Lesson 3 (Diction, Tone, and Style)

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1. Creative Writing
A Writer’s Voice:
Diction, Tone and Style
Presentation Prepared by
ERNA B. SAGNOY, LPT

2. Objectives
Attheendofthelesson,thestudentswillbeableto:
•differentiatediction,toneandstyle
•utilizelanguagetoevokeemotionalandintellectualresponses
fromtheirreaders
•writeshortparagraphsbasedontheirspecificexperiences.

3. Bellwork
1 good
thing
about
yourself
“The fox jumps”
Write a sentence of at least 35
words by expanding this:
Example:
The quick, brown fox jumps over the lazy dog near the
bank of a river.

4. Source: www.dictionary.com
Dictionreferstothechoiceanduseof
wordsandphrasesinspeechorwriting.
Forcreativewriting,ithasamore
inventive,imaginative,andpicturesque
diction(Nery,2017).

5. Source: www.literary.net
Tone,inwrittencomposition,isan
attitudeofawritertowardasubjector
anaudience.Toneisgenerallyconveyed
throughthechoiceofwords,orthe
viewpointofawriteronaparticular
subject.

6. Source: www.literary.com
Stylecomprisesmanyliterarydevices
thatanauthoremploystocreatea
distinctfeelforawork.Thesedevices
include,butarenotlimitedto,pointof
view,symbolism,tone,imagery,diction,voice,
syntax,andthemethodofnarration.

7. Diction
•Bytheauthor’sdiction,youcanidentifywhichwritings
arecomediesandtragedies;lovepoemsorfairytales;horrorstories
orpsychologicalthrillers;teenagejuveniliaormatureworksofthe
sameauthor(Nery,2017)

8. Style
•Styleisprettymuchrelatedtodictionbecause,sometimes,
justbymerediction,youcantellwhethertheauthoris
male,female,gay,Filipino,orforeigner,orjustthreeyearsold!
(Nery,2017)

9. •You may even be able to tell which authorwrote which
poemor novelwithout looking at the byline or book cover.
Therefore, the author’s style of writing is greatly related
to his/her dictionor choice of words (Nery, 2017).
•Styleis simply the way in which an author writes and/or
tells a story. It’s what sets one author apart from another
and creates the “voice” that audiences hear when they
read.
Source: https://literaryterms.net/style/
Style

10. Stylelets an author share his content in the way that he
wants. Say, an author needs to describe a situation where he
witnessed a girl picking a flower:
•She picked a red rose from the ground.
•Scarlet was the rose that she plucked from the earth.
•From the ground she delicately plucked the ruby rose, cradling
it in her hands as if it were a priceless jewel.
Source: https://literaryterms.net/style/
Style

11. Tone
•Itcanbelightasinajoke,severeasinasermon,friendlyas
inaletter,seductiveasinalovepoem,technicalasinan
instructionmanual,seriousasinacontract,coldanddistant
asinanautopsyreport,orpassionateandelectrifyingasina
goodpoliticalspeech(Nery,2017).
•Thewriter’stonecreatesanatmosphereormoodforthe
story.

12. Example #1
Father: “We are going on a vacation.”
Son: “That’s great!!!”
–The tone of son’s response is very cheerful.
Source: https://literarydevices.net/tone/
Example #2
Father: “We can’t go on vacation this summer.”
Son: “Yeah, great! That’s what I expected.”
–The son’s tone is sarcastic.
Tone

13. Can your
dictionbe elegant
and still have a
harshtone?
Can you insult
someone using a
polishedand
gorgeous diction?

14. “Oh, my! What a beautiful
dress you have. Did you
just make it? The fabric is
just glorious; we had it for
curtains at home.”

15. Your writing style is affected by your diction.
Your unique and special literary voice is a product of your
diction, imagination, experience, dreams, and ambition
Your diction is your voice, is your style, is your art.
Keep it unique!

16. 1. Select an excerpt of your favorite book or line of your favorite
poem.
2. Draw the passage or line that you have selected using any
medium you like (crayons, watercolor, pastel, ink, paint, etc.)
3. The drawing can be expressive of your feelings, or symbolic of
your personality.
4. It must have a brief explanation.
5. Use oslopaper and upload the picture in the Google Classroom.
6. Fill the whole page. Make art!
Submission: October 16, 2020 (Friday)