Tone & Purpose
B2 Lesson 3: How Purpose Changes Text
Goal:
Analyze how an author chooses specific words (Language) and formats (Structure) to achieve their goal.
1. Key Concepts
Objective
មិនលំអៀង (Facts only)
Subjective
លំអៀង (Personal opinion)
Register
កម្រិតភាសា (Formal/Informal)
Rhetorical Q.
សំណួរមិនត្រូវការចម្លើយ
2. Form Follows Function [Image of Chameleon]
Just like a chameleon changes color to survive, a text changes its style to succeed.
To Persuade
- Strong Adjectives ("Amazing")
- Imperatives ("Buy now")
- "You" / "We"
To Inform
- Neutral Facts
- Passive Voice
- Formal Tone
To Entertain
- Descriptive Imagery
- Informal / Slang
- Personal Feelings
3. Comparative Lab: "Plastic Bags"
See how the same topic changes.
Text A: Campaign Poster
"Stop Choking Our Planet!"
Plastic bags are killing our wildlife. Don't be part of the problem. Switch to eco-bags today!
Strong Verb (Choking)
Imperative (Don't be...)
Exclamation Mark (!)
Text B: Government Report
"Plastic Usage Statistics (2024)"
Approximately 10 million plastic bags are used daily. A new law has been proposed to reduce consumption by 50%.
Passive Voice (has been proposed)
Data (10 million)
Objective Tone
Text C: Personal Blog
"My Plastic Nightmare"
Ugh! I hate it when my plastic bag rips and my apples roll everywhere. It was so embarrassing!
Interjection (Ugh!)
Personal Pronoun (I, My)
Emotive Language (Hate, Embarrassing)
4. Text Analyzer
Excerpt: "Are you tired of slow internet? Upgrade to FiberMax now!"
1. What is the primary purpose?Excerpt: "The internet speed was measured at 50Mbps during the test period."
2. Which language feature is used here?Excerpt: "Don't miss out on this opportunity!"
3. "Don't miss out" is an example of: