Tone/Word Choice
Question: Read the following sentence:
"The chilly, misty morning offered a gloomy and ominous backdrop to the old, deserted house."
What word/s most strongly contribute to a negative or foreboding tone?
Gloomy or ominous
Identify the type of figurative language used in the following sentence: "The wind howled its mournful song outside the window."
Personification (giving the non-human wind the human action of "howling" and the human quality of a "song").
What is one common way an author helps create suspense by controlling the information given to the reader?
They use withholding information (leaving out details, clues, or a character's motives) or creating a mystery so the reader is uncertain about what will happen next.
Define foreshadowing in one sentence
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which an author gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story.
What is the difference between a story's topic (what the story is about) and its theme (the central idea or message)?
The topic is the subject matter (e.g., war, friendship, revenge). The theme is the message or insight the author shares about that topic (e.g., War leads to inevitable loss or True friendship requires sacrifice).
Question: What is the most evident tone in this passage, and which specific words (adjectives or verbs) help establish it?
Passage: "With a hasty glance at the clock, he bolted out the door, shoving the crumpled note into his pocket. He couldn't be late again; the consequences were too severe."
The tone is anxious or urgent. Words like "hasty," "bolted," and the phrase "couldn't be late again; the consequences were too severe" all contribute to this tone.
Explain the meaning of the metaphor in the following sentence: "The library was a cavern of silence, filled with stacks of knowledge."
The metaphor means that the library is a large, enclosed space ("cavern") that is very quiet ("of silence"). The comparison emphasizes the vastness and profound stillness of the library.
Passage: "He felt the presence behind him. He knew he should run. Now. But his feet remained cemented to the floor. A drop of sweat traced a cold path down his spine, and the sound of silence was suddenly louder than a thousand drums."
Question: What technique is the author using by employing very short sentences, like "Now," and a series of fragmented thoughts?
The author is using pacing (or sentence structure) to create suspense. The short, fragmented sentences speed up the reading rhythm and mimic the rapid, panicked thoughts of the character, making the reader feel anxious.
Passage: "Before the hike, Sarah accidentally cut her thumb while sharpening her knife. She laughed it off, but a dark stain of blood remained on the map she was holding."
Question: What might the dark stain of blood on the map foreshadow?
It might foreshadow danger, injury, or violence that Sarah or her group will encounter during the hike.
Question: Read the following summary:
"A young student spends months studying for a test, sacrificing their free time and sleep, but ultimately fails. They learn that their mental health is more important than a single grade."
What is the main theme conveyed by this summary?
The main theme is that mental health and well-being are more valuable than success or achievement (or, Balance is necessary for success).
Question: A writer is describing a vast, ancient forest. Consider these two options for a sentence:
Option A: The trees were big, and the shadows were dark.
Option B: The gargantuan oaks loomed, casting inscrutable shadows.
Which option (A or B) establishes a more formal and mysterious tone, a
*Double points*: What is the technical term for the difference in word choice between the two?
The technical term for the difference in word choice is diction (or levels of diction). The words "gargantuan" and "inscrutable" are more specific and sophisticated (higher/more formal diction) than "big" and "dark" (simpler/more common diction).
Read the following quote: "I’ve told you to put your phone away a million times!" What is the effect of the hyperbole (exaggeration) in this statement? Does it suggest the speaker is frustrated, playful, or sad?
The effect is to emphasize the speaker's frustration or exasperation. The exaggeration is used to stress how frequently the speaker has made the same request.
If an author wants to create a feeling of dread and suspense, they might describe a setting where the weather is stormy, the light is dim, and familiar objects seem distorted. What is the literary term for how the setting influences the reader's emotions?
The literary term is mood (or atmosphere). The author creates a suspenseful mood by using sensory details in the setting (dark, stormy, distorted) to make the reader feel uneasy.
Passage: "Don't worry about the old lighthouse," the captain said with a dismissive wave. "It hasn't been used in fifty years. We'll be fine taking this shortcut through the shallows. What could possibly go wrong?"
Question: How is the captain's careless question, "What could possibly go wrong?" an example of foreshadowing?
This is a subtle type of foreshadowing where the captain's overconfidence or ironic statement strongly suggests that something will go wrong (often leading to a negative event or disaster).
In a story where the main character battles a dishonest corporation for control of their town, the primary external conflict is Person vs. Society. What is a likely theme that could arise from this type of conflict?
A likely theme is that standing up for one's beliefs against powerful forces is necessary (or, Corruption must be challenged or The individual can fight injustice).
Question: How does the tone shift after the word "However," and what is the connotation of the word "secure" in the context of the campsite?
Passage: The explorer, weary but determined, finally reached the summit. The valley below was a magnificent tapestry of green and gold, bathed in the soft, nurturing light of the afternoon sun. However, his joy vanished when he spotted a single plume of smoke rising from what he knew to be his previously secure campsite.
Tone Shift: The tone shifts from reverent, peaceful, or admiring (before "However") to alarmed, disturbed, or disappointed (after "However").
Connotation of "secure": It connotes that the campsite was previously safe, protected, or free from danger, implying that its safety has now been threatened.
