AP English Language AMSCO Guided Notes
6.3: Strategic Use of Tone
AP English Language Guided Notes
AMSCO 6.3 - Strategic Use of Tone
Essential Questions
- How does a writer's strategic word choice convey his or her tone, and what does a shift in tone suggest about the writer's line of reasoning?
I. Tone
1. What is tone and how does a writer convey tone through word choice?
2. How do denotation and connotation differ, and why does connotation matter for establishing tone?
A. Tone and Word Choice
1. What is the difference between standard English and nonstandard English, and why do writers choose one over the other?
2. How do formal, informal, and neutral diction create different tones, and when is each type appropriate?
3. How does Ericsson use both formal and informal diction in her discussion of 'Delusion,' and what effect does this combination create?
B. Tone and Writing Style
1. What is writing style and what factors combine to create a writer's style?
2. How do the two passages about environmental protection use different word choice and style to convey different tones about the same subject?
3. What stylistic elements beyond word choice contribute to a writer's tone?
4. How does Virginia Woolf's use of punctuation, questions, comparisons, and syntax create a serious yet approachable tone?
5. How does Zadie Smith's use of contractions, sentence fragments, and self-deprecating humor create a light-hearted tone appropriate for her college audience?
II. Shifts in Tone
1. What does a shift in tone suggest about a writer's perspective or argument?
2. What are the three main types of changes in perspective that a tonal shift can indicate?
3. What transition words signal qualification, refinement, and reconsideration in a text?
4. How does Al Gore use tonal shifts in his Nobel Lecture to move his audience from criticism to motivation?
Key Terms
connotation
style
denotation
tone
diction
word choice