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:
– 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:
– 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 Diagram
Tone
• 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.
Mood
Similarities
• Emotions that you (the
reader) feel while you
are reading a piece.
• Conveyed by an • Some pieces of
emotion or emotions literature make you
through words
feel sad, angry or
• The way a reader happy.
feels about a piece • Often, a writer creates
(the reader’s mood)
the mood at the
can be determined beginning of a piece
through facial
and then carries that
expressions, gestures same mood
and in the tone (the
throughout the whole
way the author piece.
expresses his/her • SOMETIMES
feelings throughout the mood will
the piece) of voice change as
used. 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.