Transcript Document
KU120
Unit 9: Seminar
Tone, Purpose, and Inference
Instructor: Julie Morris, MA
Seminar: Tuesdays, 4pm ET
AIM name: Prof Julie M
Today’s Agenda
Author's Purpose
Informative Writing
Persuasive Writing
10 Signs
Facts
10 Signs
Primary Purpose
Opinions
Exam Practice
Signs of
Informative/Objective Writing
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Neutral title
No personal opinions or judgments
Author’s tone is cool and uninvolved
Much factual evidence, emphasizes
research
Describes others’ opinions or value
judgments
No first person (I or we)
Gives both sides of an issue
Found in reference works, textbooks,
manuals newspapers, and institutional
reports
Facts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
can be verified for accuracy.
rely on denotative language.
are not shaped or affected by a writer’s
personality, background, or training.
frequently use numbers, statistics, dates,
and measurements.
name and describe but do not evaluate.
Examples of Facts
Julie Morris was born at 3:00am
on December 1, 1976.
Bogota is the capital of Colombia.
The longest day of the year for the
northern hemisphere is called the
summer solstice and occurs on or
around June 21st.
Signs of
Persuasive/Subjective Writing
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Title suggest point of view
Expresses a personal opinion
Language reveals strong feelings
Mentions an opposing view to contradict it
Contains more facts that favor the writer’s opinion
Gives reasons to support author
Might use first person (I or we)
Assumes reader’s agreement
Uses rhetorical questions
Appears in essays, editorials, biographies,
advertizements, and books
Opinions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
cannot be verified for accuracy
can only be labeled valid or invalid, sound or
unsound, informed or uninformed
rely on connotative language
are affected by a writer’s personality, background,
and training
frequently express comparisons using words such
as more, better, most, and least
often make value judgments suggesting that some
action or even has a positive or negative effect.
are often introduced by verbs and adverbs that
suggest doubt or possibility
Examples of Opinions
Cats are better than dogs.
Jocks are notoriously cruel to nerds in
middle school.
Censorship should be heightened after
Janet Jackson’s indecent exposure
during the Super Bowl.
Which is informative and
which is persuasive?
1.
2.
Friends’ portrayal of six friends trying
to make it after college in New York
City is both amusing and unrealistic.
The television show Friends portrays
six friends trying to make it after
college. The show kept its prime,
Thursday night time slot for ten
seasons.
Which is informative and
which is persuasive?
1.
2.
Victoria Falls is a waterfall situated in southern
Africa on the Zambezi River between the
countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The falls
are, by some measures, the largest waterfall in
the world.
Located between Zambia and Zimbabwe, the
enormous and awe inspiring Victoria Falls will
dazzle any tourist.
Which is informative and
which is persuasive?
We all know Hitler was not only an
intolerable racist, but he was also clearly
insane.
Hitler's mental health is a minefield of
theories and speculation. This topic is
controversial as many believe that if a
psychological cause can be found for Hitler's
behavior, there would be more reasoning
behind his actions.
Thought Patterns
Time Order
Space Order
Listing
Classification
Compare/Contrast
Cause/Effect
Generalization/Example
Definition
Why do we care about
patterns of organization?
Recognizing these organizational
patterns will serve you by helping
you
1.
2.
3.
4.
make predictions to guide your
reading
identify key points
decide how best to take notes
give you a framework for
remembering details
(Flemming, p. 432)
Sample Passage 4
Lenders commonly assess the credit payment
history provided by one or more credit bureaus
when deciding whether to extend a personal
loan. For example, financial institutions may rely
on this information when they decide whether to
approve your credit card application, to provide
you with a car loan, or to provide you with a
home (mortgage) loan. The credit score can also
affect the interest rate that is quoted on the loan
that you request. A high score could reduce your
interest rate substantially, which may translate
into savings of thousands of dollars in interest
expenses over time.
(adapted from Madura. Personal Finance. 3rd ed. 2007, p. 177.)
Answer Each Question Based on the Passage – do not bring
feelings into it! We will use the poll feature to answer!
1. Identify the idea that correctly states the topic.
A)
B)
C)
D)
credit bureaus
interest rates
credit scores
banking
2. Which sentence states the main idea?
A) Lenders commonly assess the credit payment history
provided by one or more credit bureaus when deciding
whether to extend a personal loan.
B) For example, financial institutions may rely on this
information when they decide whether to approve your
credit card application, to provide you with a car loan, or
to provide you with a home (mortgage) loan.
C) The credit score can also affect the interest rate that is
quoted on the loan that you request.
D) A high score could reduce your interest rate
substantially, which may translate into savings of
thousands of dollars in interest expenses over time.
Sample Passage 5:
Building Your Own Financial Plan
1Two major components of any good personal financial
plan are a personal cash flow statement and a balance
sheet. 2If you are a full-time student, prepare your cash flow
statement based upon your anticipated cash flow at
graduation. 3The first step is to break down all expenses
into the frequency in which you are/will be paid. 4For
example, if your car insurance is $700 per year and you are
paid monthly, divide the $700 by 12. 5If you are paid
biweekly, divide the $700 by 26. 6Personal flow statements
should be set up based upon the frequency of your pay.
7This way, each time you are paid, you can distribute your
paycheck to the appropriate cash out-flow categories. 8If ,
after preparing your personal cash flow statement, you have
an excess of cash outflows over cash inflows, you should
review in detail each cash outflow to determine its necessity
and whether it can realistically be reduced in order to
balance your cash inflows and outflows. (adapted from Madura.
Personal Finance. 3rd ed. Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. p. 46)
Answer Each Question Based on the Passage – do not bring
feelings into it! We will use the poll feature to answer!
1. Which sentence states the main
idea of the paragraph?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Sentence
Sentence
Sentence
Sentence
1
2
7
8
2. . In general, the major details of
this paragraph are
A)
B)
C)
D)
reasons for saving money
examples of monthly expenses
ways to improve your finances
steps to prepare a financial plan
3. Which word or phrase signals a
major detail?
A)
B)
C)
D)
two major components
for example
the first step
this way
4. What word or phrase signals a
minor supporting detail?
A)
B)
C)
D)
If
the first step
personal flow statements
for example
5. The words that authors use to show
how ideas are related to one
another between sentences and
within sentences are called
________.
A)
B)
C)
D)
topics
transitions
details
content clues
6. The words also, another, besides,
furthermore, and moreover are
used by an author to show ________.
A)
B)
C)
D)
time order
space order
classification of ideas
additions to an earlier thought
7. The words previously, after,
meanwhile, and currently are used
by an author to show ________.
A)
B)
C)
D)
time order
addition
space order
classification