Talking and Writing About Tone & Style
Tone
A writer’s tone reveals the attitude he or she has toward a subject. Tone is expressed through the words and
details the writer selects. Just as a speaker’s voice can project a range of feelings, a writer’s voice can project one
or more tones, or feelings: anger, sympathy, hopefulness, sadness, respect, dislike, and so on. Understanding
tone is, then, an important part of understanding what an author has written.
To appreciate the differences in tone that writers can imply, read the following versions of a murder confession:
“I just shot my husband five times in the chest with this .357 Magnum.”
Tone: matter-of-fact, objective
“How could I have ever killed him? I just can’t believe I did that!”
Tone: shocked, disbelieving
“Oh, my God. I’ve murdered my husband. How can I ever be forgiven for this dreadful deed?”
Tone: remorseful, regretful
“That dirty rat. He had it coming for years. I’m glad I finally had the nerve to do it.”
Tone: revengeful, triumphant
A Note on Irony
One commonly used tone is that of irony. When writing has an ironic tone, it says one thing but means the
opposite. Irony is found in everyday conversation as well as in writing. Following are a few examples: notice that
the quotation in each says the opposite of what is meant.
If at the beginning of the semester you discover that one of your teachers is particularly demanding, you
might comment, “This class is sure going to be a barrel of laughs!”
After seeing a terrible performance in a movie, someone might say about the actor involved, “Now there’s
a person with a great chance for an Oscar.”
If a person is clumsy, someone might remark, “There goes an Olympic champion.”
Developing a tone vocabulary
angry
sharp
upset
sad
cold
urgent
sentimental
fanciful
complimentary
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silly
boring
afraid
happy
hollow
joyful
allusive
sweet
vexed
tired
bitter
dreamy
restrained
proud
dramatic
Another list of tone words:
satiric
whimsical
dramatic
learned
informative
somber
urgent
confident
mock-heroic
objective
diffident
ironic
petty
factual
restrained
elegiac
disdainful
lugubrious
candid
joking
poignant
detached
confused
childish
peaceful
mocking
objective
vibrant
frivolous
audacious
shocking
somber
giddy
condescending
sympathetic
contemptuous
apologetic
humorous
horrific
sarcastic
nostalgic
zealous
irreverent
benevolent
seductive
candid
pitiful
pedantic
indignant
bantering
flippant
condescending
patronizing
facetious
clinical
mock-serious
inflammatory
benevolent
burlesque
detached
cynical
incisive
allusive
scornful
effusive
fanciful
colloquial
compassionate
impartial
insipid
pretentious
vibrant
irreverent
sentimental
moralistic
complimentary
contemptuous
sympathetic
taunting
angry
turgid
sardonic
contentious
insolent
concerned
Words That Describe Language
jargon
vulgar
scholarly
insipid
precise
esoteric
plain
literal
colloquial
artificial
detached
emotional
pedantic
euphemistic
pretentious
sensuous
exact
symbolic
simple
figurative
bombastic
abstruse
grotesque
concrete
Another list of tone words but in categories
reverence
awe
solemn
veneration
happiness
glad
pleased
poetic
moralistic
slang
idiomatic
concrete
picturesque
homespun
provincial
trite
obscure
precise
exact
merry
glee
delight
cheerful
gay
sanguine
mirth
enjoy
relish
bliss
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sadness
somber
melancholy
sorrow
lament
despair
despondent
regret
dismal
funereal
saturnine
dark
grave
grief
gloomy
morose
sullen
woe
bleak
remorse
forlorn
agony
anguish
depression
misery
barren
empty
pity
lugubrious
distress
dejection
ironic tones
smirking
sneering
derisive
icy
acerbic
playful
witty
humorous
sarcastic
sardonic
flippant
cynical
biting
love
affection
cherish
fondness
sentiment
romantic
platonic
adoration
narcissism
passion
lust
rapture
ecstasy
infatuated
enamor
compassion
admiration
tenderness
anger
vehement
rage
outrage
antipathy
irritation
indignant
vexation
incensed
petulant
irascible
riled
bitter
acrimony
irate
fury
consternation
hostility
miffed
choleric
aggravation
wrath
rancor
futility
umbrage
gall
bristle
exasperation
joy
exaltation
zeal
fervor
ardor
elation
jubilant
buoyancy
alarm
startle
uneasy
qualms
angst
trepidation
intimidation
appalled
dread
calm
serene
tranquil
placid
hope
expect
anticipate
hate
vengeance
abhorrence
animosity
enmity
malice
pique
rancor
aversion
loathing
despise
scorn
contempt
disdain
jealousy
repugnance
repulsion
resentment
spite
disgust
fear
timidity
apprehension
anxiety
terror
horror
dismay
agitation
sinister
Which of the following words have negative, positive or neutral effect on the reader?
