Authors Tone and Diction

Goals:

• Understand style, tone and diciton

• To recognize some frequently confused words

• To recognize that idiomatic complements are tested​ on SAT

the authors unique way of communicating with words

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​Style includes diction and tone

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​the style of the passages on the SAT are typically formal

a formal style will typically avoid colloquialisms and will not contain words that are informal, slangy or otherwise inappropriate for the context

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​colloquialism: a word or phrase that is not formal or literary

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​gonna, wanna, whatcha

​The Professor and her assistant were mortified to see the icky monster rise from the operating table.

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​The Professor and her assistant were mortified to see the test subject rise from the operating table.

the choices of words and phrases in speech and writing

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SAT will test diction with an emphasis in

o   Denotation

o   Connotation

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​the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas the word provokes

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​a words dictionary definition

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​the idea or feeling that a word invokes, in addition to its literal or primary meaning

gritty: ​having rough texture

• ​having rough texture is the denotation of the word gritty

This side of town is pretty gritty.

• what is the connotation of the word "gritty" in the sentence above?​

• ​hint: we aren't saying that the town has a rough texture

This side of town is pretty gritty.

• ​this connotation of gritty conveys a harsh, difficult or unpleasant side of town

• we are using "gritty" figuratively to say that this is a rough neighbourhood, perhaps with issues related to crime or poverty

The t-shirt was cheap enough for me to afford.

• ​denotation of the word cheap is low in cost

​The t-shirt was so cheap, it wore out in just a couple days

• ​the connotation of the word cheap is of poor quality

slender, scrawney, boney, gaunt

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these words all have a similar denotation: they are synonomus with slim; they describe someone or something without much body fat

slender literally describes someone who is slim; without much body fat

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in the sentence

​She was tall, slender, and stunning.

​the connotation of the word slender is attractive.

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​this is in addition to its literal meaning

They didn't want him on their team because he was so scrawny.

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the connotation of the word scrawny is weak

​Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

I admire the man who jumped on the subway tracks to rescue a stranger. He was certainly courageous.

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​Here we had to read the sentence for context. We know the writer admires the man, so we select the word that best fits that positive connotation.

​The attitude the writer employs

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​Assists in creating the mood or atmosphere of the writing

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​Indicates the point of view of the writer

The dinner party was fantastic.

• ​conveys a positive tone

The dinner party was terrible.

• ​conveys a negative tone

The dinner party was about as enjoyable as a root canal.

• ​conveys a sarcastic tone

The dinner party met the minimum requirements for fun as it featured both food and guests.

• ​conveys a formal tone (maybe a bit comical too)

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• ​a preposition is a word that conveys a relationship between a noun/pronoun and another word

• about, above, after, against, before, behind, down, during, for, from, in, like, near, of, off, on, out, over, past, through, towards, with, within

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​Don't follow any set rule or logic and are heavily dependent on context and familiarity with the english language

Jordan and Kyle argued about what to have for dinner.

​Jordan argued against having pizza again.

​Kyle argued for having pizza.

They argued over what to have for dinner.​

​Kyle argued with Jordan, and lost as usual.

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​I fell in love with September.

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​​I fell in love during September.​