Tone Vocabulary
One difficulty you may confront on the AP exam (and other standardized tests used for college or
graduate school) is that you may understand the question and what the answer should be, but the
words used for the answers may be unfamiliar. On the AP English exams, questions relating to tone
will often fall in this category. For instance, you might identify the tone as being happy, but “happy”
isn’t one of the choices. To help you with your “tone word” and AP Language vocabulary, we will
study all of these words. First, you will receive 5-6 tone words that will be your responsibility to share
with the class- summer assignment. You will be graded on doing this correctly and creatively. Then,
during the year, we will present and study each word. The more creative you are, the more we will
remember your word. See the summer reading Tone Word vocabulary to find your words.
Directions:
a. Look up the definition in a reliable dictionary and copy down (dictionary.com, m-w.com, oxford
online)- give credit to the source (just mention site)
b. Classify the word: positive, negative, or objective
c. Find a synonym for the word
d. Create an example of the word in a sentence
e. Multi-media or creativity: find a graphic, picture, video, art, music, pop culture application for the
word (be creative!!)
Example:
a. Sarcastic- Def- the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say
especially in order to insult someone, to show irritation, or to be funny (m-w.com)
b. Connotation- negative
c. Synonym: mocking
d. My example: Way to go, Einstein!
e. Media example:
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Words- 6 per person:
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Acerbic- person 1
Acrimonious- person 1
Agitated- person 1
Allusive- person 1
Admonishing- person 1
Amiable- person 1
Amused- person 2
Apathetic- person 2
Appreciative- person 2
Artificial- person 2
Audacious- person 2
Authoritative- person 2
Baffled- person 3
Bantering- person 3
Bellicose- person 3
Belligerent- person 3
Bemused- person 3
Benevolent- person 3
Bitter- person 4
Brash- person 4
Cajoling- person 4
Callous- person 4
Candid- person 4
Capricious- person 4
Caustic- person 5
Choleric- person 5
Circumspect- person 5
Coarse- person 5
Compassionate- person 5
Complacent- person 5
Conciliatory- person 6
Condemnatory- person 6
Condescending- person 6
Consoling- person 6
Contemplative- person 6
Coy- person 6
Dejected- person 7
Detached- person 7
Didactic - person 7
Diffident- person 7
Disdainful- person 7
Disinterested- person 7
43.
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Doleful- person 8
Dubious- person 8
Earnest- person 8
Effusive- person 8
Elegiac - person 8
Enervated- person 8
Equivocal- person 9
Erudite- person 9
Exuberant- person 9
Facetious- person 9
Fanciful- person 9
Feckless- person 9
Fervent- person 10
Flippant- person 10
Foreboding- person 10
Forthright- person 10
Giddy- person 10
Haughty- person 10
Hectoring-person 11
Histrionic-person 11
Impassioned-person 11
Incisive-person 11
Incredulous-person 11
Indignant-person 11
Irreverent-person 12
Insipid -person 12
Insolent-person 12
Invidious-person 12
Jingoistic -person 12
Jovial-person 12
Jubilant-person 13
Judgmental-person 13
Laconic-person 13
Laudatory -person 13
Livid-person 13
Lugubrious -person 13
Lyrical-person 14
Macabre-person 14
Malicious-person 14
Manipulative-person 14
Maudlin -person 14
Melancholy-person 14
85. Melodramatic-person 15
86. Mock-heroic-person 15
87. Mock-serious-person 15
88. Mordant-person 15
89. Morose-person 15
90. Obsequious-person 15
91. Ominous-person 16
92. Patronizing-person 16
93. Pedantic -person 16
94. Pensive-person 16
95. Petulant-person 16
96. Pompous-person 16
97. Pretentious-person 17
98. Querulous-person 17
99. Quizzical-person 17
100. Resigned-person 17
101. Reverent -person 17
102. Ribald-person 17
103. Sanguine-person 18
104. Sardonic -person 18
105. Satiric-person 18
106. Saturnine-person18
107. Scathing-person 18
108. Sharp -person 18
109. Simpering-person 19
110. Somber-person 19
111. Staid-person 19
112. Strident-person 19
113. Surly-person 19
114. Timorous-person 19
115. Turgid -person 20
116. Urbane-person 20
117. Vexed -person 20
118. Vibrant-person 20
119. Vitriolic-person 20
120. Whimsical-person 20
121. Wistful -person 21
122. Wrathful-person 21
123. Wry-person 21
124. Zealous-person 21
125. Objective-person 21
126. Sympathetic-person 21