How word choice and sentence shape set the tone
Grade 9 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
The Footbridge Opens
Two Versions (two short reports): [1] Version A: On Saturday morning, more than four hundred residents gathered along the banks of Willow Creek to celebrate the opening of the new Willow Creek Footbridge, a graceful steel span that at last reconnects the east and west sides of town. [2] Mayor Linda Castellano cut the ribbon at ten o'clock, and the crowd cheered as the first walkers, a group of students led by Esme and Bo, crossed the gleaming deck. [3] The bridge replaces the old wooden crossing that was closed four years ago, and it was built to carry walkers, cyclists and wheelchairs safely for decades to come. [4] Construction took three years, longer than first planned, because spring floods twice delayed work on the foundations. [5] The project cost $2.4 million, most of it paid by a state grant. [6] Residents are warmly invited to stroll across, enjoy the view, and take pride in a bridge the whole town can share.
[7] Version B: So the footbridge finally opened on Saturday, three years after the first shovel went into the mud, which is about two years longer than anyone promised. [8] Four hundred people showed up, and the mayor cut a ribbon, and everyone clapped, and a group of students walked across first, and the whole walk took about forty seconds. [9] Forty seconds. [10] I timed it. [11] Yes, the spring floods slowed things down, and yes, a state grant paid for most of the $2.4 million. [12] I still walked the long way around, beside the highway, for four years, and I think I am allowed to notice that. [13] It's a nice enough bridge, I guess, and I'll use it, but nobody should expect me to throw a party about it.
Jun compares the two bridge reports. Which choice names the tone of Version A and three of its words that build that tone together?
- Proud and festive: "celebrate," "gleaming" and "foundations."
- Grudging and unimpressed: "celebrate," "gleaming" and "warmly invited."
- Grudging and unimpressed: "finally," "I guess" and "throw a party."
- Proud and festive: "celebrate," "gleaming" and "warmly invited."
Kira marks sentences 9 and 10 of Version B. What do these two very short sentences do?
- The word "timed" shows a careful writer who checks facts, so the report sounds exact.
- They stop the reader on "Forty seconds," stressing how small the walk was next to a three-year wait.
- They slow Version B down so that the walk across the new bridge feels long and grand.
- They are one long sentence joined again and again by "and," which makes the ceremony sound busy and crowded.
Luz puts the two bridge reports side by side. How do their tones differ, and what causes the difference?
- A is proud and B is grudging, because B leaves out the floods and the state grant that A explains.
- A is proud, with words like "gleaming" and long, smooth sentences; B is grudging, with "finally" and blunt short sentences.
- A and B tell different facts: A says the bridge took three years, while B says it took four and cost more.
- A is grudging, with words like "finally" and blunt short sentences; B is proud, with words like "gleaming" and long sentences.
The Library Closes for Repairs
Two Notices (two short notices): [1] Version A: Dear neighbors, we are sorry to share that the Oak Hill Branch Library will close on June 1 so that its leaking roof and worn-out heating system can finally be replaced. [2] We know how much this building means to you, from toddlers at story hour to the chess players who have claimed the corner table every Tuesday for as long as anyone can remember. [3] While we are closed, your holds and your favorite librarians will be waiting for you at the Central Library on Fifth Street, just two bus stops away. [4] Book returns will stay open around the clock, so you can drop off what you have borrowed whenever it suits you. [5] We expect to welcome you back in October, with a dry roof, warm rooms and, we hope, a few happy surprises. [6] Thank you for your patience, and please come and say hello to us at Central.
[7] Version B: Notice to patrons: the Oak Hill Branch Library will be closed effective June 1 for roof and heating system replacement. [8] All scheduled programs at this location are canceled for the duration of the closure. [9] Holds will be transferred to the Central Library, Fifth Street. [10] The exterior book return will remain available at all hours, and materials returned there will be processed according to standard procedures. [11] Reopening is projected for October, subject to the construction schedule. [12] Questions regarding this closure should be submitted in writing to the Branch Services Office, and patrons are reminded that late fees continue to apply during the closure period.
Jun reads the second library notice. Which choice names the tone of Version B and three of its words that build that tone together?
- Warm and apologetic: "patrons," "effective" and "standard procedures."
- Cold and official: "patrons," "effective" and "standard procedures."
- Warm and apologetic: "we are sorry," "your favorite librarians" and "say hello."
- Cold and official: "roof," "heating system" and "October."
Kira notices that Version B never says who will do anything. What do sentences such as "Holds will be transferred" do to its tone?
- Leaving out who does the action makes the library sound like a faceless office, not people talking to neighbors.
- Short questions such as "Holds will be transferred" invite readers to answer and take part.
- Speaking straight to "you," the sentences make readers feel welcome at the Central Library.
