Purpose, AUDIENCE AND TONE
Download
Report
Transcript Purpose, AUDIENCE AND TONE
Diana Cason
Bakersfield College
If
you had to deliver a speech to high school
students about teen pregnancy, how would it
differ from a speech on the same subject
aimed at their parents?
Learning to recognize an author’s intended
audience, purpose, and tone helps us think
critically.
Determine the author’s point of view
Look for bias
Understand the message/goal of the text
Detect ideas that are not directly stated
You
will view a series of advertisements.
For each advertisement, determine the
following:
What is the message? (PURPOSE)
Who is the advertiser trying to reach? (AUDIENCE)
What emotion is being
evoked? (TONE)
The
author’s goal
Why is he/she writing?
What does he/she hope to accomplish?
Common Purposes
Persuade – To convince readers of a certain point
of view (essay, editorial, speech)
Inform – To present unbiased information (news
article, textbook, brochure)
Entertain – To hold the reader’s attention through
enjoyment (short story, novel)
The
group of
readers the author expects will read
his/her work
Audiences vary in terms of
characteristics/demographics.
•
•
•
•
•
Age
Sex
Education
Profession
Economic Status
•
•
•
•
•
Interests
Concerns/Fears
Experiences
Beliefs
Attitudes/Morals
What background information they need
What ideas need additional explanation
What terms need to be defined
What kind of language to use (level of
formality/jargon)
How to avoid
offending your
reader
What examples to
give as support
Ex. 8 pg. 252 MR
Conveys
the
author’s attitude
toward the topic
See examples pg.
253 MR
Ex. 9 pg. 255 MR
Considering
the audience and the purpose
helps establish the appropriate tone to
use.
Authors consider
the “distance” that
should be kept from
the audience.
Objective and formal
Personal and informal
•
•
•
•
Informal
Contractions
Abbreviations
Slang
1st Person
Formal
• Academic
Vocabulary
• Formalities/
Etiquette
• 3rd Person
TO ILLUSTRATE: Would you say this to your boss?
“So, if you want us to get working harder, then
you better put a vending machine in the break
room, or else!”
Denotative
Meaning = Meaning of a word
stated in the dictionary
Connotative Meaning = Additional implied
meaning (emotional attachment to a word)
House vs. Home
What synonyms can
you think of for skinny?
Ex. 1 pg. 234 MR
Ex. 2 pg. 235 MR
Objective
Language = Factual
Subjective Language = Expresses attitudes
and feelings
See examples pg. 257