College Composition / Unit 29 CMP 0712 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Identifying Tone
The idea
Identifying tone means gathering evidence from a passage's language and naming the attitude it reveals.
In practice
Work in order. First, read the passage and note your first impression of the writer's attitude. Second, mark words with strong connotations, positive or negative. Third, notice figurative language, exaggeration or understatement, which often reveal attitude. Fourth, notice sentence style: short, blunt sentences can sound urgent or angry; long, qualified ones can sound measured. Fifth, notice what the writer stresses or leaves out. Sixth, name the tone precisely, choosing a word such as sarcastic, admiring, alarmed or detached, and cite the words that support it.
Where people slip
Avoid vague labels such as positive or negative. Tone answers are usually tested by precision: a passage can be critical without being angry, or approving without being enthusiastic.
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