WHAT WE TALK ABOUT
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
TONE
TONE IS THE WRITER’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE
SUBJECT, CHARACTER, AND/OR AUDIENCE
TONE IS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE WRITER’S VOICE, AND SHOULD BE DISCERNED FROM
THE WRITER’S CHARACTERS OR PERSONAS
HOLD UP!
Tone and mood are similar, but not the
same!!
Tone is the author’s attitude toward
the subject matter (his characters, the
situation) and the reader. A work of
writing can have more than one tone.
The tone, for example, could be both
serious and humorous. Tone is set by
the setting, choice of vocabulary and
other details.
Mood, however, is the general
atmosphere created by the author’s
words. It is the feeling the reader gets
from reading those words. It may stay
the same, or it may change from
situation to situation.
Tone = from the author
Mood = from the reader
WHEN READING STORIES OR POEMS, TONE IS DETERMINED BY THE AUTHOR’S
DICTION – THE WORDS ON THE PAGE INHERENTLY HAVE A SOUND AND MEANING
THAT WE ATTRIBUTE TO THEM. THE CHOICE OF WORDS, THE ORDER, AND THE
AUDIENCE THEY ADDRESS, ALL AFFECT THE TONE OF THE PIECE.
HOW WE MAY READ TONE…
Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why)
by Nikki Giovanni
I was born in the congo
I walked to the fertile crescent and built
the sphinx
I designed a pyramid so tough that a star
that only glows every one hundred years falls
into the center giving divine perfect light
I am bad
I sat on the throne
drinking nectar with allah
I got hot and sent an ice age to europe
to cool my thirst
My oldest daughter is nefertiti
the tears from my birth pains
created the nile
I am a beautiful woman…
HOW WE MAY HEAR IT…
Words to
describe tone:
Amused
Humorous Pessimistic
Angry Informal Playful
Cheerful Ironic Pompous
Horror Light Sad
Clear
Matter-of-fact
Serious
Formal Resigned Suspicious
Gloomy Optimistic Witty
The possible tones in writing are as
boundless as the number of possible
emotions a human being can have.
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 or poem.
SO HOW DO WE FIND AND DETERMINE TONE? IT CAN
BE DIFFICULT TO TRACE, BUT…
WE CAN USE
CONTEXT CLUES,
INFO WITHIN THE
TEXT, TO HELP US
DETERMINE THE
TONE, LIKE:
Diction: the connotation of word
choice
Images: Imagery that appeals to
the senses
Details: Facts and details that the
author has included (that do not
appeal to the senses) and that
exist outside the text
Language: Formal? Cliché?
Jargon? Figurative Language?
Sentence Structure: Long or short
sentences? Staccato or fluid?
1. Bouncing into the room, she lit up the vicinity with a joyous glow on her face as she told about her fiancé
and their wedding plans.
Tone
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Context
Clues__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. She huddled in the corner, clutching her tattered blanket and shaking convulsively, as she feverishly
searched the room for the unknown dangers that awaited her.
Tone
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Context
Clues__________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Bursting through the door, the flustered mother screamed uncontrollably at the innocent teacher who gave
her child an F.
Tone
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Context
Clues__________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Drawing the attention of his classmates as well as his teacher, the student dared to experiment with his
professor’s intelligence by interrogating him about the Bible.
Tone ___________________________________________________________
Context
Clues__________________________________________________________________________________________________