- The word "transferred" tells readers their holds are safe, which makes the notice sound caring.
Opening Night
Two Versions (two short story versions): [1] Version A: Ten minutes before the curtain, Luz stood in the wings with the first line of the play stuck somewhere in a dry throat, certain that the entire performance was about to collapse. [2] The costume itched, the stage lights were unbearably hot, and somewhere out in the darkness four hundred people were waiting, rustling programs, coughing, whispering. [3] What if the line never came back? [4] What if the trapdoor stuck again, the way it had stuck on Tuesday, and the whole audience saw Luz standing there with nowhere to go? [5] Then the lights went down, the music started, and Luz stepped out into the glare with a heart going twice as fast as the drums.
[6] Version B: Ten minutes before the curtain, Ms. Brandt, the stage manager, checked the list on her clipboard one last time. [7] Props were set, the trapdoor had been oiled and tested twice, and the actors were in place in the wings. [8] Two stagehands waited beside the trapdoor lever with their headsets on, ready for the cue in the second scene. [9] Ms. Brandt noticed that the lead, Luz, looked a little pale, and handed over a cup of water and a quick thumbs-up. [10] At 7:30 exactly she called for the house lights to go down and the music to start. [11] The performance began precisely on time. [12] From her stool beside the curtain, she watched the first scene run smoothly, made two small notes about the lighting, and turned the page on her clipboard.
Ari marks Version A of the opening-night scene. Which choice names its tone and three of its words that build that tone together?
- Anxious: "stuck," "collapse" and "programs."
- Anxious: "stuck," "collapse" and "unbearably hot."
- Anxious: "curtain," "wings" and "trapdoor."
- Calm and efficient: "checked the list," "precisely on time" and "smoothly."
Bo looks at sentences 3 and 4 of Version A. What do the two questions do to the tone?
- They are long, smooth statements that report what happened at Tuesday's rehearsal.
- They calm the scene down by showing Luz thinking clearly through each problem.
- They let the reader hear Luz's worries racing one after another, which makes the moment feel more anxious.
- They show how calmly the stage manager checks that the props are ready.
Esme compares the two tellings of opening night. How do their tones differ, and what causes the difference?
- A is anxious, with words like "collapse"; B is bored and gloomy, with words like "turned the page."
- A is calm, with words like "precisely on time" and plain statements; B is anxious, with words like "collapse" and worried questions.
- A is anxious, with words like "collapse" and worried questions; B is calm, with "precisely on time" and short, plain statements.
- A is anxious and B is calm, because in B the trapdoor works and in A it sticks on stage.
The Last Mile
Two Versions (two short story versions): [1] Version A: By the last mile of the cross-country race, Ari's legs had become heavy and unreliable, and the trail through Riverside Park seemed to stretch out longer with every step, winding endlessly past the same oak trees and the same muddy bend again and again. [2] The cheering at the finish sounded thin and distant, like a radio playing in another room of an enormous house. [3] Somewhere behind, other runners were breathing heavily, but Ari could not tell whether they were gaining or falling back, and did not particularly care either way. [4] Ari kept running because stopping seemed like more effort than continuing, and because the blur of orange marker flags along the trail kept pointing patiently in the same direction. [5] When the finish line eventually arrived, Ari crossed it without quite noticing, sat down on the cool grass beside the timing table, and stayed there for a long, long time.
[6] Version B: The last mile. [7] Ari dug in. [8] Past the oak trees, past the muddy bend, past two runners in green who had led the entire way, Ari pulled ahead with long, powerful strides. [9] The crowd at the finish roared. [10] Twenty yards, ten, five. [11] Ari exploded across the line with both fists in the air, chest heaving, grinning, and immediately turned around to watch the next runners come in. [12] Coach Patel was already announcing the time, a new school record, while the two runners in green finished seconds later and reached out to slap Ari's palm.
Kira notices that Version A has five sentences, each a long one. What does that sentence shape do in Version A?
- The fragments such as "The last mile." make each moment hit hard and fast.
- The long, winding sentences drag on like Ari's tired legs, so the last mile feels slow and endless.
- The long sentences speed the race up, so the finish arrives in a quick, thrilling rush.
- The word "unreliable" shows that Ari's legs are failing, which makes the race feel slow.
Luz reads both versions of the last mile. How do their tones differ, and what causes the difference?
- A is weary, with words like "heavy" and long, winding sentences; B is fierce, with "exploded" and short, punchy sentences.
- A is weary, with words like "heavy"; B is calm and gentle, with words like "turned around to watch."
- A and B tell different races: in A, Ari loses the race, and in B, Ari wins and sets a record.
- A is fierce, with words like "exploded" and short sentences; B is weary, with words like "heavy" and long, winding sentences.
