IXL | Compare passages for subjective and objective tone

Select the text that has a more objective tone.

Football is America's favorite sport. We pride ourselves on our toughness, on our ability to get back up when we're knocked down. What better sport is there to teach those lessons?

At present, "America's pastime" remains in the past, as pro football is still America's Favorite Sport—now by a 16-point margin over baseball. Pro football is the top pick among 32% of sports fans.

From Roxanne Jones, "Should You Let Your Kids Play Football?" copyright 2015 by Cable News Network and from Hannah Pollack, "Football's Still Doing the Touchdown Dance All Over Baseball's Home Plate," copyright 2015 by Harris Poll

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Learn with an example

question

Select the text that has a more objective tone.

The superb, three-part gangster saga was inaugurated with this film from Italian-American director Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather (1972). The first two parts of the lush and grand saga are among the most celebrated, landmark films of all time.

The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is widely regarded as a classic of world cinema. Ranked second to Citizen Kane by the American Film Institute in 2007, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1990.

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 uses evidence like the film's high ranking and selection for preservation to support the suggestion that the film is seen as a classic. The other passage presents the writer's personal opinion, using subjective language such as superb and lush and grand saga.

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