NBT Academic Literacy: Tone, Register and Author's Attitude Flashcards

An email from a company CEO to all staff begins: 'Dear Colleagues, I write to inform you of important changes to our operational structure, effective the first of next month.' The register is:

Answer: Formal professional

Third-person self-reference, formal salutation, and precise language ('operational structure', 'effective the first') signal formal professional register.

Read: 'One is forced to ask whether the minister read his own department's report, given the spectacular distance between its recommendations and his subsequent policy decisions.' The author's attitude is:

Answer: Scathingly ironic — implying the minister ignored or did not read the report

'Spectacular distance' and the rhetorical question imply the minister ignored expert advice — a scathing ironic attack.

Which of the following is the best example of hedging language in academic writing?

Answer: 'The data suggest that there may be a relationship between the two variables.'

'Suggest', 'may be', and 'a relationship' hedge the claim, avoiding overclaiming — a standard academic writing convention.

A music review reads: 'The album is a sonic feast — layered, unpredictable, and possessed of an emotional depth that demands repeated listening.' The reviewer's tone is:

Answer: Enthusiastically celebratory

'Sonic feast', 'demands repeated listening', and 'emotional depth' are all strongly positive, enthusiastic evaluations.

Read: 'While some progress has been made in reducing maternal mortality, the pace of improvement remains woefully inadequate.' 'Woefully inadequate' signals that the author:

Answer: Acknowledges progress but is deeply disappointed by its insufficiency

'Woefully' is an intensifying adverb expressing dismay; 'inadequate' is an outright negative evaluation — disappointed and critical.

A text message reads: 'ugh literally can't with this assignment rn, anyone got notes from tuesday's lec??' The register of this text is best described as:

Answer: Informal digital peer communication

Abbreviations ('rn', 'lec'), lowercase, fragmented syntax, 'ugh', and 'literally' (informal intensifier) all mark informal digital peer communication.

An author writes about a historical tragedy: 'The loss of life was staggering; entire communities were erased from the map within days.' The tone is:

Answer: Soberly grave — conveying the enormity of the loss without sensationalism

'Staggering' and 'erased from the map' convey scale and horror with restrained but powerful language — soberly grave.