English 9 / Unit 6: Reading Nonfiction
6.6 Text Features and Word Choice
Notes
Text features help readers find and understand information. Word choice shapes meaning and tone.
- Features: title, headings, subheadings, bold words, captions, sidebars, charts, timelines, glossary.
- Headings preview the main idea of a section.
- Tone is the author's attitude: neutral, critical, enthusiastic, urgent.
- Loaded words carry strong feeling: "reckless spending" vs. "major investment."
- Example: An article with the heading "How Tornadoes Form" and a sidebar of safety tips uses features to separate explanation from advice.
Practice
A reader wants to quickly find the section of an article about tornado safety. Which feature helps most?
Headings show what each section covers.
"The council's reckless plan wastes taxpayer money." The author's tone toward the plan is:
"Reckless" and "wastes" show disapproval.
Which phrase is the most neutral way to describe a new law?
It reports without emotional words.
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