1. corpulent, plump, obese, chubby, heavy set, fleshy, fat, paunchy, burly, over-weight, roly poly, bulky,
portly, weighty, pudgy, big-boned, above average
2. mansion, abode, dwelling, domicile, residence, house, home
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3. snooty, arrogant, conceited, cocky, vain, self-satisfied, egotistical, proud, high-and-mighty, overbearing,
high-hat, supercilious
4. titter, giggle, chuckle, laugh, guffaw, roar, snicker, snigger, cackle
5. spinster, old maid, bachelorette, unmarried woman, maiden lady, career girl
6. saving, tight, miserly, frugal, economical, careful, thrifty, penny-pinching, budget minded, penurious
7. shrewd, calculating, clever, sly, adroit, knowing, astute, cunning, skillful, smooth
8. glum, sullen, withdrawn, reticent, silent, taciturn
9. laconic, terse, economical, concise, pointed, pithy, compressed, brief, boiled down
10. steal, purloin, embezzle, filch, pilfer, burglarize, rob, hold up, snatch, grab, help oneself to, appropriate
Below are five statement expressing attitudes about a boss. Five different tones are used:
Admiring
Sympathetic Objective
Ironic
Critical
For each statement, write the tone that you think is present.
___________
Bob is an excellent manager – the best one I’ve ever had.
___________
I know Bob’s boy has been sick. Naturally it’s hard for him to concentrate on work right
now.
___________
Bob’s too ambitious for his own good. That ambition may yet destroy him and the
company.
___________
Under Bob Robertson’s leadership, sales in the appliance division have increased 30 per
cent in the last six months.
___________
Bob’s wonderful, all right. He’s gotten as far as he has without the slightest idea of how to
manage a division.
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Categorize the LANGUAGE of the Speakers
Formal, Pedantic, Turgid, Insipid, Poetic, Vulgar, Effusive, Euphemistic, Moralistic, Colloquial, Dialect, Chauvinistic,
Pretentious, Scholarly, Slang, Jargon, Etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
“When I told Dad how I’d goofed that exam, he literally blew his top.:
“There was a constable on point duty just where we stopped, and he came over and lifted the bonnet
and made ineffectual motions with a spanner. And then – what do you think? – we found out we
were out of petrol!”
“We don’t keep nothing like that here, but maybe we could order it for you special. Not in a hurry for
it, was you?”
“I had him on the ropes in the fourth, and if one of those short rights of mine had connected, he’d
have gone down for the count. I was aiming for his glass jaw, but I couldn’t seem to reach it.”
“A close examination and correlation of the most reliable current economic indexes justifies the
conclusion that the next year will witness a continuation of the present upward market trend, though
this may be accomplished by seasonal fluctuations in respect to certain areas of the economy.”
“We were loading hay in the west forty when we saw the twister in the distance.”
“Both the Oriental romance and the picaresque narrative have been favorite vehicles for the satirist,
the romance because it permits a handy and vivid way of contrasting Western manners with those of a
very different culture, the picaresque tale because the hero’s adventuresome career, spiced as it is
with all sorts of roguery, gives an excellent excuse for pungent comments on the errant ways of
mankind.”
“The female operatives in this mill seemed well content with their lot, laughing and singing as they
emerged at the end of the day.”
