Reading between the lines: tone and implied meaning

At the highest levels, understanding a text means more than understanding its words. Skilled writers often suggest their opinion indirectly, through word choice, understatement or irony. Proficient readers notice these signals and understand what the writer really means.

1. Word choice reveals attitude

Compare these three sentences about the same event:

• The minister said the policy was working. (neutral)
• The minister claimed the policy was working. (the writer has doubts)
• The minister pointed out that the policy was working. (the writer accepts it as true)

Reporting verbs like claim, insist, admit and concede show how the writer feels about the information.

2. Understatement

Understatement makes something sound smaller or less important than it really is, often for humorous or polite effect. It is common in English, especially British English.

• The launch was not entirely without problems. (It went badly.)
• His essay was a little on the long side. (It was far too long.)
• The results were somewhat disappointing. (The results were poor.)

3. Irony

Irony means saying the opposite of what you mean. The context tells you it isn't meant literally.

After three delays and a lost suitcase, the airline's promise of “a seamless travel experience” felt particularly memorable.

The writer doesn't really find the experience seamless. The contrast between the promise and the reality creates the irony.

4. Hedging

Academic writers and journalists use hedging to show how certain they are.

• Strong claim: The treatment cures the disease.
• Hedged claim: The treatment appears to reduce symptoms in some patients.

Words like appears, suggests, may, is likely to and to some extent tell you the evidence is limited. Notice them, because they change the meaning significantly.

Practice text

Read the passage and think about the writer's real opinion.

The city's new transportation app, launched with great fanfare last spring, promised to make getting around “effortless”. Users have certainly found it memorable. Few will forget the morning it directed hundreds of commuters to a station that had closed in 2009. To be fair, recent updates have addressed some of its more creative routing decisions, and the app now works reasonably well, provided one doesn't need to travel during rush hour. The city council insists the project represents excellent value for money. Taxpayers, who funded its considerable budget, may be forgiven for reserving judgment.

What the writer really means

• “with great fanfare” suggests the launch was overhyped.
• “certainly found it memorable” is ironic: memorable for the wrong reasons.
• “some of its more creative routing decisions” combines understatement and irony: the routes were simply wrong.
• “works reasonably well, provided...” is a heavily qualified compliment.
• “insists” shows the writer doubts the council's claim.
• “may be forgiven for reserving judgment” is a polite way of saying taxpayers have good reason to be skeptical.