What is Mood?
Grade 6, Unit 4 - Text used by permission of unit author, C. Webb
What is mood?
Mood is one of the many literary
devices used by writers to create
a literary work.
What is the definition of mood?

Mood: the prevailing emotional
attitude in a literary work
• Prevailing = most important
• Emotion = feelings

Therefore, the prevailing emotional
attitude is the main feeling of the
passage
What kinds of “feelings” can
a passage have?
 The
mood of a
passage can be
happy, sad, scary,
hopeful, worried,
adventurous, etc.
Can I see an example of mood
in a passage?
“A dark mist drifted slowly in from the
sea. As I watched from behind the
skeleton of a wrecked boat, the
moonlight dimmed and darkness
closed in around me. I could hear the
moans of the ships in the harbor
pulling against their confining ropes.”
What “emotional feeling” does
this passage have?
How does the author create mood?
Find the specific words the author uses
to create a scary mood:
“A dark mist drifted slowly in from the sea.
As I peeked from behind the skeleton of a
wrecked boat, the moonlight dimmed and
darkness closed in around me. I could
hear the moans of the ships pulling
against their confining ropes.”
How does the author create mood?
Find the specific words the author uses
to create a scary mood:
“A dark mist drifted slowly in from the sea.
As I peeked from behind the skeleton of a
wrecked boat, the moonlight dimmed and
darkness closed in around me. I could
hear the moans of the ships pulling
against their confining ropes.”
How does the author create mood?
Find the specific words the author uses
to create a scary mood:
“A dark mist drifted slowly in from the sea.
As I peeked from behind the skeleton of a
wrecked boat, the moonlight dimmed and
darkness closed in around me. I could
hear the moans of the ships pulling
against their confining ropes.”
How does the author create mood?
Find the specific words the author uses
to create a scary mood:
“A dark mist drifted slowly in from the sea.
As I peeked from behind the skeleton of a
wrecked boat, the moonlight dimmed and
darkness closed in around me. I could
hear the moans of the ships pulling
against their confining ropes.”
How does the author create mood?
Find the specific words the author uses
to create a scary mood:
“A dark mist drifted slowly in from the sea.
As I peeked from behind the skeleton of a
wrecked boat, the moonlight dimmed and
darkness closed in around me. I could
hear the moans of the ships pulling
against their confining ropes.”
How does the author create mood?
Find the specific words the author uses
to create a scary mood:
“A dark mist drifted slowly in from the sea.
As I peeked from behind the skeleton of a
wrecked boat, the moonlight dimmed and
darkness closed in around me. I could
hear the moans of the ships pulling
against their confining ropes.”
How does the author create mood?
Find the specific words the author uses
to create a scary mood:
“A dark mist drifted slowly in from the sea.
As I peeked from behind the skeleton of a
wrecked boat, the moonlight dimmed and
darkness closed in around me. I could
hear the moans of the ships pulling
against their confining ropes.”
How does the author create mood?
Find the specific words the author uses
to create a scary mood:
“A dark mist drifted slowly in from the sea.
As I peeked from behind the skeleton of a
wrecked boat, the moonlight dimmed and
darkness closed in around me. I could
hear the moans of the ships pulling
against their confining ropes.”
How does the author create mood?
Find the specific words the author uses
to create a scary mood:
“A dark mist drifted slowly in from the sea.
As I peeked from behind the skeleton of a
wrecked boat, the moonlight dimmed and
darkness closed in around me. I could
hear the moans of the ships pulling
against their confining ropes.”
How does the author create mood?
Find the specific words the author uses
to create a scary mood:
“A dark mist drifted slowly in from the sea.
As I peeked from behind the skeleton of a
wrecked boat, the moonlight dimmed and
darkness closed in around me. I could
hear the moans of the ships pulling
against their confining ropes.”
Look at the mood words
the author uses!
dark
 mist
 drifted
 slowly
 peeked
 behind
 skeleton

wrecked
 moonlight
 dimmed
 darkness
 closed in
 moans
 confining

Remember:
Mood is the prevailing emotional
attitude (main feeling) in a literary
work.
 An author uses “mood words” to
create a particular feeling.

Remember!
What is the MOOD of this image?
What is the MOOD of this image?
What is the MOOD of this image?