“The ominous final movement begins with a toccata in the horns, punctuated by glissando effects in
the tympani, and then develops, in the middle section, into a lyrical coda.”
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Each passage illustrates one of the tones in the box below. In each space, put the letter of the tone that best applies.
Don’t use any letter more than once.
Remember that the tone of a selection reflects the author’s attitude. To find the tone of a paragraph, ask yourself what
attitude is revealed by its words and phrases.
a. arrogant
e. revengeful
b. forgiving
f. affectionate
c. worried
g. hypocritical
d. sorrowful
h. scornful
________
Spam – that slimy canned pork product – is surprisingly still around after more than fifty years. Despite its
high fat content (more than three and a half teaspoons per two-ounce serving) and high calorie count (171
calories per serving), more than four billion cans have been sold since 1937. Spam’s greasy, rubbery
consistency and salty flavor have made it the butt of many jokes – such as David Letterman’s suggestion of
Spam-on-a-rope for people who want to eat and shower at the same time. Shareholders in George Hormel
and Company must be laughing all the way to the bank. More than three cans of Spam are consumed every
second, despite its high cost – pound for pound, it costs about the same as strip steak.
________
My grandfather lived with my family as I grew up, and some of my warmest early memories revolve around
him. He was a sweet man with simple tastes. He liked Western movies, and when I was a preschooler, he
often took me along to see them. After the movies, we would go to a nearby Bridgeman’s ice-cream shop.
He would order a hot chocolate. It always came with a couple of sugar cookies, which he would give to me
to eat with my scoop of ice cream. Once I began school, he would go to the Westerns alone. But it wasn’t
unusual for me to come home from school and find those same sugar cookies waiting for me in a
Bridgeman’s napkin.
________
By the year 2010 there will be nearly ten million Americans over the age of 80. Can we expect these people
to be cared for by their relatives, who are themselves in their sixties? If the caregivers are retired, they may
have more time to take care of older family members, but the costs of such care (especially in terms of
retirement income) are high. As the retirees grow older, the task of caring for older people becomes
harder. This is made more difficult by the fact that old age can be distressing because it is a time of
continual loss. Too often adults take in ailing, elderly relatives without being aware that they are taking on
an immense full-time job. Such caregivers should have somewhere to turn for help.
________
Are you on my list? If you know me, you may well be. See, I keep a record of everyone who’s ever crossed
me. Whether it’s for making fun of my new dress, or stealing my boyfriend. I believe in getting mad and
getting even. It may take a while, but I settle the score with everyone on my list – the girl who made fun of
my dress, for example. It took me a whole year to get back at her. Finally, one night a date took me to a
party she gave. I took advantage of the opportunity and spilled red nail polish on the white rug in her
powder room. That night, I took great satisfaction in crossing her name off my list.
________
My mother died a week after I had given birth to my first child. Mother and I had both wanted desperately
for her to see little Emily. And mother had managed to hang on for months, despite the cancer that was
ravaging her body. I had just spoken to her the night before, and my plans were to bring Emily the fifty
miles to see Mom that weekend, “I’m going to do it, “ Mom had said. “I’m going to hold my granddaughter
before I die.” But it was not to be.
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Often a change or shift in tone will be signaled by the following:




key words (e.g. but, yet, nevertheless, however, although )
punctuation (dashes, periods, colons)
stanza and paragraph divisions
changes in line and stanza or sentence length
There are at least four areas that may be considered when analyzing style: diction, sentence
structure, treatment of subject matter, and figurative language.
I. Diction (choice of words) Describe diction by considering the following:
A. Words may be monosyllabic (one syllable in length) or polysyllabic (more than one syllable in length). The higher the
ratio of polysyllabic words, the more difficult the content.
B. Words may be mainly colloquial (slang), informal (conversational), formal (literary), or old-fashioned. This refers to
register.
C. Words may be mainly denotative (containing an exact meaning), e.g. dress, or connotative (containing a suggested
meaning), e.g. gown.
