Voice and Style

Diction, Syntax, and Tone

Elements of Voice

• Diction or Choice of Words• Syntax or Grammatical

Structure• Tone or Attitude (Mood)

Diction (Choice of Words)

• Describe diction by considering the following words:– Colloquial expressions---nonstandard,

often regional, language use for informal or conversational speech and writing

– Example: Coca cola, coke, pop, or soda?

– Slang – Example: Frenemy, Supersize

Diction

– Jargon—words and expressions characteristic of a particular trade, profession, or pursuit

– Example: Think of one from the Business world:

– Dialect—nonstandard subgroup of language with its own vocabulary and grammatical features

– Example:

Diction

• Concrete Diction—specific words that describe physical qualities or conditions

• Example: • Abstract Diction—language that

denotes ideas, emotions, conditions, or concepts that are intangible.

• Example:

Diction

• Denotation—exact, literal definition of a word

• Example: • Connotation—implicit rather than

explicit meaning of a word and consists of suggestions, associations, and emotional overtones

• Example:

Diction

• Words may be:– Euphonious (pleasant

sounding)– Example:– Cacophonous (harsh

sounding)– Example:

Diction

– Monosyllabic—one syllable– Example: earth

– Polysyllabic---two or more syllables

– Example: planet

Syntax (grammatical structure)

• Sentence Types and Kinds• Simple (one independent clause)• Example: John loves his math

class.• Compound (2 or more IC)• Example: John loves his math

class, but Sally adores Accounting I.

Syntax (grammatical structure)

• Complex (one IC, one or more dependent clauses)

• Example: Although John loves his math class, his highest grade is in history.

Syntax (grammatical structure)

• Compound-Complex• Example: Although John

loves his math class, his highest grade is in history; however, all of his grades are above average.

Syntax

• Sentences may be:– Declarative ***fact

• Example :– Interrogative ****questions

• Example: – Imperative ****command

• Example: – Exclamatory

• Example:

Syntax

• Sentence Length and EmphasisLengthTelegraphic—shorter than five words in lengthMedium ---approximately 18 words in lengthLong and Involved (30 plus words)

Syntax

• Emphasis—– Loose or cumulative sentence---makes

complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending

– Example: He resigned after denouncing his accusers and asserting his own innocence time and time again.

– (notice the first part of the sentence).

Syntax

– Periodic Sentence---makes sense only when the end of the sentence is reached.

– Example: After denouncing his accusers and asserting his own innocence time and time again, the State Department Official resigned.

– (The most important part of the sentence is the information at the end).

Syntax---Emphasis

• Balanced Sentence---phrases or clauses balance each other by likeness of structure, meaning, or length

• Example: John loves math class, and Sally prefers Accounting I.

Syntax---Emphasis

• Natural order of sentence---subject before the predicate

• Example: • Inverted order of a sentence---

predicate before the subject• Example: Tears were shed by

the defeated team.

Syntax---Emphasis

• Juxtaposition---poetic and rhetorical device placing normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases next to one another.

• Example: The spring in his step, like the spring of the year, brought together the two families.

Syntax---Emphasis

• Parallel structure---grammatical or structural similarity between sentences or parts of sentences

• Example: • Repetition---words, sounds, and

ideas are used more than once• Example:

Syntax---Emphasis

• Rhetorical question---question that requires no answer

• Example:• Rhetorical fragment---

fragment used deliberately for persuasive purpose

• Example:

Tone---

• Remember that tone is an effect. A sentence stem to use in writing would be:

• Establishing a tone of ---------------through the use of -----------------, ---------------------, and --------------. Or

• Establishing a mocking tone through the use of dialogue, monosyllabic words, and repeated phrases, the writer…