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Web viewIt is expected that you are more insightful than this and can analyse what the word choice, ... Satirical. Bemused ... and by the time he left he’d be a man and I

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Page 1: Web viewIt is expected that you are more insightful than this and can analyse what the word choice, ... Satirical. Bemused ... and by the time he left he’d be a man and I

Mrs Phenix Close Reading Revision

When reading a close reading passage, it is an important skill to be able to identify the correct tone.

Very basically tone is the attitude of the writer. The way he or she says something, affecting the mood of the passage.

When reading a passage, think about how you hear the words you are reading in your head. If the writer was speaking directly to you, how would you describe the way he or she is talking?

It is essential to get as much practise as possible identifying tone, as sometimes pupils take everything the writer says seriously without realising that the writer was being sarcastic or humorous.

Furthermore, when identifying tone, it is not enough to say that the tone of the passage, or the attitude of the writer is either positive or negative. It is expected that you are more insightful than this and can analyse what the word choice, sentence structure and so forth, suggests about the tone.

A good place to start might be becoming familiar with some interesting vocabulary to describe tone.

For example:

If you are unsure about the meaning of any of these words, highlight them and make sure that you learn them.

When you read a passage ask yourself ‘Would I describe the tone as bitter, critical, optimistic?’ etc.

Bitter Critical Optimistic Hopeful Apologetic Sincere Hostile Cynical Disapproving Accusatory Envious Condescending Compassionate Apprehensive Clinical Surprised Authoritative

Pessimistic Confused Anxious Serious Enthusiastic Furious Sympathetic Concerned Reluctant Insulting Jovial Forthright Appreciative Depressed Formal Infuriated Persuasive

Humorous Sarcastic Ironic Disappointed Mocking Apathetic Gloomy Judgmental Earnest Contemplative Whimsical Agitated Calm Humble Regretful Doubtful Demanding

Morose Matter of fact Reflective Satirical Bemused Solemn Light-hearted Patronising Haughty Irritated Impatient Flippant Comical Disinterested Cold Shocked Self-deprecating

Tone

Page 2: Web viewIt is expected that you are more insightful than this and can analyse what the word choice, ... Satirical. Bemused ... and by the time he left he’d be a man and I

Mrs Phenix Close Reading Revision

When you have identified the tone, ask yourself ‘Why do I think this?’ You have not plucked the tone you have identified out of nowhere. There has been something, which has made you identify this tone, whether it was the brevity of the sentences, the connotations of the words chosen etc.

The formula for answering a tone question and receiving three marks are:• Identify the tone (1)• Quote words or phrases that create this tone (1) • Analyse how those words/phrases create the tone (examine in detail/explain) (1)

Below is a table with an exemplar from a passage, with an easily identifiable tone. Describe the tone and explain how it is created for 3 marks each.

PassageExemplar

Identify the tone

How do you know this? Evidence and techniques e.g. word choice, sentence structure, imagery etc.

Explain the effect

I couldn’t believe the cheek of the boy, sitting there with his smug, self-satisfied face and his stupid, malformed ears glowing with pride.

Irritable Hateful Critical

etc.

Sentence structure: list

Word choice: ‘malformed’, ‘stupid’, ‘cheek’ and ‘smug’

The writer creates a tone of distain. This is created through the use of word choice to describe the boy’s attitude e.g. ‘cheek’, ‘smug’, ‘self-satisfied’ and ‘pride’.‘Cheek’ suggests being offensively bold, ‘smug’ suggests gloating about something, which others find unfavourable and ‘self-satisfied’ and ‘pride’ suggests that the boy is only interested in him, and is not remorseful about his cheeky behaviour. The use of a list to demonstrate the boy’s dislikeable attitude shows just how irritated the writer is with the boy. As the list expands the writer becomes more annoyed with the boy using stronger and more intolerant adjectives to describe not only his attitude but his appearance e.g. ‘stupid’ and ‘malformed’. The boy has no control over the appearance of his ‘stupid, malformed ears’ illustrating that the writer is now so vexed by the boy that it is not just his attitude but his appearance too.

The day had gone brilliantly. I crashed my car in the morning, got sacked by an unsympathetic boss for being late and found my wife kissing my best friend in my living room, when I returned home early from what used to be my work.

Yet Ireland has managed to attract its young

Page 3: Web viewIt is expected that you are more insightful than this and can analyse what the word choice, ... Satirical. Bemused ... and by the time he left he’d be a man and I

Mrs Phenix Close Reading Revision

entrepreneurs back to help drive a burgeoning economy. We must try to do likewise. We need immigrants. We cannot grow the necessary skills fast enough to fill the gap sites. We need people with energy and commitment and motivation, three characteristics commonly found among those whose circumstances prompt them to make huge sacrifices to find a new life.He walked into the immense cathedral, looked down the length of his nose and simply sniffed, proclaiming a tiny ‘humph’, before just glancing around. The golden coloured alter, with intricate brass carving he dismissed as ‘brass and stuff’. The flowers he shrugged at, before turning on his heels, unimpressed and bored.

How could you allow them to trample all over the evidence? If a herd of buffaloes had come along they would have made less mess!

He was starting school, and by the time he left he’d be a man and I’d be middle-aged. Those long days of afternoons together were over. My baby was joining the world. I missed him already.

More practise from past papers:

Look at this extract from an article about technology in 2033:

Page 4: Web viewIt is expected that you are more insightful than this and can analyse what the word choice, ... Satirical. Bemused ... and by the time he left he’d be a man and I

Mrs Phenix Close Reading Revision

As you move about your kitchen, you stub your toe, hard, on the edge of a cabinet — ouch! You grab your mobile device and open the diagnostics app. Inside your device there is a tiny microchip that uses low—radiation submillimetre waves to scan your body like an x-ray. A quick scan reveals that your toe is just bruised, not broken. You decline the invitation to get a second opinion at a nearby doctor’s office.

There’s a bit of time left before you need to leave for work — which you’ll get to by driverless car, of course. Your commute will be as productive or relaxing as you desire.

1. What is the tone of the final paragraph, and how is this created? (3)

This is an extract from an article where the writer explores some of the reasons for the popularity of reality TV shows such as “The X Factor”:

So why, after a decade of phone-in rows, vote-rigging accusations and celebrity hungry wannabes with bloated egos, does the British public remain so in love with reality television?

2. Explain how the writer conveys a tone of disapproval. (3)

This is an extract from an article where the author describes the harsh conditions of life in North Africa.

Those who call themselves environmentalists celebrate the fact that deserts are not properly inhabited anymore. “Leave nothing and take away nothing,” read the signs at the gates of the nature reserves. Practical advice, perhaps, but is there not something melancholy in what that says about modern man’s desired relationship with nature? Will we one day confine ourselves to watching large parts of our planet from observation towers?

3. Identify the tone in this paragraph and explain how the writer achieves this. (3)

This is Question 3(b) in the 2005 paper.

Survivors of essentially random impact catastrophes – cosmic accidents – were those creatures who just happened to be “lucky” enough to find themselves alive after the dust settled. It doesn’t matter how well a creature may have been able to survive in a particular environment before the event – being thumped on the head by a large object from space during the event is not conducive to a long and happy existence.

4. Explain how the writer creates a slightly humorous tone in lines 34 – 43. (2)