This lesson is over what makes a writer's voice: tone, word choice, and style. This interactive lesson helps students understand the concepts of tone, word choice, and style. Finally, there are tips for developing your own writer's voice.

1. Developing Writer’s Voice

2. What is writer’s voice?
Writer’s
Voice
Tone
Word
Choice
Style

3. How would you describe their voices?
The next two slides are short videos of comedians.
While you are watching, take notes over the following
questions:
• What creates each comedian’s distinct voice?
• How do they sound?
• What words do they choose, and why does it work for
them?
• What makes them distinctive?
• How are they different?

4. James Corbin Comedian

5. John Oliver Comedian

6. Thoughts?
• Did you notice the different word choices (one cussed
and one didn’t) of the comedians? Could that have to
do with their choice of audience? One is on HBO, and
one is on TV.
• Did you notice the tone of voice? One was more
sarcastic, while one was simply making fun.
• Did you notice the style? One used historical
references, while one used modern references.

7. What is tone?
• A writer’s tone creates the approach or attitude he or
she has towards a topic.
• Tone is expressed through the words and details the
author selects.

8. What are some tone words?
• Just as a speaker’s voice can create a range of
emotions, a writer’s voice can produce a range of
tones, feelings, or judgements.
• How many can you come up with?

9. Let’s practice 1
What tone is used in this sentence?
“I have no doubt that people
on welfare will go to college
and eventually become CEOs
and presidents of companies
because of all the
opportunities they received
as a benefit of early
childhood education.”
Choose an Answer
A. Persuasive
B. Sarcastic
C. Hopeful

10. Let’s practice 1a
What tone is used in this sentence?
“I have no doubt that people
on welfare will go to college
and eventually become CEOs
and presidents of companies
because of all the
opportunities they received
as a benefit of early
childhood education.”
Choose an Answer
A. Persuasive
B. Sarcastic
C. Hopeful

11. Explanation 1
• The clue in this sentence that indicates it is sarcasm
are the words “I have no doubt.”
• If read aloud, you can hear the speaker being
sarcastic. Plus, the idea is over exaggerated.
• Understanding tone, especially sarcasm, is vital for
understanding the point or purpose of a text.

12. Let’s practice 2
What tone is used in this sentence?
“The added benefit of early
childhood education, which
many low-income children
receive, can help move a
child from zero to
valedictorian by the time
they graduate.”
Choose an Answer
A. Praising
B. Bemoaning
C. Accusatory

13. Let’s practice 2a
What tone is used in this sentence?
“The added benefit of early
childhood education, which
many low-income children
receive, can help move a
child from zero to
valedictorian by the time
they graduate.”
Choose an Answer
A. Praising
B. Bemoaning
C. Accusatory

14. Explanation 2
• Here the tone is praising because the author is
explaining how well early childhood education works.
• Unlike the previous example, the ideas here more
realistic and could happen.

15. Let’s practice 3
What tone is used in this sentence?
“Welfare recipients’ children
must attend early childhood
education, or they will never
be able to learn and become
productive members of
society.”
Choose an Answer
A. Ashamed
B. Critical
C. Didactic

16. Let’s practice 3a
What tone is used in this sentence?
“Welfare recipients’ children
must attend early childhood
education, or they will never
be able to learn and become
productive members of
society.”
Choose an Answer
A. Ashamed
B. Critical
C. Didactic

17. Explanation 3
• Didactic means to teach a moral lesson. However, it
has a negative connotation. The didactic teacher is the
boring old professor who thinks he knows it all and
wants you to learn from him.
• This question was tricky, but the clue is the use of the
words “must attend” and “never learn.” They imply
it’s the speaker’s way or the highway.

18. What words do you choose?
• Your choice of nouns, adjectives, and verbs not only
creates tone, but can also develop voice.
• Descriptive nouns, adjectives, and verbs can help you
paint a picture in the reader’s mind that helps express
your unique voice.

19. Consider these examples
When people talk about the
harmful effects of fracking
on their homes and
properties, they often feel
that they have no say in what
companies do or how they
do it.
When neighbors discuss and
debate the devastating and
destructive effects of
fracking on their
neighborhoods, they express
how little control they feel
they actually have when it
comes to the regulation of
oil and gas companies.

20. Consider these examples with answers
When people talk about the
harmful effects of fracking
on their homes and
properties, they often feel
that they have no say in what
companies do or how they
do it.
When neighbors discuss and
debate the devastating and
destructive effects of
fracking on their
neighborhoods, they express
how little control they feel
they actually have when it
comes to the regulation of
oil and gas companies.

21. Word Choice Explanation
• The first example is just fine. Most teachers would
accept it as a B paper.
• However, you can clearly see that the second example
uses rich descriptive nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
• The second example just sounds better. It paints a
clearer picture in the reader’s head.
• The word choice enriches the text.

22. What is style?
• Style is how you write.
• Do you write long sentences with extensive
punctuation, or do you write short choppy sentences
that get right to the point?
• Style can also be how you present your text on the
page. Do you use dashes or commas?

23. Consider these examples: Style
This image caught my
attention because the
background scene almost
went unnoticed—until my
peripheral vision caught it
and pulled me away from the
attractive model staring
directly at me—demanding
my attention.
If it were not for the eyes
staring out at me, I would
have missed the point. The
background is of vital
importance. But it goes
almost unnoticed because of
the model. She draws the
viewer in to recognize the
focal point.

24. Consider these examples: Style with answers
This image caught my
attention because the
background scene almost
went unnoticed—until my
peripheral vision caught it
and pulled me away from the
attractive model staring
directly at me—demanding
my attention.
If it were not for the eyes
staring out at me, I would
have missed the point. The
background is of vital
importance. But it goes
almost unnoticed because of
the model. She draws the
viewer in to recognize the
focal point.

25. Style Explanation
• Both of these examples are well-written and would be
acceptable in a paper. There is nothing wrong
grammatically with either.
• The difference is in the style.
• The first example is all one sentence, whereas the
second one is three separate sentences.
• The first one uses dashes to make information stand
out, whereas the second one simply uses commas

26. How to develop your own writer’s voice
1. Read everyday
• Read widely! Read everything, not just genres you like. Read it all. You will get the chance to see
and hear a variety of voices and styles.
2. Write everyday and let your personality shine
• Writer’s voice develops over time, so you have to write everyday. The more you write the more
you develop your own voice and style.
3. Let go of fear and make mistakes
• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You only learn by making mistakes and taking risks.
4. Edit and revise (but later)
• Don’t edit while you write. Just put your words on the paper. You can always go back and edit it
later. This gives you the ability to focus on your voice and not get bogged down with grammar.
5. Pay attention to details
• Use strong, descriptive words (or don’t if that is your style!). But be sure you know the rules of
grammar and punctuation, so your voice can be heard! Your voice will be lost if your sentences are
not grammatically correct.

27. Think about writer’s voice
Complete the following sentences about writer’s voice.
You should write more than one sentence for each
prompt.
I used to think…
Now I think…