Understanding Voicein composition

Mr. Kreher Referencing: Dean, Nancy. Discovering voice : voice lessons for middle and high school. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House

Pub, 2006. Print.

What is voice?

http://www.evangogh.org/images/paintings/self-portrait.jpg & http://uploads7.wikipaintings.org/images/vincent-van-gogh/self-portrait-with-bandaged-ear-1889-1.jpg

Consider this sentence

The little pink fish swam upstream and died.

Rewrite the sentence and make it sad. Rewrite the sentence and make it funny.

What did you have to change to make it sad/funny?

Elements of Voice Diction – word choice Detail Figurative language – metaphor, simile,

personification Imagery Syntax – the sentence structure / word order Tone – author’s attitude

Diction Diction refers to the author’s choice of words

She looks around her house for her purse. She rummages around her house for her

purse.

He hung out in his house all summer. He hunkered down in his house all summer.

Tired words Good Nice Pretty Beautiful Fine Bad Thing Really Very Terrible Wonderful A lot

A redheaded woman was there with Trout. Kate could see her rummaging through the cabin, dumping drawers and knocking things from the shelves of cabinets.

-Louis Sachar, Holes

How is it different than Kate could see her searching through the cabin, emptying

drawers and taking things off of the shelves of cabinets.

Write a sentence a small boy making a mess in a restaurant. Choose words that are clear, concise, and concrete.