Examining Tone

Tone is an author's attitude toward his or her audience and characters. It is an integral part of an author's style.

Like the tone of a speaker's voice, the tone of an author's words expresses the writer's feelings. The difficult aspect of determining tone through mere words is not hearing those cues that we have been accustomed to in speech that suggest a particular attitude, whether it is anger, joy, or sarcasm. In other words, there is no voice inflection to obscure or carry meaning.

Good authors rarely use only one tone in their writings. Complex attitudes might include a changing attitude (tone shift) or one attitude toward the reader and another attitude toward the subject (split tone).

To misread tone is to misinterpret meaning. If one misses irony or sarcasm, one may misread the meaning of an entire passage.

Use the acronym LIDDS to help you remember those elements of tone that you should consider when evaluating prose or poetry. Language, imagery, diction, details, and syntax (sentence structure) all help to create the author's or speaker's attitude toward the subject and the audience.

LIDDS

Language—overall choice of language (formal, informal, jargon, etc.)

Imagery —vivid appeals of understanding through the senses

Diction—the connotation of the word choice

Details— specific facts that are included or omitted

Syntax— sentence structure and order

Using Diction to Convey and Identify Tone

To better understand a passage, a reader should identify the author's attitude toward the subject, or tone. Evaluating tone gives readers a better understanding of the author's argument and purpose for writing. Diction is simply the words a writer chooses to convey a particular meaning, or tone.

When analyzing diction, look for specific words or short phrases that seem stronger than others (ex. Hazlitt uses the word "scrutinize" rather than "examine"). Your job is to looks for a pattern (or similarity) in the connotation of the words. For example, do they mostly imply sadness, happiness, elation, depravity, etc.)? The pattern of the diction helps to create the tone of the writing.

Effective diction is shaped by words that are clear, concrete, concise, and exact. Good writers avoid "empty feeling words," such as: pretty, nice, good, and bad because they are not purposeful. They are vague and they do not convey precise meaning.

Familiarize yourself with the denotations and connotations of the following tone words.

Some are not interchangeable!