Tone and Mood What’s the Dif?

Examples in writing "Oh! No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then; but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived." - Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

What’s the tone? The words hideous, wretch, and ugly all set a frightening tone that suggests possible horror or fear.

Another quote "Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world." -Frankenstein

Tone? Victor speaks these words at the very beginning of the novel, setting an ominous mood for the rest of the tale. Ominous-gloomy, dark, menacing

When deciding on tone, ask yourself these questions: 1. What is the passage’s subject, and who is its audience? 2. What would you say are the most important words in the passage? What connotations, or associations, do these words have? 3. What general feeling do the passage’s images create? 4. Are there any hints that the narrator/speaker/author does not really mean everything he or she says? 5. Does the narrator/speaker/author make any jokes? If so, are these jokes lighthearted, bitter, or something else? 6. If the narrator/speaker/author were speaking aloud, what tone of voice would he or she be using?

You try Bouncing into the room, she lit up the vicinity with a joyous glow on her face as she told about her fiancé and their wedding plans. Tone: cheerful, celebratory, happy, gleeful Context: bouncing, lit up, joyous glow on her face Mood: hopeful-about wedding, joyous for this girl, touched, sentimental

Try again! She huddled in the corner, clutching her tattered blanket and shaking convulsively, as she feverishly searched the room for the unknown dangers that awaited her. Tone: desperate, frantic, frightened, hopeless, tense, threatening Context: huddled, clutching, shaking, dangers Mood: haunting, worried, scared, nightmarish

Another one! Bursting through the door, the flustered mother screamed uncontrollably at the innocent teacher who gave her child an F. Tone: angry, annoyed, belligerent, disrespectful Context: bursting, screamed, innocent Mood: threatening, aggravated, annoyed, cold, stressed, enraged, uncomfortable, vengeful

One more! Drawing the attention of his classmates as well as his teacher, the student dared to experiment with his professor’s intelligence by interrogating him about the Bible. Tone: conceited, cynical, exhilarated, self-assured Context: dared, intelligence, interrogating Mood: anxious, irate, intimidated, nervous, empowered

Ok-One more again! He furtively (sneakily) glanced behind him, for hear of his imagined pursuers, then hurriedly walked on, jumping at the slightest sound even of a leaf crackling under his own foot. Tone: fearful, frantic, frightened, Context: furtively, imagined, hurriedly, jumping, crackling Mood: scared, suspenseful

One more….lol Gently smiling, the mother tenderly tucked the covers up around the child’s neck, and carefully, quietly, left the room making sure to leave a comforting ray of light shining through the opened door should the child wake. Tone: affectionate, calm, tranquil Context: gently, tenderly, carefully, quietly Mood: peaceful, joyous, touched, sentimental, relaxed, loving

Last one! I promise  The laughing wind skipped through the village, teasing trees until they danced with anger and cajoling the grass into fighting itself, blade slapping blade, as the silly dog with golf ball eyes and flopping, slobbery tongue bounded across the lawn. Tone: excited, happy, bemused Context: laughing, skipped, teasing, silly Mood: cheerful, light-hearted, playful