Tone and Mood

“Boy, watch your tone when speaking to me”  Tone: The writer’s attitude towards the subject of the piece, the audience, and self. Also known as, the way feelings are expressed.  Conveyed through the use of:  Diction (the words that the author uses in his/her writing)  Point of View (the author’s view and how it affects his/her writing)  Syntax (the arrangement of words to create sentences)  And, the author’s level of formality (how formal or informal is the piece?)

“Don’t you use that tone of voice with me!” Has anyone ever said to you, "Don't use that tone of voice with me?" Your tone can change the meaning of what you say. Tone can turn a statement like, " You're a big help!" into a genuine compliment or a cruel sarcastic remark. It depends on the context of the story.

Important Tone Words  Accusatory : charging of wrong doing  Bitter : exhibiting strong animosity as a result of pain or grief  Critical : finding fault  Earnest : intense, a sincere state of mind  Intimate : very familiar  Matter-of-fact : accepting of conditions; not fanciful or emotional  Optimistic : hopeful, cheerful  Reverent : treating a subject with honor and respect  Reflective : illustrating innermost thoughts and emotions  Sarcastic: sneering, caustic  Sincere : without deceit or pretense; genuine  Solemn : deeply earnest, tending toward sad reflection

“Girl, you’re in a mood!”  Mood: emotion evoked by a text.  Writers use many devices to create the mood in a text:  Dialogue (language between the characters)  Setting (where/when the story takes place, who the characters are, etc.)  Plot (the rise and fall of action and events throughout the piece)

Important Mood Words  The following are examples of moods that a text can cause the reader to feel:  Suspense  Lonely  Happy  Angry  Anxious  Tense  Suspicious  Excited  Depressed  Scared  Disgusted

BEWARE!!  Tone and mood can very easily be confused!  Tone simply refers to how the author feels towards the subject, or towards something. You will know what the author’s tone is implying by the words he uses.  While ‘mood’, refers to the feeling of the atmosphere the author is describing. It is what the author makes you feel when you read his writings. You can read a sentence, and feel sad, happy or angry.

Examples of Tone  I’d rather stay here and wait, than go into that dark room.  The sentence above imposes that the person is scared.  The sun is shining brightly in the meadow, let’s go out and play!  The sentence above imposes that the person is happy or excited.  I called my friend at their house, her brother said she’s not home, but I heard her voice come over the line.  The sentence imposes that the person is suspicious.

Examples of Mood  The night was dark and stormy.  The sentence gives you a scary ‘mood’ (or feeling).  The man kicked and threw the poor cat out of his house.  The sentence gives you a feeling of anger, or pity towards the cat.  There was plenty of food, and the music was playing. Everybody was having a good time.  The sentence gives you a mood (or feeling) of happiness and fun.