Voice, Tone, and Style in Writing — Flashcards

Grade 11 · English · Flashcards

Key terms for voice, tone, diction, and style in 11th grade English writing.

Flashcards

Voice: The distinctive personality created by a writer's cumulative stylistic choices
Tone: The writer's emotional attitude toward subject or audience
Diction: Word choice — selecting specific words for their meaning, sound, and connotation
Syntax: The arrangement of words into sentences; sentence structure used for effect
Connotation: Emotional associations of a word beyond its literal dictionary definition
Denotation: The literal, dictionary definition of a word — its factual meaning
Personification: Giving human characteristics to non-human things
Sardonic: Dryly mocking and cynical tone, expressing contempt through understatement
Minimalist Style: Sparse, economical writing using short sentences and understated description (e.g., Hemingway)
Sentence Variety: Mixing short and long sentences to create rhythm, emphasis, and readability
Elevated Diction: Formal, precise, sophisticated word choice appropriate for academic writing
Colloquial Diction: Casual, conversational language including contractions and informal expressions