Tone, Audience & Purpose in Essays

Introduction: Paragraph in an Essay

Imagine reading a single, lengthy paragraph in which one concept blends into the next. Even if you are reading a gripping book or a fascinating news story, you will probably shortly get bored with what the author has to say. It is beneficial to assume the role of a reader when writing. Consider if you can readily concentrate on each argument you make. One strategy used by skilled writers is to start a new paragraph for each new concept they provide.

Ideas are divided into logical, manageable paragraphs. One paragraph contains one major topic and several supporting ideas in a logical order. A paragraph may stand alone if all the sentences in it all support the same idea. Writers combine paragraphs to extend their work and cover many topics.

The substance of each paragraph is influenced by three factors −

• Tone − The perspective the author takes on the topic of the paragraph.

• Audience − the person or group that the author is trying to reach.

• Purpose − the rationale behind the paragraph's composition.

Tone

The speaker's attitude toward a topic or another person can be understood by their tone. In a discussion, you can usually tell a person's voice tone. A buddy who chats with you about her weekend could wax ecstatic about an enjoyable ski vacation. A serious educator could talk slowly and in a low tone to convey her serious demeanour. A co-worker who wants to vent after a lengthy meeting could also make a caustic remark.

Writers may convey a variety of attitudes and feelings through language, from joyful and hilarious to solemn and critical, just as speakers can do with their voice. These linkages between the audience, the author, and the subject result in the development of an audience-text relationship. By using effective techniques like sentence structure, word choice, punctuation, and formal or informal language, authors are able to express their attitudes and sentiments and so activate these connections. Remember that the tone of the writing should always be appropriate for the target audience and the intended goal.

Audience (Choosing the Right one)

Your readers, the audience for your writing assignments, may not physically be there, but they still play a crucial part. Even in routine writing tasks, you must first decide who your readers are and what they are interested in before deciding what to write. In fact, considering your audience when making decisions has become so commonplace that you might not even realise it.

For example, you could change your status on a social networking site knowing that others would be able to see it. You can compose the article to delight your family members if you wish to brag about getting a good score. Write with your friends' senses of humour in mind if you wish to recount an amusing moment. You consider the possibility of an accidental recipient while sending emails, even at work.

The look of a piece of writing is determined by its grammar and sentence structure. Correct grammar will help you wow your readers and draw their attention to what you have to say.

You must consider the particular characteristics of your audience members since concentrating on your target audience will improve your writing, your method, and your ultimate product. Think creatively to foresee the demographics, educational background, past knowledge, and expectations of the readers.

Demographics

These gauge crucial information about a population, such as age distribution, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and gender. These kind of audience considerations may be necessary for certain topics and assignments. These evaluations might not ultimately have an impact on your writing for other subjects or projects. Regardless, it's crucial to take demographics into account while deciding on your writing goal.

Education

This considers the educational background of the audience.

For example, you might need to tone down your vocabulary and raise your approach if certain audience members have doctorates. Alternately, if the audience includes students, you may write in a more informal tone. Your work may also be influenced by the major or emphasis of an audience member.

Prior Knowledge

This speaks to the audience's prior knowledge of your subject. If your readers have studied a certain subject, they may already be familiar with some phrases and ideas. Depending on your audience's past knowledge, you may choose whether to define terminology and explain ideas. Although you can't go into your readers' heads to find out what they know, you may nevertheless make logical conclusions.

For example, it seems to reason that a nursing major would be more knowledgeable about health-related subjects than a business major.

Expectations

These provide readers an idea of what to look for when they read your assignment. The presentation of the assignment should be consistent throughout, including proper language, double-spaced lines, and legible font. Considering the assignment's intent and structure, readers may also have expectations regarding its substance.

For example, readers may anticipate reading about the economic effects of rising college tuition expenses in an essay headed "The Economics of Enlightenment: The Effects of Rising Tuition."

Purpose

The reason you create a specific document is revealed by the objective of the writing. The goal of a work of literature essentially responds to the question "Why?" Why, for example, compose a play? to amuse a theatre full of people. Why provide the babysitter instructions in writing? To explain your timetable and guidelines to him or her. Why should you letter your congressperson? to convince him to attend to the demands of your neighbourhood.

The four primary functions of writing in academic contexts are to

• Summarise

• Analyse

• Synthesise

• Evaluate.

To summarise

A summary paragraph condenses a lengthy piece of text into one that contains just the most important details. A summary simply makes use of the author's words. An academic summary paragraph's goal is to keep all the crucial details from a broader paper, much to the summary's aim in everyday dialogue. A summary should convey all the important ideas and supporting details even if it is shorter than the original piece of literature. In other words, summary sentences need to be brief and direct.

To analyse

An analysis breaks down complicated materials into their component elements and examines how the parts interact.

For example, to analyse plain table salt, the components sodium (Na) and chloride would need to be broken down into their component parts (Cl). The interaction between the two elements to form the chemical NaCl, or sodium chloride, often known as plain table salt, would then be studied by scientists. Of course, analysis is not just used in the sciences. In academic writing, an analysis paragraph serves the same function. Academic analysis paragraphs often break down documents rather than compounds. A primary source (such as an essay, book, newspaper, etc.) is dissected in detail in an analysis. By going over each topic in detail and explaining how they connect to one another, it conveys the essential ideas of the paper.

To synthesise and evaluate

A synthesis combines two or more things to produce a completely unique thing. Consider the synthesiser, a device used in electronic music. It has a straightforward keyboard appearance but shows a dashboard of buttons, levers, and switches. A musician may mix the distinctive sounds of a piano, a flute, a guitar, or any other combination of instruments to create a unique sound by flicking a few switches. The synthesizer's function is to combine the notes from several instruments to create new, original tones.

An academic synthesis is used to combine many texts into one new document. An academic synthesis paragraph considers the key ideas from one or more writings and connects those ideas to form a new idea that is not present in each work.