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Exercise 1

Read the following passage about allowing women to fight in combat. Pay close attention to the author’s expressions, words, and connotations.

How does she attempt to influence the reader’s emotions? Underneath the passage, select the answer that best describes the tone of the passage.

Passage

I admire tough fighting women as much as anyone. Their leadership skills are as good as men’s. They have important roles to play in war, and they’ve been on the front lines – and dying – for years. But please, people. Let’s get real. Women cannot equal men in ground combat, the kind of dirty, brutal stuff that (fortunately) makes up a very minor part of modern military life, especially post-Afghanistan. (Adapted from Wente, 2013.)

Which tone is the author using in the passage?

a. sarcastic

b. humorous

c. angry

d. negative

e. unsympathetic

f. compassionate

g. arrogant

h. other

Explain your answer by providing textual evidence:

Exercise 2

Read the following passage regarding childhood vaccinations. Pay close attention to the

author’s expressions and how he attempts to influence the reader’s emotions.

Underneath the passage, select the answer that best describes the tone of the

passage.

Passage

Only about 2 per cent of parents are against vaccinations – an oddball group of conspiracy theorists and religious fanatics. Many of these beliefs are rooted in scientific ignorance, and the fact that it’s much easier to find total nonsense than easily digestible scientific fact in cyberspace certainly facilitates the embrace of quackery. (Adapted from Picard, 2015.)

Which tone is the author using in the passage?

a. sarcastic

b. humorous

c. angry

d. negative

e. unsympathetic

f. compassionate

g. arrogant

h. other

Explain your answer by providing textual evidence:

Exercise 3

In a short paragraph, evaluate O’Meara’s tone in the passage below. Describe how the words he uses help, or don’t help him, to be persuasive. Use the three steps outlined earlier to help you do this exercise.

Step 1: Underline words, expressions and connotations in the passage that indicate the author’s tone.

Step 2: Choose word(s) we looked at to describe the tone of the author based on the words you underlined.

Step 3: Evaluate how persuasive the author’s argument/claim is by explaining your description of tone with the textual evidence you underlined in the passage.

Passage

Lock the booze cabinet with double-plated armour and that's not going to save your Smirnoff. Threaten blindness and the wrath of all saints and that's not going to stop adolescents from masturbating. And tell children that guns are dangerous and that's not going to stop them from wanting to use one if it's accessible - in the gun cabinet, from a store, or in the schoolyard. All you can hope to do is teach them to act responsibly if the occasion arises. (Adapted from O'Meara, 2000.)

Evaluation of Tone:

Exercise 4

Determining Tone

Step 1:

Read the passage and circle the word that best describes the tone of the passage. Look up the definitions in a dictionary if you need to.

Step 2:

Underline one or two words and/or phrases in the passage that give the passage the tone you selected.

1. Often you feel you’ve done nothing when you’ve actually done a lot. That’s because what you did do seemed beneath notice—it was so small that it didn’t “count.” But it did—just as each stitch counts toward a finished dress, each brick or nail toward a house you can live in, each mistake toward knowing how to do things right.

a. hesitant b. encouraging c. amused

2. A vaccine is a preparation of killed or weakened germs that is injected under the skin and causes the blood to produce antibodies against the disease. Effective vaccines, for instance, have been developed for small pox, rabies, and polio.

a. objective b. arrogant c. regretful

3. We have come together this afternoon to mourn the deaths of sixteen miners—our friends and neighbors—who were trapped by fire yesterday, deep below the earth. They lived bravely and they died too soon, leaving behind grieving wives and bewildered children. We bid them a final farewell.

a. forgiving b. sorrowful c. angry

4. Why do these things always happen to me?, Brad wondered. First I forget an important meeting, and nobody reminds me until it’s over. Then my boss dumps a big project on my desk and wants it done by yesterday. And to top everything off, I leave my wallet on the bus.

a. comic b. self-pitying c. optimistic

5. Each year in the middle of February, when slush is underfoot and the sky is a depressing gray, I begin dreaming of warm beaches, tropical fruits and sunsets. If only I could save enough for a winter vacation! Maybe next year I’ll win the lottery. Meanwhile, I’ll read travel brochures and sigh.

a. unsure b. joyous c. longing

6. We are seriously failing our nation’s teenagers when it comes to education concerning AIDS. Somehow we must convince them, without delay, that this terrible illness can happen to them, not just too isolated groups in big cities. Let’s give them the information they need to protect themselves—before it’s too late.

a. impassioned b. mocking c. ironic

7. What’s the matter with those idiots in the city council? First they pass new parking regulations saying we can’t park our cars in front of our own houses without a special permit. Now they’ve gone and slapped another tax on gas purchase—just to widen a road that’s already wide enough. Anyway, nobody enjoys the traffic delays resulting from road construction. The sooner we vote those incompetents out, the better off we’ll all be.

a. objective b. angry c. surprised

8. Yet another public figure has come forward to announce he has signed into an addiction-treatment center to deal with his alcohol problems. Reports say he has shown courage and honesty. Perhaps so, but what it really takes to enter a treatment center is money. What about the poor man, like my father, who may also have a drinking problem—and courage—but who doesn’t happen to have $500.00 a day for a fancy rest home?

a. bitter b. revengeful c. sentimental

9. Botulism, a type of rare, severe food poisoning, has been reported recently in New Jersey. It is believed that the victim, who is in critical condition at a local hospital, was stricken after eating from a jar of incorrectly preserved homegrown green beans from last summer’s garden. It has been ten years since the last instance of botulism poisoning was reported in the state.

a. light-hearted b. serious c. tragic

10. Sure, litterbugs account for a lot of the trash blowing around our city’s streets, but there are other villains too. What about people who set out their trash days ahead of their scheduled trash pickup time? Worse yet are the stores that pile boxes in back alleys, and restaurants whose mounds of green—bagged trash draw rodents and roaches.

a. critical b. tolerant c. depressed

Exercise 5

Match each definition with the correct term.

Often you will be able to feel an author’s tone and attitude, but may have a hard time describing it. Having the vocabulary to describe and explain a tone can be just as important as being able to define it.

Below is a list of common adjectives that describe tone and attitude. Match those adjectives with their correct definition in the right-hand column. Some you will know, and some you may have to look up.

______1. malicious A. expressing unbelief.

______2. abstruse B. showing lack of respect or reverence.

______3. arrogant C. angry because of something unfair or unjust.

______4. indignant D. intending revenge.

______5. earnest E. having sympathy for the problems of others.

______6. impassioned F. polite or obedient from fear or the hope of gain.

______7. incredulous G. showing hatred, spite or ill will.

______8. evasive H. having a serious state of mind.

______9. reticent I. expressing one thing and meaning the opposite.

______10. apathetic J. having or showing little emotion or interest.

______11. ambivalent K. overbearing or having a feeling of superiority.

______12. Irreverent L. showing great warmth or intensity of feelings

______13. condescending M. sentimental wish to return to a past time or condition.

______14. compassionate N. having a tendency to avoid or escape from an issue or situation.

______15. nostalgic O. having a simultaneous attraction to and repulsion from an idea.

______16. absurd P. dropping to a less dignified level, or assuming an air or superiority.

______17. vindictive Q. difficult to understand.

______18. obsequious R. having a gloomy view or life.

______19. ironic S. inclined to be silent or secretive.

______20. pessimistic T. ridiculous and unreasonable.