Tone is the AUTHOR’S attitude
towards the audience, the subject,
or the character
You can recognize the tone/attitude
by the language/word choices the
author uses. His language will
reveal his perspective/opinion (that
is, whether it is positive/negative)
about the subject.
Written Tone
Verbal tone is easier to detect
Teacher Student
Big Brother Little Brother
Written Tone can be more
difficult. When in doubt, readers
must examine the context of the
story itself.
Tone must be inferred through the
use of descriptive words.
DESCRIBING TONE
Adjectives are used to describe tone
Have a healthy “tone vocabulary”
Consider some words that describe
tone.
Sarcastic, sincere, embarrassed,
proud or frightened
The key to choosing the correct tone
is to carefully consider the author’s
word choice.
TONE
In the short story “The Ransom of
Red Chief” by O. Henry, two men
attempt to kidnap a wealthy man’s
son for a ransom. However, the
boy is a troublemaker and they
can’t wait to get rid of him. The
boy’s father sends this note to the
men in response to their ransom
demand:
Gentlemen: I received your letter today by post,
in regard to the ransom you ask for the return
of my son. I think you are a little high in your
demands, and I hereby make you a counter
proposition, which I am inclined to believe you
will accept. You bring Johnny home and pay
me two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, I
agree to take him off your hands. You had
better come at night, for the neighbors believe
he is lost, and I couldn’t be responsible for
what they would do to anyone they saw
bringing him back.
Very respectfully,
EBENEZER DORSET
TONE
Which adjectives best describe the
tone of his note?
Tone:
Evidence:
The girls were playing in the pond, splashing
each other and trying to catch fish with their
hands. They were having fun, but kept looking
over their shoulders at the looming forest. The
long grass of the field kept moving and they sort
of felt like they were being watched… About a
half hour passed and still the girls kept checking
the field for movements. It seemed like a pair of
dark eyes was on them. They even considered
going back inside, but that would mean
homework time. So they continued splashing,
but with caution now. Their eyes hardly left the
field.
Tone:
Evidence:
Finally, one of the girls pointed
to the grass and giggled.
"Meow!" A cat sat on the edge
of the field and licked its paw.
They did indeed have company.
The girls ran over to the cat and
pet his belly. They laughed and
the cat sauntered back to the
field.
What is the tone of this
paragraph?
TONE
So, let’s TONE our brain muscles with
descriptive vocabulary exercises!!
Bitter Tasteful/distasteful
Serious Nonchalant
Witty Angry
Playful Attached/Detached
Tender Innocent
Sympathetic
Poignant
Haunting
Compassionate
Mysterious
Humorous
Suspenseful
Gory
Tone: “A Gift in His Shoes”
Donovan and Larry were early for baseball practice.
They decided to run up and down the bleachers to
exercise before the rest of the team arrived.
Larry was first to the top. He whispered to Donovan,
“Look over there.” He pointed to a man sleeping on the
highest, narrow bench of the bleachers. His pants and
shirt were faded, worn, and too large for his thin frame.
One big toe stuck out of a huge hole in his sock. His
scraped-up shoes sat a few feet away.
Donovan whispered, “We should help him out. Let’s
hide something good in his shoes. Then, when he wakes
up, he will have a nice surprise.”
How would you describe the tone
[attitude] of this author?
a. Angry
b. Detached
c. Sympathetic
Evidence:
Tone: Where Can They Stay?
About three million people have to look for a
place to sleep at night. Some homeless people
have jobs but do not earn nearly enough money for
both food and shelter. Some become homeless
because they have an unfortunate accident or lose
their job. They do not have any back-up resources
to make it through the hard times.
The homeless face terrible problems. Many
become victims of violence. Serious health
problems may begin because they are exposed to
bad weather and unclean conditions. Homeless
children may miss the chance to go to school.
Worst of all, some cities pass laws that make it
even harder on the homeless.
How would you describe the tone
[attitude] of this author?
a. Disgruntled
b. Nonchalant
c. Serious
Evidence:
Mood is the overall
atmosphere of a piece of
literature
The mood is created by the
setting, the characters, and
their actions
DESCRIBING MOOD
Adjectives describe Mood
Remember that you are NOT
describing the way the person feels
Like tone, mood words can be either
positive or negative
Examples: relaxed, cozy, romantic,
gloomy, frightening, somber
Mood
Identifying the mood of a piece of
writing will depend on the number of
descriptive words you know to answer
the question: How did this paragraph,
this passage, this story make the
character or make you feel?
What is the mood of this picture?
Mood: Example
During the holidays, my mother's house
glittered with decorations and hummed with
preparations. We ate cookies and drank cider
while we helped her wrap bright packages and
trim the tree. We felt warm and excited, listening
to Christmas carols and even singing along
sometimes. We would tease each other about
our terrible voices and then sing even louder.
Mood:
Evidence:
Mood: Example
After New Year's the time came to put
all the decorations away and settle
in for the long, cold winter. The
house seemed to sigh as we boxed
up its finery. The tree was dry and
brittle, and now waited forlornly by
the side of the road to be picked up.
Mood:
Evidence:
Brain Muscle Work Out
Cheerful Furious
Relieved Disappointed
Gloomy Idyllic
Bleak Content
Uncertain Satisfied
Bittersweet Angry
Relaxed Motivated
Lazy Inspired
Hopeless Confident
Tense Eerie
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
TONE AND MOOD
Tone = Person - Attitude
Mood = Environment
