“The Interlopers”
Tone & Voice Practice
Tone and Voice
 Tone
 Attitude a speaker or author
uses toward a subject, character,
or audience.
 Voice
 The writer’s use of language and
overall style
 Voice is created by the writer’s tone
 Tone can be described in a single
word – typically an adjective.
 Examples: joyous, somber,
humorous, serious, angry,
mellow, ironic, etc….
 If you change a story’s point of
view, you may change the tone
as well.
 For example: how might the
tone of “Helen on 86th
Street” be different if the
mom were telling the story
instead of Vita?
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and choice of words (diction).
You can often identify the author of a
piece of writing from the voice
The narrators voice can affect our view
of characters and plot, and shape the
tone of the story as a whole.
Writers will often switch voices on
purpose, or their voice may change
over time, but usually a writer’s voice
remains the same from work to work
In fiction, narrators can also be said to
have a voice, which is created by their
manner of speaking, word choice, and
tone.
Divide a sheet of paper in half.
Label one side “Tone” and one side “Voice”
 For the side labeled “Tone”
1.
Identify the tone of the story
(be sure to look at your notes
regarding the definition of
tone).
 Support your chosen tone with
evidence from the story. Be sure
you are giving specific examples
that reveal the connection, rather
than giving me plot summary.
2.
Does the tone change at any
point? If so, what does the
tone change to, and at what
point in the story does that
change take place?
 For the side labeled “Voice”
Describe the voice of the
story overall (be sure to look
at your lecture notes
regarding the definition of
voice).
2. How does this voice affect
readers insight and
perception of the characters
and plot of the story?
1.
1.
On back, answer questions 3-7
from pages 157 about the story.