Answer the following questions to break up the assignment into simpler, smaller pieces.
The list below contains key words that will help you understand the paper you’re being asked to write. Do they look familiar? Click on any term that appears in your assignment for more information!
How does tone relate to audience awareness? One of the most important factors in determining the appropriate tone that you should use in your paper is an understanding of your audience.
To gain an understanding of your audience's expectations, try asking yourself the following questions:
All of these factors influence how your audience will interpret the words on the page; therefore, they should influence your tone as you write them.
Remember! Just as you might speak differently in front of your professor than you might speak in front of your peers, you may have to adjust your tone and possibly the type of information you provide based on the type of audience you expect to read your essay.
If you’re not sure who your audience might be, be sure to check with your instructor!
When writing any type of text, from an essay or lab report for school, a memo for your job, or a text message to a friend, your awarenes of tone and audience are two of the most important elements to consider in creating a successful piece of writing. Your tone in your writing conveys your attitude toward the subject material and, to some extent, toward your audience. Your word choice conveys the attitude that you feel toward what you're writing and who you're writing it to. Examples of tone can range from objective to formal to aggressive to concilatory to appreciative and so on. Here are two examples:
In example one, the writer is taking an aggressive stance toward the reader, possibly alienating those who don't already practice the environmental habits the writer advocates. Calling their actions an "irresponsible, blatant disregard for our environment" could be offensive to some readers, perhaps making those readers unwilling to be open to the writer's larger argument or recommendations.
In example two, the writer is is taking a much more friendly tone, explaining to readers that there are things that we can do to help the environment without shaming readers who don't already practice these actions. This approach is much more likely to encourage readers to continue reading and be more open to the argument the writer is making.
Issues with tone and the success of a piece of writing can also extend to the way a writer talks about a group of people, ranging from gender to religious affiliation to race. Remember that, depending on the text that you're writing, you may have a very diverse group of readers, so tone is important to consider when thinking about your audience. This is just one of the ways that tone and audience are so closely related in the rhetorical decisions you make during the writing process.
As you read over your assignment, you’ll want to make sure you understand all of the steps that your instructor expects you to complete. You’ll also want to check to make sure that your ideas for the project will easily fit into the assignment goals and requirements.
Consider the project steps. Ask yourself:
Pay attention to the requirements. Look for:
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