Transcript Tone and Diction - Greer Middle College Charter

Tone and Diction
By: Elisabet Tepoz
And
Kevin Bakos
Tone
• Tone is the emotion or attitude that the writer
or speaker is trying to convey to his or her
readers/listeners.
• Tone is identified by looking at word choice
and sentence structure.
• Every piece of literature ever written has a
tone. Just look for it!
…………
Excerpt from "The Road Not Taken" by Robert
Frost
"I shall be telling this with a sigh/Somewhere
ages and ages hence:/Two roads diverged in a
wood, and I,/I took the one less traveled by,/And
that has made all the difference."
The “sigh” in the first line indicates a remorseful
attitude to taking the “road less traveled.”
Diction
• Diction- the exact words, and the settings in
which those words are used.
• Diction can be classified on four levels:
– Formal- serious communication
– Informal- relaxed but still polite
– Colloquial- everyday usage
– Slang- impolite or newly coined words
Tips for Correct Diction
• Don’t choose words based only on their
impressiveness or length.
• Always choose a word based on its
appropriateness to the situation.
• The audience and the purpose for the word
should be your deciding factors.
Denotation
• A denotation represents the more literal
meaning for a word.
Connotation
A connotation suggests more emotional
meaning.
Connotation is found in poetry and can also play
in setting the tone of the writer or speaker.
Diction
For example: “Home”
• Using the word “home” denotes a place
where one lives. While it connotes and
• Using the word “home” connotes a cozy,
warm, familiar dwelling.