IXL | Compare passages for subjective and objective tone

Select the text that has a more objective tone.

Because the Mayflower didn't sink and join countless other vessels, powered by sail, at the bottom of the cold waters of the Atlantic, the epic voyage of the Mayflower and the settlement of Plymouth Colony represent a great American saga that has evolved over the years.

The Mayflower was equipped with six sails: five square sails, including a small spritsail of the bowsprit, and a lateen-rigged mizzen (a triangular sail set on a diagonal spar). The lower three sails . . . possessed additional sections of canvas called bonnets that were laced to the bottoms of the sails in moderate weather to gather more wind.

From James C. Johnston, "The Yankee Fleet: Maritime New England in the Age of Sail," copyright 2007 by History Press and from Nathaniel Philbrick, "Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War," copyright 2006 by Nathaniel Philbrick

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question

Select the text that has a more objective tone.

Even as tens of millions of American families find themselves suffering through the worst economic downturn in modern history, the U.S. government continues to spend money on some of the craziest and most frivolous things imaginable. Every single year articles are written . . . about the horrific government waste that is taking place and yet every single year it just keeps getting worse.

Americans have become increasingly likely to see all levels of government as wasting the money they spend . . . It is not clear whether Americans believe government wastes money because it spends on programs they believe are not needed, or because it does not spend money efficiently on programs.

From Jeffrey M. Jones, "Americans Say Federal Gov't Wastes Over Half of Every Dollar," copyright 2011 by Gallup and from Michael Snyder, "The 20 Craziest Things the U.S. Government Wastes Money On," copyright 2010 by Business Insider

key idea

Tone is a writer's attitude as expressed in a text.

To establish an objective tone, a writer

maintains a neutral stance towards a topic, regardless of his or her personal feelings;
presents ideas as accurately as possible, supporting ideas with observations and measurable evidence;
avoids loaded language, which has strong positive or negative connotations.

Example: The law has proved controversial, and a protest is planned for March 9.

The writer mentions the protest to provide factual evidence that the law has caused controversy. It's not clear how the writer personally feels about the law.

To establish a subjective tone, a writer

injects his or her own feelings, values, or judgments into the presentation of a topic;
supports ideas with personal opinions and beliefs;
uses strongly emotional or loaded language;
uses personal pronouns, like I, to present topics from his or her perspective.

Example: This outrageous law has invigorated protesters, who will gather on March 9.

The writer includes subjective language, like "outrageous" and "invigorated," which reveals the writer's feelings. It's clear that the writer personally disagrees with the law.

Academic writing generally calls for an objective tone, which helps communicate that the writer is credible and has presented an accurate and unbiased argument. However, a subjective tone is appropriate for some forms of writing, such as personal narratives, opinion pieces, and reviews.

solution

The second text has a more objective tone. It discusses the opinions of others. The other passage shows the writer's own perspective through the use of subjective language, such as the craziest and most frivolous things imaginable, horrific, and it just keeps getting worse.

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