Unit One
Vocab
Voice
The author's unique style
•
Conveys the author’s attitude, personality, and character
(Can you discern the “voices” in the following clips?)
Diction
A writer’s word choice
•
Deals with the level
of formality in a piece
•
Deals with the level
of connotation in a
piece
Types of Diction
There are three types of
diction:
•
HIGH DICTION/FORMAL: Dignified, and often impersonal
using elaborate, or sophisticated vocabulary.
•
NEUTRAL DICTION/MIDDLE: Follows grammar rules and
uses common, easily understood vocabulary.
Examples of Diction
•
HIGH DICTION/FORMAL: The domicile which we
determined would be our primary residence during our
anticipated sojourn in that region of the country exuded
an aura of colonial charm not without a certain rustic
exuberance, all of which we considered to be essential for
our assimilation into our new environment.
•
NEUTRAL DICTION/MIDDLE: The home we chose while we
lived temporarily in that part of the country was both
picturesque and simple. We decided that we needed such
a house if we were going to feel like we belonged there.
Analyzing Diction
Read this passage from A Catcher in the Rye and determine
what level of formality the diction in this piece is written in.
If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll
probably want to know is where I was born, and what my
lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied
and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield
kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to
know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and,
in the second place, my parents would have about two
Think Pair Share
With a partner, choose one of the scenarios below and write a short
scene of dialogue (a conversation) between two people, using your
normal informal level of diction.
1) You are talking with your friends at your locker before school, and you just realized you did not do your homework for your first class.
2) You and your friends go to Buffalo Wild Wings, and you notice that Aaron Rodgers is seated at the table next to you.
3) You are at the football game, when you see your boyfriend/girlfriend flirting with another person.
4) You are riding the bus to school when a mother with small children gets on. As they move to their seats, one of the children slips and falls on you, getting something sticky all over your jeans.
5) You and your friends are walking around at the mall when, over the loud speaker, they call your name and tell you to report immediately to the mall service/information center. 6) You are riding in a friend’s car to a football game when a car with fans from your
Think Pair Share
Now, rewrite the scene in a highly formal diction.
1) You are talking with your friends at your locker before school, and you just realized you did not do your homework for your first class.
2) You and your friends go to Buffalo Wild Wings, and you notice that Aaron Rodgers is seated at the table next to you.
3) You are at the football game, when you see your boyfriend/girlfriend flirting with another person.
4) You are riding the bus to school when a mother with small children gets on. As they move to their seats, one of the children slips and falls on you, getting something sticky all over your jeans.
5) You and your friends are walking around at the mall when, over the loud speaker, they call your name and tell you to report immediately to the mall service/information center.
