Author's Word Choice

How does word choice affect an author's tone?

Todays' Learning Target

I can analyze the impact of word choice and meaning of tone.

Children's Literature

Authors write these stories to:

*Entertain

*Impart value and wisdom

*Teach a moral or lesson about human behavior

Multiple Select

Which elements in a story do you think would appeal to children?

• animal characters

• humor

• moral or lesson

• conflict

• dialogue

Open Ended

If you smelled a cup of spoiled milk, what words would you use to describe the smell?

Multiple Choice

The music vibrated the floor and shook the walls.

This gives an example of imagery that relates to which sense?

• touch

• taste

• sound

• sight

• smell

Multiple Choice

Now, while the two were talking together, Pau Amma the Crab, who was next in the game, scuttled off sideways and stepped into the sea, saying to himself, ‘I will play my play alone in the deep waters, and I will never be obedient to this son of Adam.’

The underlined words are an example of?

• imagery

• word choice

• repetition

• descriptive language

Tone

The narrator's attitude toward the subject matter and audience.

Examples of tone:

Anger

Humorous

Sorrowful

Repetition

The reappearance of words or sounds for effect.

Multiple Choice

"‘You are lazy,’ said the Eldest Magician. ‘So your children shall be lazy. They shall be the laziest people in the world. They shall be called the Malazy—the lazy people;’ and he held up his finger to the Moon and said, ‘O Fisherman, here is the Man too lazy to row home. Pull his canoe home with your line, Fisherman."

What word is repeated?

• people

• Fisherman

• lazy

• children

Repetition can:

• affect meaning

• create rhythm

• suggest emotion

• emphasize ideas

Multiple Choice

"‘You are lazy,’ said the Eldest Magician. ‘So your children shall be lazy. They shall be the laziest people in the world. They shall be called the Malazy—the lazy people;’ and he held up his finger to the Moon and said, ‘O Fisherman, here is the Man too lazy to row home. Pull his canoe home with your line, Fisherman."

What is the tone or emotion of this passage?

• anger

• humorous

• serious

• excited

"So it is, so it is," said the Mole with great heartiness.

"No, it isn't!" cried the Rat indignantly.

"Well then, it isn't, it isn't," replied the Mole soothingly.

What is being repeated?

"So it is, so it is," said the Mole with great heartiness.

"No, it isn't!" cried the Rat indignantly.

"Well then, it isn't, it isn't," replied the Mole soothingly.

The underlines phrases show the relationship between the Rat and the mole.

Multiple Choice

"So it is, so it is," said the Mole with great heartiness.

"No, it isn't!" cried the Rat indignantly.

"Well then, it isn't, it isn't," replied the Mole soothingly.

What is the tone of this passage based on the repetition?

• disgust

• humorous

• disgruntled

• exhausted

Let's see if we can identify imagery in a sentence

be sure to pay attention to the word choice. Do you see any words that affect our 5 senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell)

Multiple Select

Which 2 phrases give examples of imagery?

• “‘Payah kun,’ said the Eldest Magician, meaning, ‘That is quite right’”

• “he breathed upon the great rocks and lumps of earth”

• “the Moon rose big and full over the water”

• “Ho! Fisher of the Moon”

• “he hopes one day to catch the world”