Recognizing Tone

Assess the Tone of a Passage

Some questions ask you to judge the tone of your writing. That is, determining whether a particular sentence or spelling matches the author's tone. This concept will be explored in more detail in the Reading Test lesson.

Audio is often thought of as a 'mood' or a way to deliver content, so the options for audio are almost limitless. Scary, brooding, happy, triumphant, playful, melancholy—these are all tones you might encounter. The content of the passage helps narrow down the choices. For example, the presentation of historical or literary material is usually done in an academic tone. Long, complex sentences; big words; little to no humor. Personal accounts, on the other hand, are often chatty and peppered with short, simple sentences. familiar vocabulary; and often humor.

After reading a passage and determining the mood of the author, you should choose phrases and sentences that match that mood. If your essay is formal, don't settle for options that include slang or familiar words. If your essay is informal, avoid long, complicated sentences and archaic or flashy language. Start with the simplest questions - is the tone positive or negative? Are the opinions strong or are the passages more objective? Are the passages formal or informal? Using these questions, you can begin to eliminate possible answers, making it more clear which answer options are good and which are not.

Recognizing Appropriate Words Based on Tone

Whereas finding the tone of a passage focuses on phrases and sentences, this tactic focuses on words. However, the same approach is used. Evaluate the tone of the passage and choose words that reflect the same level of formality. In a story about the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., we wouldn't write, "Martin was a cool guy." Similarly, in a casual note to her friend, she would not write, "Annabelle consistently shows deep affection for her classmates and a genuine interest in her subjects."

There are no hard and fast rules for judging tone and choosing appropriate words. Instead, rely on your intuition as to whether the word can and should be used in a particular context. Look at the length and type of adjacent words for clues. Suppose you have to describe the expression on the face of a friend who is disappointed. Choose a complex word such as "depressed" if the surrounding sentences contain words such as "pessimistic", "moody" and "depressed". On the other hand, if the surrounding sentence contains words like "sad," "hurt," and "frown," then the word choice should reflect that level of simplicity, so "melancholy." "Melancholy" is more appropriate than

By reading and working through the exercises, you will develop your ability to recognize intonation and choose appropriate language.