Mood vs Tone
Tone and Mood are literary elements integrated in literary works. Identifying
the tone and mood in literatures is an important clue to discover the
literary’s theme. Considering how the author creates a tone and mood helps
the reader understand and appreciate the author’s style.
Tone is a manner, a feeling or atmosphere the author has meant to set in the
story, or towards a subject. It can also be considered as the attitude or feeling
of the writer towards a subject. The tone can be revealed by the author’s
choice of words and details. The author may use a negative or positive tone
for his work. Some possible adjectives to describe a tone, are seriousness,
bitterness, joyful, humorous, amusing, angry, ironic, suspicious, and many
more.
The following are some examples of ‘tone’ in sentences:
a. I’d rather stay here and wait, than go into that dark room.
The sentence above imposes that the person is scared.
b. 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.
c. I called my friend at their house, her brother said she’s not home, but I
heard her voice come on the line.
The sentence imposes that the person is suspicious.
Mood is the feeling or atmosphere perceived by the reader. It is the
emotions you feel while reading. The mood indicates a prevailing feeling, or
frame of mind, especially at the start of the story. It creates a sense of
expectation to readers of what is to follow. All the choices for setting, images,
objects and details contribute in creating a mood.
The following are some examples of ‘mood’ in sentences:
a. The night was dark and stormy.
The sentence gives you a scary ‘mood’.
b. 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.
c. There was plenty of food, and the music was playing. Everybody was
having a good time.
The sentence gives you a mood of happiness and fun.
Summary:
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.
Read more: Difference Between Mood and Tone | Difference
Between http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/differencebetween-mood-and-tone/#ixzz58S5mYyAZ
tone = speaker’s attitude
POSITIVE TONE WORDS
admiring
adoring
affectionate
appreciative
approving
bemused
benevolent
blithe
calm
casual
celebratory
cheerful
comforting
comic
compassionate
complimentary
conciliatory
confident
contented
delightful
earnest
ebullient
ecstatic
effusive
elated
empathetic
encouraging
euphoric
excited
exhilarated
expectant
facetious
fervent
flippant
forthright
friendly
funny
gleeful
gushy
happy
hilarious
hopeful
humorous
interested
introspective
jovial
joyful
laudatory
light
lively
mirthful
modest
nostalgic
optimistic
passionate
placid
playful
poignant
proud
reassuring
reflective
relaxed
respectful
reverent
romantic
sanguine
scholarly
self-assured
sentimental
serene
silly
sprightly
straightforward
sympathetic
tender
tranquil
whimsical
wistful
worshipful
zealous
NEUTRAL
(+, -, or neutral)
commanding
direct
impartial
indirect
meditative
objective
questioning
speculative
unambiguous
unconcerned
understated
NEGATIVE TONE WORDS
abhorring
acerbic
ambiguous
ambivalent
angry
annoyed
antagonistic
anxious
apathetic
apprehensive
belligerent
bewildered
biting
bitter
blunt
bossy
cold
conceited
condescending
confused
contemptuous
curt
cynical
demanding
depressed
derisive
derogatory
desolate
despairing
desperate
detached
diabolic
disappointed
disliking
disrespectful
doubtful
embarrassed
enraged
evasive
fatalistic
fearful
forceful
foreboding
frantic
frightened
frustrated
furious
gloomy
grave
greedy
grim
harsh
haughty
holier-than-thou
hopeless
hostile
impatient
incredulous
indifferent
indignant
inflammatory
insecure
insolent
irreverent
lethargic
melancholy
mischievous
miserable
mocking
mournful
nervous
ominous
outraged
paranoid
pathetic
patronizing
pedantic
pensive
pessimistic
pretentious
psychotic
resigned
reticent
sarcastic
sardonic
scornful
self-deprecating
selfish
serious
severe
sinister
skeptical
sly
solemn
somber
stern
stolid
stressful
strident
suspicious
tense
threatening
tragic
uncertain
uneasy
unfriendly
unsympathetic
upset
violent
wry
mood = emotional effect that
the text creates for the audience
POSITIVE MOOD WORDS
amused
awed
bouncy
calm
cheerful
chipper
confident
contemplative
content
determined
dignified
dreamy
ecstatic
empowered
energetic
enlightened
enthralled
excited
exhilarated
flirty
giddy
grateful
harmonious
hopeful
hyper
idyllic
joyous
jubilant
liberating
light-hearted
loving
mellow
nostalgic
optimistic
passionate
peaceful
playful
pleased
refreshed
rejuvenated
relaxed
relieved
satiated
satisfied
sentimental
silly
surprised
sympathetic
thankful
thoughtful
touched
trustful
vivacious
warm
welcoming
NEGATIVE MOOD WORDS
aggravated
annoyed
anxious
apathetic
apprehensive
barren
brooding
cold
confining
confused
cranky
crushed
cynical
depressed
desolate
disappointed
discontented
distressed
drained
dreary
embarrassed
enraged
envious
exhausted
fatalistic
foreboding
frustrated
futile
gloomy
grumpy
haunting
heartbroken
hopeless
hostile
indifferent
infuriated
insidious
intimidated
irate
irritated
jealous
lethargic
lonely
melancholic
merciless
moody
morose
nauseated
nervous
nightmarish
numb
overwhelmed
painful
pensive
pessimistic
predatory
rejected
restless
scared
serious
sick
somber
stressed
suspenseful
tense
terrifying
threatening
uncomfortable
vengeful
violent
worried
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