D. Words may be concrete (specific) or abstract (general).
E. Words may be euphonious (pleasant sounding), e.g. butterfly, or cacophonous (harsh sounding), e.g. pus.
II. Sentence Structure Describe the sentence structure by considering the following:
A. Examine the sentence length. Are the sentences telegraphic (shorter than five words in length), medium
(approximately eighteen words in length), or long and involved (thirty words or more in length)? Does the sentence
length fit the subject matter what variety of lengths is present? Why is the sentence length effective?
B. Examine sentence patterns. Some elements to consider are listed below:
1. A declarative (assertive) sentence makes a statement, e.g. The king is sick. An imperative sentence gives a
command, e.g. Stand up. An interrogative sentence asks a question, e.g. Is the king sick? An exclamatory
sentence makes an exclamation, e.g. The king is dead!
2. A simple sentence contains one subject and one verb, e.g. The singer bowed to her adoring audience. A
compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinate conjunction (and, but, or) or by
a semicolon, e.g., The singer bowed to the audience, but she sang no encores. A complex sentence contains
an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses, e.g., You said that you would tell the truth. A
compound-complex sentence contains two or more principal clauses and one or more subordinate clause, e.g.
The singer bowed while the audience applauded, but she sang no encores.
3. A loose sentence makes complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending, e.g. We reached Manila
that morning I after a turbulent flight I and some exciting experiences. A periodic sentence makes sense only
when the end of a sentence is reached, e.g. That morning, after a turbulent flight and some exciting
experiences, we reached Manila.
4. In a balanced sentence, the phrases or clauses balance each other by virtue of their likeness or structure,
meaning, and/or length, e.g. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still
waters.
5. Natural order of a sentence involves constructing a sentence so the subject comes before the predicate, e.g.
Oranges grow in California. Inverted order of a sentence (sentence inversion) involves constructing a sentence
so the predicate comes before the subject, e.g. In California grow oranges. This is a device in which normal
sentence patterns are reversed to create an emphatic or rhythmic effect. Split order of a sentence divides the
predicate into two parts with the subject coming in the middle, e.g. In California oranges grow.
6. Juxtaposition is a poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words or phrases are
placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise or wit, e.g. “The apparition of these faces in the
crowd;/Petals on a wet black bough” (“In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound).
7. Parallel structure (parallelism) refers to a grammatical or structural similarity between sentences or parts of a
sentence. It involves an arrangement of words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs so that the elements of
equal importance are equally developed and similarly phrased, e.g. He was walking, running, and jumping for
joy.
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8. Repetition is a device in which words, sounds, and ideas are used more than once for the purpose of
enhancing rhythm and creating emphasis, e.g. “…government of the people, by the people, for the people,
shall not perish from the earth.”
9. A rhetorical question is a question that expects no answer. It is used to draw attention to a point and is
generally stronger than a direct statement, e.g. If Mr. Feren is always fair, as you have said, why did he refuse
to listen to your arguments?
C. Examine sentence beginnings. Is there a good variety or does a pattern emerge?
D. Examine the arrangement of ideas in a sentence. Are they set out in a special way for a purpose?
E. Examine the arrangement of ideas in a paragraph to see if there is evidence to any pattern or structure.
III. Treatment of Subject Matter
Describe the author’s treatment of the subject matter by considering the following. Has the author been?
1. Subjective? Are his or her conclusions based upon opinions; are they rather personal in nature?
2. Objective? Are his or her conclusions based upon facts; are they impersonal or scientific?
3. Supportive of his or her main idea? If so, how did he or she support his or her claims? Did he or she:
a. state his or her opinions,
b. report his or her experience,
c. report observations,
d. refer to readings,
e. refer to statements made by experts,
f. use statistical data?
IV. Figurative Language
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
Simile is a comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words like or as. It is definitely a
stated comparison, where the poet says one thing is like another, e.g. the warrior fought like a lion.
Metaphor is a comparison without the use of like or as. The poet states that one thing is another. It is usually a
comparison between something that is real or concrete an something that is abstract, e.g. Life is but a dream.
Personification is a kind of metaphor which gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics, e.g.
The wind cried in the dark.
