone.

17. The laughing wind skipped through the
village, teasing the trees until they danced with
anger and cajoling the grass into fighting itself,
blade slapping blade, as the silly dog with golfball
eyes and flopping, tongue bounded across the
lawn.
____ diction contributes to the ____ tone.
humorous diction contributes to the happy-
go-lucky tone.

18. Remember………………………
What kind of words are there?
And how do they make you feel?

19. Abhorrent abrupt accusing accusatory admonitory
bantering bitter boring brash bucolic calm cautious
childish coarse cold colloquial concerned despairing
desperate disdainful disgusted ecstatic effusive
elated elegiac eloquent embittered erudite exuberant
foreboding gloomy harsh haughty hopeful humble
indignant inflammatory irreverent irritated ironic
joking joyful light loving miserable melancholic
nervous nostalgic optimistic outraged paranoid passionate
patronizing pedantic peaceful pessimistic pitiful
pleasant playful proud pompous pretentious questioning
reflective reminiscent resigned romantic sad
sanctimonious sarcastic sardonic scornful sentimental
serene serious sharp shocked silly solemn somber soothing
snobbish snooty sympathetic taunting turgid vexed
vibrant whimsical angry anxious appreciative apologetic
arrogant audacious condemning dark condescending
contemptuous dreamy mocking moralistic mournful persuasive
piquant cynical compassionate confidant

20. See…………
The more words you know to describe
passages, the more sophisticated your
descriptions will be when you analyze
authors‘writing

21. And one last tip………..
Never, never, never, never, never say:
“the author uses diction”
do you mean – the author chooses words?
Well, duh!!!!!!
Always say:
the author uses ______(what kind of) diction
indignant? dark? euphoric?
Describe it!!!!!!