Infer the speaker’s

tone, mood and

purpose
 In this lesson, you will be listening to conversations
from the video “The Little Women”. In the
conversations you will be encountering Beth, Jo, Amy
(the March sisters) Hannah (housemaid of the
Marches), Mrs March, and the Hummels (family
neighbor of the Marches). Analyze their dialogues and
infer the speaker’s tone, mood, and purpose. Let us
see how a speaker can express his/her purpose and
mood based on the tone he/she uses. You will be
hearing each conversation three times. On the first
time that the conversation is played, your task is to
listen well and understand what they are talking
about. For the second time that you will hear the
same conversation, you are to determine the speaker’s
tone, mood, and purpose. For the last time that you
hear the conversation, you are to verify if your
answers are final.
Listen to the conversation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=NnqZ_7pK0xM
Task 1: Listening for Details
Answer the questions about
the conversation you listened to.
Be sure to show openness in
hearing your classmates’
answers.
1. Who just arrived home?
2. Who was visited?
3. What was the condition of the
visited family?
4. What would you do if your neighbor
were experiencing hard times?

5. Is it right to help the helpless? Why?

6. What might probably happen if

people do not help each other specially
during hard times? What made you say
so?
Task 2: Tone, Mood, and Purpose
Listen as your teacher plays another conversation from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQIBscQDWu0. Infer the speaker’s tone,
mood, and purpose. Cite exact dialogues as your proofs. Use the table below for
your answers. Observe politeness in sharing your answers to the class.
A speaker’s TONE,
MOOD, and PURPOSE are
also revealed via
dialogues. The way a
character speaks denotes
his or her tone, mood,
and purpose.
Other examples of TONE are
evident in these dialogues.
1. “Think of happy things. It’s the same
as having wings.” (optimistic) Peter
Pan

2. “When will you realize that the more

you take the less you have?”
(preaching) Kung Fu Panda
3. “Lean on me. When you’re not strong I’ll be
your friend. I’ll help you carry on.” (inviting)
Excerpt from Lean on Me, Michael Bolton

4. “Never mind thanking me. Just spend it wisely.

That's all I ask. Although it's more than I can
expect when you're so much like your father,
waltzing off to war and lettin' other folks look after
his family.” (intimidating) Aunt March from The
Little Women

5. “Don't point, Joe. He'll think you're waving at

him.” (all-knowing)
Meg from The Little Women
More examples of TONE
 Other examples of MOOD are expressed
in these dialogues.

1.“Would one of you be able to visit the

Hummels tonight? I don’t feel well.”
(lethargic)
2. “I would if I could but I must finish this
letter to Mother. Then, I have to write a
short one to Mr Brookes because Mr
Laurence has an urgent message for him.”
(indifferent/buoyant)
3. “And I can’t”, said Jo forcing a
cough “because I still have this nasty
cold.” (detached)
4. “But you seemed well enough to
go out with Laurie this afternoon.”
(sarcastic)
5. “I’ve been going every night since
Mother left, but I was hoping that
one of you could go instead just this
once,” (hopeful)
More examples of MOOD
Other examples of PURPOSE are
expressed in these dialogues.

1. “Amy, if you don’t stop that

thumping, I’m going to thump
your head against that table
soon.” (to warn)

2. “You’re so violent and rude,”

(to appeal)
3. “Girls, can you keep your voices
down?” (to complain)

4. “I’m just finishing a letter to Mother

and I can’t concentrate with your
bickering.” (to complain)

5. “Shouldn’t you be in bed resting than

down here, anyway?” (to provoke)
More examples of PURPOSE
Task 3. Name That Tone!
Listen to another conversation your teacher will
play from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQIBscQDWu0.
Be sure to infer the speaker’s tone, mood, and
purpose. Choose your answers from the box.
TONE
nonchalant guilty irate convincing scared
anxious calm annoyed bossy arrogant unhappy
authoritative
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
4. __________
5. __________
Task 4. Name that Mood, Purpose and
Tone!
Listen again to another conversation
your teacher will play from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=iQIBscQDWu0. Determine the
speaker’s tone, mood and purpose
present in the dialogues. Write on the
first column the tone, the mood on
the second column, and the speaker’s
purpose on the last column.
TASK 4
Task 5: What’s the Purpose?

Listen as your teacher plays

another conversation from
https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=iQIBscQDWu0. Put a cross
mark (X) in the suitable box that
describes the speaker’s purpose.
TASK 5
Task 6: In a Nutshell

Listen to another conversation

your teacher will play from
https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=iQIBscQDWu0. Analyze
each dialogue. Indicate in each
number what is asked in each
parenthesis about each
dialogue.
 TASK 6

1. (mood) _______________

2. (tone) ________________
3. (purpose)______________
4. (tone) _________________
5. (tone) _________________
6. (mood) ________________
7. (mood) ________________
Thank you!