Hyperbole is a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration. It may be used either for serious or
comic effect, e.g. The shot was heard ‘round the world.
Understatement (Meiosis) is the opposite of hyperbole. It is a kind of irony which deliberately represents
something as much less than it really is, e.g. I could probably manage I survive on a salary of two million dollars
per year.
Paradox is a statement which contradicts itself. It may seem almost absurd. Although may seem to be at odds
with ordinary experiences, it usually turns out to have a coherent meaning, and reveals a truth which is normally
hidden, e.g. The more you know, the more you know you don’t know. (Socrates)
Oxymoron is a form of paradox which combines a pair of contrary terms into a expression. This combination
usually serves the purpose of shocking the reader into awareness, e.g. sweet sorrow, wooden nickel.
Pun is a play on words which are identical or similar in sound but which have sharply diverse meanings. Puns may
have serious as well as humorous uses, e.g. When Mercutio is bleeding to death in Romeo and Juliet, he says to his
friends, “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.”
Irony is the result of a statement saying one thing while meaning the opposite. Its purpose is usually to criticize,
e.g. It is simple to stop smoking. I’ve done it many times.
Sarcasm is a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising something while he is actually insulting the
thing. Its purpose is to injure or hurt, e.g. As I fell down the stairs head-first, I heard her say, “look at that
coordination.
Antithesis involves a direct contrast of structurally parallel word groupings generally for the purpose of contrast,
e.g. sink or swim.
Apostrophe is a form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if present and the inanimate
as if animate. Those are all addressed directly, e.g. The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.
Allusion is a reference to a mythological, literary, historical, or Biblical person, place or thing, e.g. He met his
Waterloo.
Synecdoche (Metonymy) is a form of metaphor. In synecdoche, a part of something is used to signify the whole,
e.g. All hands on deck.
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



Also the reverse, whereby the whole can represent a part, is synecdoche, e.g. Canada played the United States in the
Olympic hockey finals.
Another form of synecdoche involves the container representing the thing being contained, e.g. The pot is boiling.
One last form of synecdoche involves the material from which an object is made standing for the object itself, e.g. The
quarterback tossed the pigskin, The thwack of willow on leather.
In metonymy, the name of one thing is applied to another thing with which it is closely associated, e.g. I love
Shakespeare.
Brian Moon considers these four basic dimensions contribute to style:
I. Diction
II. Sentence Organization which includes the structure of sentences.
III. Rhetorical devices, such as metaphors or simile which invite the reader to form particular associations, or to produce
a wider range of readings from the text trough ironic or ambiguous language.
IV. Syntax
or word order. Syntax refers to the ordering of elements in a sentence. Unusual word order often has significance
for readers (compare “May the force be with you!” with “The force may it be with you!” The Yoda factor, he always
structures his speech in passive voice rather than active voice and this is the basis of the humor). In poetry, syntax is often
manipulated to produce rhythms.
Words that describe style and syntax:
plain, spare, austere, unadorned
ornate, elaborate, flowery
jumbled, chaotic, obfuscating
erudite, esoteric
journalistic, terse, laconic
harsh, grating
mellifluous, musical, lilting, lyrical
whimsical
elegant
More words that describe style and syntax:
staccato, abrupt
solid, thudding
sprawling, disorganized
dry
deceptively simple
Elements of Rhetoric
I. STYLE












syntax
diction
point of view
devices of language (alliteration, assonance, etc.)
tone
imagery
figures of speech
phrasing
coordination/subordination
selection of detail
parallelisms
repetition
II. MODES OF DISCLOSURE (Purpose)
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









definition
cause/effect (causal analysis)
comparison/contrast
argumentation
description
narration
summary
persuasion (elements of logic – persuading by emotion)
classification/division
process analysis
Words that Describe the Reader’s Perception of the Speaker:
humble
bold
insipid
imperious
austere
confident
credulous
naïve
vivacious
sincere
vain
gullible
audacious
insecure
innocent
triumphant
insolent
inane
shallow
fatuous
haughty
proud
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