Syntax, composition, and tone: how you come across to an audience

For this activity, the students should know about style on a macro and micro level, which corresponds to how content is presented on the level of syntax and composition and the way content is expressed with word choice.

Macro-style - Syntax and composition

How content is presented:

- The order in which information is presented;

- Which facts are highlighted;

- Which conclusion(s) the reader is led toward.

Micro-style - Word choice

How content is expressed:

- Words used to provide context and mood;

- Tone.

You can connect and adapt the theoretical framework to your knowledge and subject area. If you are a language teacher, you can teach this however you want. However, students must understand what variables they can interact with and what parts of the text they can change.

You can provide some examples - note that there can be some overlap between the “macro” and “micro” view of the text. Below are some examples of how style can affect meaning and set the tone.

Macro style — order of information

J. S., 74, has driven onto the highway ramp in the wrong direction, causing a crash. They have a history of reckless driving.

VS

J. S., a driver with a history of breaking the rules, has driven onto the highway ramp in the wrong direction, causing a crash. They are 74 years old.

Macro style - highlighting different information

The refugees are predominantly young, male, and unaccompanied. They mostly flee areas where war, famine, ecological disaster, or all three rage.

VS

The refugees are usually unaccompanied and flee from dangerous areas. They are primarily young males, aged 16-30, coming without families.

Macro style - emphasizing conclusions

The war in Ukraine is becoming really long and expensive, while the citizens of the EU are experiencing a cost of living crisis. Many citizens still support the Ukrainian cause, but there are no guarantees as to how long this will last.

VS

The war in Ukraine is becoming really long and expensive, while the citizens of the EU are experiencing a cost of living crisis. Despite this, many citizens still support the Ukrainian cause, with solid and seemingly unyielding support.

Micro style - choice of words

The migrants are arriving in ever greater numbers.

VS

There are more refugees now than they were before.

Micro style - choice of register

Finally, the European Parliament has passed the long-awaited legislation.

VS

In a move hailed by many, the European Parliament has passed the new law after some delay.

If the students are working in groups, you can choose whether:

- All the groups work on the same text, each group producing one rewritten text; or

- Each group works on a different text.

Before the exercise starts, groups should be assigned a position they should take when rewriting the text. Once more, you have two options:

- Have the students rewrite the texts on a spectrum of painting the news in “very favorable light” to “very unfavorable.” You can adjust for difficulty by introducing more categories. The most accessible setting would, therefore, be three groups (favorable, neutral, unfavorable).

- Have the students write the texts on the spectrum of favorability of news and the tone used (formal, neutral, relaxed). In this case, you can combine different categories of general position (favorable, neutral, unfavorable) and tone (formal, neutral, relaxed).

To start, you can use relatively dry and to-the-point texts. News agencies like Reuters are a good source of such reporting. Alternatively, you can use textbooks. As the students progress, provide them with more complex texts to work on.

Have each group choose a representative who will have up to 2 minutes to present the group’s work to the rest of the class.

1. What style do you think is most compelling?
2. Do you think style can be used to mask fake news?
3. Why do some media outlets write informally?