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.
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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:
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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
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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.
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Age
Sex
Education
Profession
Economic Status
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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.
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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