Question: An oxymoron is a combination of two contradictory words (e.g., jumbo shrimp). Identify the oxymoron in the sentence below, and explain why the speaker might choose this phrase to describe the action.
Sentence: "The shy student offered a loud whisper to his friend, trying to share a secret without the teacher hearing."
The oxymoron is "loud whisper." The speaker chose this phrase to show the tension between the need to keep the secret quiet ("whisper") and the need to be heard over the noise or across a short distance ("loud"). It means the whisper was just barely audible but stronger than a typical whisper.
Passage: "The door handle slowly turned. He held his breath. No one should be here! Not now!"
Question: How does the author use exclamation marks in the final sentence to build suspense, and what effect does this punctuation have on the perceived volume and emotion of the character's thoughts?
The exclamation marks create suspense by conveying panic, urgency, or extreme fear. They show the character's thoughts are not calm but shouted or screamed internally, which heightens the emotional intensity for the reader.
Passage: "Elias loved the clock tower, but he noticed that the minute hand had stuck at exactly ten minutes past midnight for the third day in a row. It was a sign, he thought, that his time in the city was quickly coming to an end."
Question: Besides directly stating his feeling, what symbolic element in the passage foreshadows Elias's departure or the end of a phase in his life?
The broken or stuck clock at midnight is a symbol of time stopping or running out, which foreshadows the end of Elias's time in the city.
If an author explicitly states the moral or message of the story (e.g., "The boy finally understood that greed only leads to loneliness"), is this usually considered stronger writing than a theme that is implicit (suggested through characters' actions)? Explain your reasoning.
No. Generally, an implicit theme is considered stronger or more sophisticated writing. When a theme is implicit, the author shows the message through actions, dialogue, and consequences, forcing the reader to interpret the meaning. An explicit theme can sound too simplistic or like a lecture.
Question: This passage has a complex, dual tone. What are the two contrasting tones at play, and what specific word choice creates each one?
Passage: The old librarian, with her spectacles perched on her nose and a firm, unyielding grip on the stack of overdue books, surveyed the room. Her mouth was set in a thin line, yet a faint, almost imperceptible twinkle occasionally animated her eyes as she watched the children eagerly selecting their summer reads.
Tone 1: Strict, Stern, or Austere. Created by words like "firm," "unyielding," and the description of her mouth as a "thin line."
Tone 2: Warm, Amused, or Affectionate. Created by the words "faint," "imperceptible twinkle," and the phrase "eagerly selecting their summer reads."
Passage: "The runner was exhausted, her legs pumping furiously but gaining no ground. She felt as though she were trying to swim through warm, thick molasses, each movement requiring a punishing, sluggish effort."
Question: The passage uses an extended simile. What specific feeling or idea does the comparison to "molasses" convey about the runner's experience?
*Double Points*what is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?
Conveyed Idea: The comparison conveys a feeling of extreme difficulty, slow motion, and resistance. It illustrates that the runner's effort is not effective and her movement is being slowed down by an invisible force.
Difference: A simile is a direct comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as." A metaphor is a direct statement that one thing is another thing (without using "like" or "as").
Passage: "She knew the treasure was buried under the big oak tree, but the storm was gathering on the horizon, promising to wipe away the last usable landmarks. She had minutes, maybe less. What if I dig in the wrong spot? What if I never find it? A crack of thunder shook the ground."
Question: Name two different literary elements in this passage that the author uses to build suspense, and provide one specific example for each.
Conflict/Threat: The external conflict is the gathering storm and the threat of the landmarks being wiped out.
Internal Conflict/Doubt: The internal conflict is the character's doubt/fear shown through the questions: "What if I dig in the wrong spot? What if I never find it?" (This can also be categorized as Foreshadowing/Doubt).
Pacing/Time Limit: The author uses the ticking clock or time constraint ("She had minutes, maybe less") to create urgency.
Passage: The hero, Sir Kaelen, donned his armor. His faithful squire looked at him, tears welling up. "Promise me you will return safely," the squire pleaded. Sir Kaelen smiled grimly. "I promise only this: I will do what must be done, no matter the cost."
Question: Analyze the hero's final line and the squire's tears. What specific fate is the author most likely foreshadowing for the hero, and how do the words "grimly" and "cost" reinforce this prediction?
Foreshadowed Fate: The author is foreshadowing the hero's death or a great personal sacrifice.
Reinforcement: The word "grimly" suggests he is not truly confident or happy, and the word "cost" implies the price of victory will be high—possibly his own life.
Passage: A character who refuses to share their food during a famine eventually loses all their friends, and when they finally need help, no one is there for them.
Question: What is the universal theme presented in this passage
*Double Points*: Which literary device, often related to the character's final situation, supports this theme?
Universal Theme: The universal theme is Selfishness leads to isolation (or, You reap what you sow or Kindness is rewarded).
Literary Device: The device is often situational irony (or poetic justice). It is ironic that the character who hoarded resources eventually faces the ultimate resource deficit—social support—which is the direct result of their own earlier actions.