Tip of the da

Precise analysis of diction is essential. Labels like "positive" or "negative" are too vague; students should use specific adjectives (e.g., jubilant, pejorative). Greater precision reveals nuanced authorial choices and leads to stronger literary analysis and higher exam marks.

Teachers at school often teach students to say "positive diction" or "negative diction", but this is still too vague and imprecise.

When I teach my students and daughter, I always remind them to use specific adjectives to qualify the kind of positivity or negativity that they feel with the author's choice of diction. Is it jubilant diction or glorifying diction? Is it violent diction or pejorative diction? There are intrinsic differences among these word choices and the more precise one's analysis is, the higher the marks in public exams.

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