Tone vs. Mood Tone Tone: The - PowerPoint Presentation

Tone vs. Mood

Tone 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?)

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 Example 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:

Tone Example Cont. 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 the paragraph now?

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)

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 Cont. 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: Written 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: Written Example #2 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:

Tone vs. Mood These two words are easy to get confused when reading a text. Look at the following Venn Diagram to understand how mood and tone are different.

Tone vs. Mood Tone Mood Similarities 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. 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. A uthor sets the tone through words . P ossible tones are as numerous as the number of possible emotions a human being can have. 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.

Difference Cont. 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. Tone = Person + Attitude Mood = Environment

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.www.cluster7c.com/uploads/5/0/6/8/5068079/toneandmood.ppt