ACT Preparation / Unit 17 ACT 1607 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Word Choice Sets Tone
Captions available
The idea
Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject, carried by word choice: serious, friendly, neutral, critical, enthusiastic or sarcastic.
In practice
"The council finally acted" and "The council at last stirred itself" report the same event; the second is mocking.
Where people slip
Name the tone from specific words in the passage, not from the topic.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for ACT Preparation