TONE
Definition of Tone
Tone, in written composition, is an attitude of a writer toward a subject
or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words,
or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.
Every written piece comprises a central theme or subject matter. The
manner in which a writer approaches this theme and subject is the tone.
The tone can be formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad, or
cheerful, or it may be any other existing attitude.
Tone Examples in Common Speech
We adopt a variety of tones in our day-to-day speech. This intonation of
our speech determines what message we desire to convey. Read a few
examples below:
Example #1
Father: “We are going on a vacation.”
Son: “That’s great!!!”
– The tone of son’s response is very cheerful.
Example #2
Father: “We can’t go on vacation this summer.”
Son: “Yeah, great! That’s what I expected.”
– The son’s tone is sarcastic.
Example #3
“Yeah, your grades on this exam will be as good as the previous exams.”
– The tone is pessimistic in this example.
Example #4
“Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?”
– This has an aggressive tone.
Every piece of writing has a tone.
Here's just a partial list of words that are commonly used to talk about
tone, with examples of the types of writing they might be used to
describe:
Lofty, soaring, elevated
o A particularly stirring campaign speech
o The Declaration of Independence
o Maya Angelou's famous poem, "Still I Rise"
Grandiose, flowery, melodramatic
o A sappy love poem
o An over-the-top television sermon
o A wordy letter of apology
Smug, pompous, preachy
o A know-it-all at a cocktail party
o The comments section of almost any YouTube video
o A speech made by a boastful or proud character
Somber, dark, serious, gloomy
o A speech at a funeral
o A murder mystery
o A novel about someone's struggles with depression
Sarcastic, satirical, ironic
o An article in the newspaper The Onion
o A work of parody like Don Quixote
o A satire, like many skits on SNL
Humorous, witty, goofy
o A stand-up comedy routine
o A play like Shakespeare's As You Like It
o A TV show like Seinfeld or Friends
Lighthearted, cheerful, optimistic
o A Dr. Seuss Book
o A wedding speech
o A friendly joke
Intellectual, analytical, critical
o An essay you'd write for school
o A dense work of political theory
o An article analyzing a political event
Dry, official, scientific, cold
o A letter from the IRS
o A scientific paper
o Instructions on how to assemble furniture
The tone of a piece of writing depends on a confluence of different
factors, including:
The connotation of the words used: Are they positive or
negative? What associations do the words bring to mind?
The diction, or word choice: Are there lots of thou's and thine's?
Does the writer use slang? Are the words long and technical, or
short and childish?
The use of figurative language: Is there a lot of metaphor,
hyperbole, or alliteration? Does the language sound lofty and
poetic?
The mood: How does the language make you feel as the reader?
This can reveal a lot about the tone of the piece.
All of these things work together to determine the tone of a piece of
writing.
The Difference Between Tone and Mood
The words "tone" and "mood" are often used interchangeably, but the
two terms actually have different meanings.
Tone is the attitude or general character of a piece of writing and
is often related to the attitude of the writer or speaker.
Mood refers specifically to the effect a piece of writing has on the
reader. Mood is how a piece of writing makes you feel.
While tone and mood are distinct literary devices, they are often closely
related. For example, it wouldn't be unusual for a poem with a somber
tone to also have a somber mood—i.e., to make the reader feel somber
as well.
