Step 71. TONES and FALLACIES IN WRITING

By the end of this lesson you should be able to identify and explain some tones used in writing and the common fallaciesin writing.

In a spoken language,

A person’s tone of voice and body language will sometime reveal the person’s feelings on a given matter. You may therefore find yourself in a better position to assess the quality of the information given to you and you may be able to solve a problem more efficiently.

In a written language,

The writers don’t always come

right out and say what they are feeling about a particular topic or issue. Thus, it is necessary for the reader to try to determine tone.

TONES IN WRITINGThe importance of recognizing the

tone.

When you read, it is important that you consider the tone of a writer when you deal with contemporary issues and for problem-solving purposes.

Writer’s tone is a reflection of the writer’s attitude or feelings toward a topic or issue. The words and phrases used by the writers will serve as the clues to the writer’s attitude.

The importance of recognizing the tone.

The tone also helps you to determine a writer’s motivations or reasons for writing, which can in turn make it easier for you to recognize bias and distinguish between facts and opinions.

Some tones in writing

Matter-of-fact HumorousAngry Argumentative

Observe the tone…do you recognize it?

Although progress has been made with regard to women’s rights in the United States, it appears that there is room for improvement. There are still jobs not open to them, and they are sometimes paid less than men occupying the same or similar positions. Furthermore, some women have been the victims of sexual harassment on the job. In short, it will take a while longer before we can safely say there is equality between the sexes.

Tone 1:Matter-of-fact

Words are not extreme or slanted. The writer sticks to the facts and presents them in straightforward, unemotional / unbiased manner. The purpose is informational.

What tone is this?… If you believe that there has been much

progress with regard to women’s right in the United States, you probably also believe in the Tooth Fairy. Wake up and smell the aftershave lotion! Women are still excluded from some jobs as if they were suffering from some weird contagious disease. And just compare their pay scales to those of men in certain positions – you could die laughing. Not to mention that some males turn into cavemen when they are around women on the job. Equality between sexes? Give me a break!

Tone 2: Humorous

Is one in which a writer presents information in a lighthearted manner, designed to entertain or make the reader laugh.

State the tone please!

I am sick and tired of hearing how much “progress” has been made with regard to women’s rights in the United States. Women are prevented from filling the same jobs and are paid ridiculously low wages in certain position, compared to men. Furthermore, some men behave obnoxiously when they are around women on the job. It is absurd to say that we have achieved equality between the sexes.

Tone 3 : Angry An angry tone lets you know that the writer is annoyed, irritated or bothered in some way about the subject matter being presented.

The tone? Although some slight progress has been made

with regard to women’s rights in the United States, there is, regrettably, ample room for improvement. It is discouraging to realize that some jobs are still not open to women and that women are too often paid less than men occupying the same or similar positions. Furthermore, some women are still the unfortunate victims of sexual harassment on the job. In short, equality between the sexes at this point remains far beyond our grasp. What a sad state of affairs!

Tone 4 : SadPresented in a downcast manner Gloomy, sorrowful way Negative approachThe writer may be pessimistic

What is the tone used below?

Now that women are in business suits, why don’t we just assume that no further progress needs to be made with regard to women’s rights in the United States? We can simply ignore the fact that some jobs are still not open to them and that they are sometimes paid less than men occupying the same or similar positions. It really doesn’t even matter that some women are still being subjected to sexual harassment on the job. Let’s just proclaim equality between the sexes a fait accompli and get the whole issue behind us.

Tone 5: Ironic

Irony means a method of humorous or sarcastic expression in which the intended meaning of the word used in the direct opposite of their usual sense. Thus an ironic message conveys its meaning by using words to men the opposite of what they usually mean. An ironic event is an occurrence that is the opposite or reverse of what is normally expected.

Can you recognize this tone? Although some slight progress has been

made with regard to women’s rights in the United States, there is, undeniably, ample room for improvement. It has been argued that some jobs are still not open to women and that women are too often paid less than men occupying the same or similar positions. Furthermore, some women are still the unfortunate victims of sexual harassment on the job. In short, it can clearly be seen that equality between the sexes at this point remains far beyond our grasp.

Tone 6 : Argumentative. What did you observe? ?????????

Is there any other tones that you can

think of ?

Examples?

NOW, LET US PROCEED TO

2. LOGICAL FALLACIES IN WRITING

LOGICAL FALLACIES(ERRORS) IN WRITING

Strong, logical ARGUMENTS are essential

but the use of logic errors CAN

DISCREDIT your arguments.

What do we mean by logical errors?

They are logics that are not based on facts. They are common in our everyday communication. A famous example would be:

All ladies are lousy drivers!

Some Common Logical Fallacies

1. Sweeping generalizations2. Oversimplifications3. False cause and effects4. Appeal to popular opinions5. Inappropriate authority figures6. Non Sequitur

1. Sweeping generalizations

Example: All Americans eat fast food.Problem: Maybe every American that

you know eats fast food, but the statement that ALL Americans eat cannot be proven

Solution: Words such as all, always, and never are too broad and should be carefully used.

2. Oversimplification

Example: As Muslims, we should pay zakat.

Problem: The writer gives the impression that every Muslim (including the needy) is obliged to pay zakat.

Solution: Words, situations, positions or concepts need to be carefully explored and explained.

3. False cause and effects

Example: Sex education was introduced in Malaysian secondary schools in 2005. Since then, we have seen a tragic increase in the number of teenage pregnancies.

Problem: The two events may have happened in that order, but the first action may not necessarily cause the second.

Solution: Such claims can only be made with the supports of academic studies, reports or researches.

4. Appeal to popular opinions

Example: Children should be sent to boarding schools because they learn better there than at home.

Problem: The writer claims that a position is true because most people believe it is.

Solution: Such claims need to be carefully thought or well supported.

5. Inappropriate authority figures

Example: The United Nations Conference on the protection and preservation of the marine environment , has considered the need for common principles to protect marine life. We should therefore eat more vegetables and less meat.

Problem: A famous name is used but inappropriately.

Solution: Be sure to use the name logically and in the proper context.

6. Non Sequitur

Example: It is haram to tell lies and advertisers sometimes fail to tell the truth about their products. So, we can conclude that advertising is haram.

Problem: Illogical connection of ideas.

Solution: The writer needs to carefully connect their ideas or sentences and form the conclusion.