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:
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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:
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Suspense
Lonely
Happy
Angry
Anxious
Tense
Suspicious
Excited
Depressed
Scared
Disgusted
TONE VS. MOOD
These two words are easy to get confused when reading a text.
Look at the following Venn Diagram (and fill out your own that is on
your notes sheet) to understand how mood and tone are different.
TONE VS. MOOD VENN DIAGRAMMood
Tone
Similarities
•
• Tone is the attitude that an
author takes toward the
audience, the subject, or the
character.
• Tone is conveyed through
the author's words and
details.
• Use context clues to help
determine the tone.
• Author sets the tone through
words.
• Possible tones are as
numerous as the number of
possible emotions a human
being can have.
•
•
Conveyed by an
emotion or emotions
through words
The way a reader
feels about a piece
(the reader’s mood)
can be determined
through facial
expressions, gestures
and in the tone (the
way the author
expresses his/her
feelings throughout
the piece) of voice
used.
•
•
Emotions that you (the
reader) feel while you
are reading a piece.
Some pieces of
literature make you
feel sad, angry or
happy.
Often, a writer creates
the mood at the
beginning of a piece
and then carries that
same mood throughout
the whole piece.
•
SOMETIMES
the mood will
change as
characters or
plot changes.
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.
WORKS CITED
"Difference Between Mood and Tone | Difference Between | Mood vs Tone." Difference Between Mood and Tone |
Difference Between | Mood vs Tone. N.p., 2012. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.
"Mood (composition And literature)." About.com Grammar & Composition. N.p., 2012. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.
"Tone." About.com Grammar & Composition. N.p., 2012. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.
"Tone and Mood." Fall Rivers School. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.
"Tone and Mood." Innetteacher. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.