The best response for revising the tone of a story primarily involves word choice. Tone refers to the attitude of the writer toward the subject or the audience, and word choice is a key component of establishing that tone.
Here's why your other options might not have been appropriate:
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Diction: While often used interchangeably with "word choice," diction specifically refers to the choice of words and phrases in speech or writing. It's essentially a subset of word choice, so while it's related, it might not capture the full breadth of what needs to be changed for tone.
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Syntax: This refers to the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences. While altering syntax can affect tone, it is not the most direct method to address tone issues.
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Style: This encompasses the overall way an author expresses their thoughts through word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and more. However, when focusing specifically on tone, it’s better to concentrate on the specific words chosen.
Example:
If Kylie’s original tone was serious but she wanted to make it more lighthearted, she might change a phrase like:
- Original: "The calm melancholy of the twilight settled over the city."
- Revised: "The cheerful glow of the sunset danced over the city."
Here, changing "calm melancholy" to "cheerful glow" is a direct alteration of word choice that shifts the tone from serious to lighthearted.
This explains why focusing on word choice is often the most effective approach when revising tone in writing.