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The Effective Reader(Updated Edition)
by D.J. Henry
Chapter 10: Purpose and Tone
PowerPoint Presentation
by Gretchen Starks-Martin
St. Cloud State University, MN
2004 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
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2004 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Purpose and Tone
Tone is the emotion or mood of theauthors written voice. It is the authors
attitude toward the topic.Purpose is the reason the author writesabout a topic.
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Characteristics of Tone Words
Objective (impartial)
Unbiased
Neutral
Formal
Subjective (personal)
Biased
Emotional
Informal
Check your
textbook foran extensivelist of tonewords.
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Choose the tone:
1. Mom, please, she said as she rolledher eyes, I would rather do it
myself.a. emotional b. neutral
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Choose the tone:
2. Mother, I would like to introduce you tomy professor, Dr. Henry!
a. formal b. informal
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Choose the tone:
2. Mother, I would like to introduce you tomy professor, Dr. Henry!
a. formal b. informal
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Choose the tone:
3. Mom, Im having a terrible time; couldyou please, please come over?
a. details of facts b. details of experience
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Choose the tone:
3. Mom, Im having a terrible time; could youplease, please come over?
a. details of facts b. details of experience
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Choose the tone:
4. My mothers name is Gerta Powell, andshe was born in 1933.
a. objective b. subjective
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Choose the tone:
4. My mothers name is Gerta Powell, andshe was born in 1933.
a. objective b. subjective
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Three Categories of Purpose
To inform the reader about a topic.
A healthy diet includes several dailyservings from each of the major foodgroups.
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Three Categories of Purpose
To persuade the reader to agree withhis/her view on the topic.
Required physical education classesshould be a part of public school educationfrom elementary through high school.
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Three Categories of Purpose
To entertain by amusing or engagingthe reader.
If clothes say much about a person, awoman risking life and limb to wear 6-inch-high heels to the office must be screamingsomething about herself.
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Inform, Persuade, or Entertain?
I The National Hurricane Center predicts arecord number of hurricanes in the upcomingmonths.
E Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. Ifyou dont mind, it doesnt matter.
P Rely on Denta-Fresh toothpaste to stop bad
breath just as millions of others have.
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Figure Out the Primary Purpose
The primary purpose is the authorsmain reason for writing the passage.
Ask, What is the authors main idea?and that will reveal the primary
purpose.Check your textbook for a list ofexamples of general and specificpurposes.
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What is the primary purpose?
Think of long-term memory as a data bankfor all of your feelings and ideas. Informationyou heard hours, days, weeks, even years
ago is stored in long-term memory. Longterm memory can handle large amounts ofinformation; short-term memory has lessspace for storage. Putting information in and
getting it out again is a slow process in long-term memory. On the other hand, short-termmemory is a rapid process.
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The main purpose of theparagraph is:
a. To argue against poor memory skills.
b. To amuse the reader with humorousdetails about long-term memory.
c. To inform the reader about thedifferences between long-term andshort-term memory.
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The main purpose of theparagraph is:
a. To argue against poor memory skills.
b. To amuse the reader with humorousdetails about long-term memory.
c. To inform the reader about thedifferences between long-termand short-term memory.
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Recognizing Irony
Verbal irony occurs when the authorswords state one thing, but imply the
opposite.Example: At the finish line of amarathon, a tired runner says, Oh,
yeah, Im ready to run another 24miles.
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Irony
Situational irony occurs when theevents of a situation differ from what is
expected.Example: A high school dropouteventually becomes a
medical doctor.
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Chapter Review
The toneis the authors attitude toward the topic.
The objective tone words usually present facts andreasonable explanations.
The subjective tone words describe feelings,judgments, or opinions.
The purpose is the authors reason for writing abouta topic.
An authors purpose in using facts to teach or explaina main idea is to inform.
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Chapter Review
Authors combine facts with emotional appeals tosway readers to their point of view when theirpurpose is to persuade.
A writer whose purpose is to entertain sets out toamuse or interest the audience.
The main reason the author writes the passage is hisor her primary purpose.
Verbal ironyoccurs when the authors words stateone thing but imply the opposite.
Situational irony occurs when the events of asituation differ from what is expected.
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Complete the Chapter Reviews,Applications, and Mastery Tests
for Chapter 10.
Remember to complete your scorecard for
the Review Tests in this chapter.
Practice