Understanding Tone and Purpose

In the CEM 11+ exam, you will often be asked to think about the tone of a passage and the purpose behind it. These are closely linked — the tone is how the writer sounds, and the purpose is why the writer wrote the text. Understanding both will help you answer comprehension questions with real depth.

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What Is Tone?

Tone is the attitude or feeling that comes through in the writing. It is like the "voice" of the text — just as a person's tone of voice tells you how they feel when they speak, the tone of a piece of writing tells you how the writer feels about their subject.

Common Tones in Writing