Word Choice and Tone

TONE

is the author’s attitude toward the subject, the characters or the readers, which is revealed by the author’s diction and word choice. 

How do you identify tone? 

• Think of tone as “tone of voice.” 

• WORD CHOICE!! 

WORD CHOICE EXAMPLE:

• “I’m looking forward to writing my college application essays.”

• “I’m looking forward to writing my college application essays only slightly more than I looked forward to having my wisdom teeth pulled.”

​Tone words typically fall into one of three categories.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following has the strongest positive tone?

• pleased

• happy

• thrilled

• satisfied

Multiple Choice

The moment the words were out of my mouth, I wished I could take them back. I didn't mean to hurt Keith's feelings. He is such a kind person, and he certainly doesn't deserve to be treated so poorly. I guess the stress from school has been weighing on me heavily lately. Instead of taking my problems out on him, I need to deal directly with what is causing the stress.

What is the tone of the passage above?

• funny

• regretful

• admiring

• angry

Multiple Select

What words created that tone?

The moment the words were out of my mouth, I wished I could take them back. I didn't mean to hurt Keith's feelings. He is such a kind person, and he certainly doesn't deserve to be treated so poorly. I guess the stress from school has been weighing on me heavily lately. Instead of taking my problems out on him, I need to deal directly with what is causing the stress.

• take them back

• kind person

• stress from school

• Instead of

Multiple Choice

Amy winked at her mother's shocked gaze and with a smile she said, "Sausage and pepperoni pizza for breakfast makes perfect sense. Allow me to demonstrate. You have your tomato. Tomato is technically a fruit. You have cheese. Cheese is a dairy product. You have the crust which are necessary carbs for quick energy in the morning. If you think about it, it is just like bacon and eggs, toast and orange juice." Still smiling, she added, "Why are you looking at me that way?"

What is the tone of the passage?

• playful

• calm

• insulting

• demanding

Multiple Select

What words created the tone?

Amy winked at her mother's shocked gaze and with a smile she said, "Sausage and pepperoni pizza for breakfast makes perfect sense. Allow me to demonstrate. You have your tomato. Tomato is technically a fruit. You have cheese. Cheese is a dairy product. You have the crust which are necessary carbs for quick energy in the morning. If you think about it, it is just like bacon and eggs, toast and orange juice." Still smiling, she added, "Why are you looking at me that way?"

• winked

• shocked gaze

• quick energy

• Still smiling

Multiple Choice

The presentation was about to begin. The audience anxiously waited in their metal chairs and talked to one another about what they were going to learn. The presenter strode to the front of the room and introduced herself. The audience clapped. The presenter repeated what the audience already knew--that a passing quiz score on the information would be required by the end of the day for continued employment. The audience immediately took out note pads and pens, tablets, recorders. The presenter then pointed to the screen and pushed a button on her laptop. The screen went blank. The audience looked nervously at each other in the silence.

What is the tone of the paragraph?

• mournful

• sinister

• unconcerned

• tense

Multiple Select

What words creates the tone?

The presentation was about to begin. The audience anxiously waited in their metal chairs and talked to one another about what they were going to learn. The presenter strode to the front of the room and introduced herself. The audience clapped. The presenter repeated what the audience already knew--that a passing quiz score on the information would be required by the end of the day for continued employment. The audience immediately took out note pads and pens, tablets, recorders. The presenter then pointed to the screen and pushed a button on her laptop. The screen went blank. The audience looked nervously at each other in the silence.

• anxiously

• clapped

• for continued employment

• pushed a button

• nervously

Tone is the author's or speaker's attitude toward the subject.

VS.

Mood is the emotional effect on the reader. Sometimes tone and mood might be very similar.

A threatening tone might create a scary mood.

But sometimes they might be very different. An author's serious tone toward something silly can make a text very funny to the reader.

Mood is sometimes called the "atmosphere" of a story. The way the setting is described also helps create a mood.

Open Ended

What is the tone of the poem?