AUTHOR’S

STY

LE

WHAT IS IT?

• Author’s style is the particular way the writer uses language

- Syntax (simple or complicated)

- Diction/Dialogue (types of words used formal vs. informal)

- Tone/Mood

- Perspective/Point of View

- Paragraph structure

- Other literary elements

• Individualized use of style determines author’s voice.

- An author’s distinctive literary style, basic vision and general attitude toward the world.

THINK OF IT THIS WAY…

• When you hear the word style, you may think of the way your friends dress...

• Or the way a baseball player swings a bat.

• A person’s style is created by how he/she does something – whether its selecting clothes or playing a sport.

HOW TO DETERMINE STYLE

• Look at the way the author is using language in the text

- Is the dialogue realistic?

- Are the sentences short and conversational, or long and complicated?

- Are the tone and mood lighthearted? If not, what are they?

- How is the author/speaker delivering their message?

DICTION

• Diction is the choice and use of words and phrases in a piece of writing.

• A writer’s style comes from the choices he/she makes by arranging words on a page.

- Should I use a long word, or a short word?

- Do I want a simple sentence, or a long complex one?

- How is the writer encouraging understanding?

• Examples:

- What type of diction will you use to convince your mom to extend your weekend curfew?

FROM DICTION TO…?

• How are they using their words in a piece of text?

• What are their words implying CONNOTATION

• How does their use of diction help us to understand the tone/mood or a piece?

• Is their diction formal or informal? Is it effective?

- What’s the context?

- Who’s the audience?

- What’s the purpose?

- Who’s the speaker?

FROM DICTION TO…? (EXAMPLE)

• Think about perspective, context, and how both affect the speaker

- Scenario: You are a reformed, former prisoner who became a counselor and motivational speaker to help at- risk teenagers. When delivering your message, will you be more formal or more informal? Why?

- “Anytime you live in the twentieth century, 1964, and you walkin' around here singing “We Shall Overcome,” the government has failed us. This is part of what’s wrong with you, you do too much singing. Today it’s time to stop singing and start swinging.”

CONNOTATION AND DICTION

• Are there any “heavy connotation” words as I’m reading? (i.e. heavy suitcase?)

- “Whether you are a Christian, Muslim, or nationalist, we all have the same problem. They don’t hang you because you’re a Baptist; they hang you 'cause you’re black.”

(Note: What is emphasized and why?)

RECAP: TONE/MOOD

• What are they?

• What’s the difference?

• Examples:

- “Nina and her dad frolicked on the playground.”

- “’I’ll drag you to court!’ Mr. Smith shouted.”

- “I speak as a victim of America’s so-called ‘democracy.’’’

SYNTAX

• What is it?

- The way the author arranges words and phrases to create well-formed and effective sentences (i.e. how a writer puts words and phrases together to effectively make their point)

• Pacing of the words and ideas

- Think of sentence length

- In order to slow down the pace, the author will use longer, more complicated sentences (e.g. textbooks, long novels, etc.)

- In order to quicken the pace, the author will use shorter, simpler sentences.

- What was the pacing like for MLK’s IHAD speech?

LOOKING FOR SYNTAX

• Is what they’re saying implicit or explicit? How do you know?

• How is the information being organized on the page?

- Position: where you put something in a sentence

- Isolation: setting it off by itself (dash, quotation marks, parenthesis, etc.)

a) “I speak as a victim of America’s so-called ‘democracy.’”

- Repetition: number of times something is repeated

- Proportion: size or importance of the idea and how much of the piece the idea takes up

• These things are all done on purpose. Is it effective and how?

DISCOVERING SYNTAX

• Questions to ask yourself

- Are the sentences simple and direct, or are they long and complicated?

- Does the author ask rhetorical questions?

- Does the author use repetition for emphasis?

AUTHOR’S STYLE ASSESSMENT

• Read this passage and identify which statement on the next slide correctly describes its style

“But what bothered him even more was when his father’s eyes went away. Usually it happened when it didn’t cause any particular trouble. Sometimes during a meal his father’s fork would stop halfway to his mouth, just stop, and there would be a long pause while the eyes went away, far away.

AUTHOR’S STYLE ASSESSMENT (CONT.)

• Which statement correctly describes the passage’s style?

• Style 1

The writer uses imagery and idioms to create a light tone about a serious subject.

• Style 2

Repetition and vivid imagery help show a young man’s struggle to understand his father.

TOPIC SENTENCES

• What is it?

• Adventure Tourism

Adventure Tourism is a different way for tourists to se New Zealand. This type of tourism uses the plentiful natural resources – mountains, rivers, lakes, wilderness areas and historical sites to provide adventure, thrills and challenges which are low risk but high excitement. For example, the coastal areas in New Zealand are great for canoeing and kayaking. White-water rafting is another popular water adventure. However, if you would rather keep your feet on the ground, New Zealand has over 10 developed walkways in addition to the tracks in the 12 National Parks. Because more and more tourists are interested in learning about New Zealand by doing exciting and unusual activities, adventure tourism will continue to grow.

TOPIC SENTENCES (EXAMPLES)

• Time Management

No matter how you slice it, there are only 24 hours in a day. To be successful at university, students need to learn good time-management skills. The first skill is not taking on more than you can handle. If you are working part-time, have a family, and are involved in a community organization, then taking a full course-load at college will be too much. Another time management skill is estimating the time required to perform tasks. For example, reading a hard chapter from a textbook cannot be done quickly in between TV programs. Finally, actually doing what needs to be done seems obvious, but it is a very difficult skill. You may find that cleaning out your closet is more important that starting or finishing that difficult essay for class. Procrastination is a time manager’s enemy. By learning time management skills, your university will be successful and enjoyable.

TOPIC SENTENCES (EXAMPLES)

• Have Heart

The heart weighs about 11 ounces and is the size of a clenched fist. The human heart performs at about 60-80 beats a minute. In a year it beats some 40 million times. At each beat it takes nearly a quarter of a pint of blood; in a single day it pumps 2,200 gallons of blood, and in the course of a lifetime about 56 million gallons. Is there any other engine capable of carrying such a heavy work over such a long period of time without needing to be repaired? Obviously the human heart is a small, yet highly efficient, piece of equipment.