Purpose and Tone
Uncovering the author’s attitude
and motives in writing.
What are purpose and tone?
• Tone is the
emotion or mood of
the author’s
written voice.
• It is the author’s
attitude toward
the topic.
• Purpose is the
reason the author
writes about a
topic.
How does the husband feel
about the mother-in-law?
What characterizes tone words?
• Objective words are
impartial and factual.
• They are also
– Unbiased
– Neutral
– Formal
• Subjective words are
personal, opinionated,
and emotional:
• They are also
– Biased
– Emotional
– Informal
Are there any tone words?


“Mom, please,” she
said as she rolled
her eyes, “I would
rather do it
myself.”
How does the girl
feel?
__a. emotional
__b. neutral
__c. factual
__d. opportunistic
How does the woman feel
about her hypochondria?
Here is the author’s tone:


“Mom, please,” she
said as she rolled
her eyes, “I would
rather do it
myself.”
How does the girl
feel?
X a. emotional
__b. neutral
__c. factual
__d. opportunistic
How does the woman feel
about the imaginary friend?
What is the author’s tone?
• “Father, I would like
to introduce you to
Professor Monte
Salyer,” said Nisha
with a great smile.
• The tone in this
situation is:
__a. casual
__b. sarcastic
__c. rebellious
__d. formal
__e. humorous
Whose greeting is
more casual?
Here is the author’s tone:
• “Father, I would like
to introduce you to
Professor Monte
Salyer,” said Nisha
with a great smile.
• The tone in this
situation is:
__a. casual
__b. sarcastic
__c. rebellious
X d. formal
__e. humorous
Who skipped the normal
tone of introductions?
What characterizes tone words?
• “My father’s name
is Henri Powell, and
he was born in
1943.”
__a. subjective
__b. objective
__c. ridiculous
__d. imbalanced
 “Mom, I’m having a
terrible time; could
you please, please
come over?”
__a. details of facts
__b. details of
experience
__c. details of
inconvenience.
Here are the tone words:
• “My father’s name
is Henri Powell, and
he was born in
1943.”
__a. subjective
X b. objective
__c. ridiculous
__d. imbalanced
 “Mom, I’m having a
terrible time; could
you please, please
come over?”
__a. details of facts
X b. details of
experience
__c. details of
inconvenience.
What are the writer’s purposes?
• The
author’s
purpose is
to
a. Inform
b. Persuade
c. Entertain
__1. Required physical education
classes should be a part of
public school education from
elementary through high school
__2. A healthy diet includes
several daily servings from each
of the major food groups.”
__3. If clothes say much about a
person, a woman risking life and
limb to wear 6-inch- high heels
to the office must be screaming
something about herself.”
Here are the writer’s purposes:
• The word
“should”
tells us it’s
persuasion.
• This one is
just factual.
• It’s fun to
watch a
woman in
heels!
B 1. Required physical education
classes should be a part of
public school education from
elementary through high school
A 2. A healthy diet includes
several daily servings from each
of the major food groups.”
C 3. If clothes say much about a
person, a woman risking life and
limb to wear 6-inch-high heels
to the office must be screaming
something about herself.”
Is it to inform, persuade,
or entertain?
__1. The National Hurricane Center
predicts a record number of hurricanes in
the upcoming months.
__Age is strictly a case of mind over
matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t
matter.
__Rely on Denta-Fresh toothpaste to stop
bad breath just as millions of others
have.
Here are the author’s
purposes:
I The National Hurricane Center predicts a
record number of hurricanes in the
upcoming months.
E Age is strictly a case of mind over matter.
If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
P Rely on Denta-Fresh toothpaste to stop
bad breath just as millions of others have.
Can you figure out the
primary purpose?
• The primary purpose
is the author’s main
reason for writing
the passage.
• Ask, “What is the
author’s main idea?”
• That will reveal the
primary purpose.
• Business writing, for
example, is to sell
product!
Can we trust all of the
purposes of big business?
What is the primary purpose?
a.
b.
c.
To argue
against poor
memory skills.
To amuse the
reader with
humorous
details about
long-term
memory.
To inform the
reader on the
differences
between longterm and
short-term
memory.
• Think of long-term memory as a
“data bank” for all of your
feelings and ideas. Information
you heard hours, days, weeks,
even years ago is stored in longterm memory. Long term
memory can handle large
amounts of information; shortterm memory has less space for
storage. Putting information in
and getting it out again is a slow
process in long-term memory.
On the other hand, short-term
memory is a rapid process.
What is the primary purpose?
__a. To argue
against poor
memory skills.
__b. To amuse the
reader with
humorous
details about
long-term
memory.
X c. To inform the
reader on the
differences
between longterm and
short-term
memory.
• Think of long-term memory as a
“data bank” for all of your
feelings and ideas. Information
you heard hours, days, weeks,
even years ago is stored in longterm memory. Long term
memory can handle large
amounts of information; shortterm memory has less space for
storage. Putting information in
and getting it out again is a slow
process in long-term memory.
On the other hand, short-term
memory is a rapid process.
This passage is quite factual.
What is verbal irony?
• Verbal irony occurs when the author’s
words state one thing, but imply the
opposite.
• Example: At the finish line of a
marathon, a tired runner says, “Oh,
yeah, I’m ready to run another 24
miles.”
What is situational
irony?
• Situational irony occurs when the
events of a situation differ from
what is expected.
• Example: A high school
dropout eventually becomes
a medical doctor.
Tone and purpose in review
• The tone is the author’s attitude toward the
topic.
• The objective tone words usually present facts
and reasonable explanations.
• The subjective tone words describe feelings,
judgments, or opinions.
• The purpose is the author’s reason for writing
about a topic.
• An author’s purpose in using facts to teach or
explain a main idea is to inform.
Tone and Purpose in Review
• Authors combine facts with emotional appeals to
sway readers to their point of view when their
purpose is to persuade.
• A writer whose purpose is to entertain sets out to
amuse or interest the audience.
• The main reason the author writes the passage is
his or her primary purpose.
• Verbal irony occurs when the author’s words state
one thing but imply the opposite.
• Situational irony occurs when the events of a
situation differ from what is expected.