1. Word Choice, Word Order, and
Tone
UNDERSTANDING TYPES OF DICTION

2. Diction
 A poet’s choice of words
 Poetic Diction: The use of elevated language rather
than ordinary language (used in English poetry)
 Formal Diction: dignified, impersonal, and elevated
use of language
 Middle Diction: Less formal level of diction, spoken
by most educated people
 Informal Diction: uses colloquialism (a
conversational style)

3. Diction
 Dialect: spoken by definable groups of people from a
particular geographic region
 Jargon: a category of language defined by a trade or
profession

4. Denotations and Connotations
 Denotations: Literal, dictionary meanings of a word
 For example: sick, bird, etc.
 Connotations: associations and implications that go
beyond a word’s literal meaning
 Connotations derive their resonance from a person’s
experiences with a word.
 For example, sick can have a positive association, bird
can mean woman, etc.

5. Word Order
 Syntax: The ordering of words into meaningful
verbal patterns.
 A poet can manipulate the syntax of line to place
emphasis on a word

6. Tone
 The writer’s attitude toward the subject, the mood
created by all the elements in the poem.
 Judith Ortiz Cofer’s “Common Ground” on page 805

7. Writing Exercise
 Write a response focusing on word order, tone, or
diction on Sharon Old’s “Last Night” on page 816. Is
the speaker male or female? How does the language
convey gender? How does the tone change?