Craft and structure: Author's tone, and tone and bias

How is the author’s tone defined as?

As the author’s attitude toward a subject or audience as it is reflected in his use of language, such as word choice

What is the difference between mood and tone?

• Mood is about what the reader feels

• Tone is about how the author feels about his subject or audience

What is a good example and explanation of mood and tone?

For instance, a story can have a very serious topic, while describing it in a playful or humorous way. The language an author uses to describe a topic can reveal the author’s true feelings toward a topic or audience. Readers should keep tone in mind, as it can often reveal the author’s purpose or biases

According to tone and bias, what does tone reflect?

The author’s attitude, tone can also be a means through which a writer’s biases are revealed.

Writers should work to establish an appropriate tone for their purpose, but when discussing an idea, a person, or a group, the writer’s tone should be without bias

true

When do authors most likely demonstrate a bias?

Every author has a point of view, but authors demonstrate a bias when they ignore reasonable counterarguments or distort opposing viewpoints

When is a bias evident?

when an author is purposefully or grossly unfair or inaccurate in his or her presentation

An overly critical or judgmental tone can be a clue that the author is being unfair because of bias

true

Bias may be intentional or unintentional, and readers should be skeptical of the author’s argument.

true

What is a stereotype?

It is like a bias in that it is a generalization, but a stereotype is applied specifically to a group or place

What is stereotyping considered as?

to be particularly abhorrent because the practice promotes negative generalizations about people. Readers should be very cautious of authors who stereotype in their writing. These faulty assumptions typically reveal the author’s ignorance and lack of curiosity

What is meant by the term abhorrent?

having hatred, inspiring disgust and loathing

What is the trick for inferring word meaning from context?

One of the benefits of reading is the expansion of one’s vocabulary. In order to obtain this benefit, however, one needs to know how to identify the definition of a word from its context. This means defining a word based on the words around it and the way it is used in a sentence.

What is a good example of inferring word meaning from context?

“The elderly scholar spends his evenings hunched over arcane texts that few other people even knew existed.” In this sentence, the adjective arcane is uncommon, but you can obtain significant information based on its use in the sentence.

What is a good explanation for inferring the word’s meaning, arcane from the text?

The fact that few other people know of their existence allows you to assume that “arcane texts” must be rare and be of interest to few people. Also, the texts are being read by an elderly scholar. So, you can assume that they focus on difficult academic subjects

What is a good example of the phrase: “Sometimes words can be defined by what they are not.”

“Ron’s fealty to his parents was not shared by Karen, who disobeyed their every command. Someone who disobeys is not demonstrating fealty. So you can infer that the word means something like obedience or loyalty

What is meant by the term word choice?

An author’s word choice is a signature of his or her style. Word choice can also contribute to the tone of a text

What can word choice help a writer evoke?

Word choice can help a writer evoke emotion from the reader in a way that helps him or her achieve their purpose for writing. Careful thought about the use of words can improve a piece of writing. A passage can be an exciting piece to read when attention is given to the use of vivid or specific nouns rather than general ones

What is an example of general word choice?

His kindness will never be forgotten

What is an example of specific word choice?

His thoughtful gifts and bear hugs will never be forgotten