Determining Audience and Tone

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All writers need, to some degree, to consider the interests, intellectual capacity, needs and biases of their reading audiences when they write. Two common mistakes that college writers make are to assume that 1) their audience is limited to a particular instructor of a particular course; or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, that 2) they cannot possibly guess what a reading audience might be like. Neither of these assumptions are wholly correct. These guidelines will provide some tips for considering your audience and how to write "to" them rather than just writing "for" them.



  1. ARE YOU WONDERING IF YOU ARE USING AN APPROPRIATE TONE?

    Tone -- the attitude of the writer toward the subjec matter and the reader -- is a particular problem for writers, especially when you have strong views about your subject matter or your subject is controversial.

    Important reminders about tone:


  2. ARE YOU WONDERING HOW TO WRITE A PAPER FOR A "GENERAL" AUDIENCE?

    The most difficult type of audience analysis comes when writing for that fuzzy, faceless group of people known as "a general audience." Some tips to help you:


  3. ARE YOU WONDERING HOW TO WRITE A PAPER FOR AN INSTRUCTOR WHO OBVIOUSLY KNOWS MORE ABOUT THE SUBJECT THAN YOU DO?

    In the absence of some guidance from your instructor, try thinking about it this way:

    think of your instructor as someone who has read the material about which you are writing and has some familiarity with it, but has not drawn a lot of conclusions about it and is open to new ideas. Do not assume that your instructor has any material you refer to memorized (cite specific passages and concepts, don't assume that a passing reference to them will do it).

    A good instructor will not just expect you to regurgitate ideas in a paper that you have heard in class, usually just the opposite!

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Copyright 1998 Margaret Oakes
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