TONE vs MOOD

What they are and how you can tell the difference.

What is TONE?

• Tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject (his characters, the situation) and/or the audience. A work of writing can have more than one tone. An example of tone could be both serious and humorous. Tone is set by the setting, choice of vocabulary and other details.

Words That Describe Tone

Amused Humorous Pessimistic Angry Informal Playful Cheerful Ironic PompousHorror Light Sad Clear Matter-of-fact Serious Formal Resigned Suspicious Gloomy Optimistic Witty

Examples of TONE

"It was a dark and stormy night" sets a scary, uneasy tone.

"The sun was shining brightly on the meadow" sets a happy tone.

Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss would have a happy tone.

Scarlett Letter would have a sad tone.

Nancy Drew would have a suspenseful tone.

Voice is TONE

• Multiple Voices"The personality I am expressing in this written sentence is not the same as the one I orally express to my three-year-old who at this moment is bent on climbing onto my typewriter. For each of these two situations, I choose a different 'voice,' a different mask, in order to accomplish what I want accomplished."(Walker Gibson, The Limits of Language. Hill and Wang, 1966)

Voice is TONE

• "Just as you dress differently on different occasions, as a writer you assume different voices in different situations. If you're writing an essay about a personal experience, you may work hard to create a strong personal voice in your essay. . . . If you're writing a report or essay exam, you will adopt a more formal, public tone. Whatever the situation, the choice you make as you write and revise . . . will determine how readers interpret and respond to your presence."(Lisa Ede, Work in Progress: A Guide to Writing and Revising. St. Martin's Press, 1989)

Questions to ask of Tone

• 1. What is the subject of the piece?• 2. What clues tell the reader the author’s attitude toward

the subject?• What is the tone?

What is MOOD?

• Mood is the general atmosphere created by the author’s words. It is the feeling the reader gets from reading those words. It may be the same, or it may change from situation to situation.

Words That Describe Mood

Fanciful Melancholy Cheerful Frightening Mysterious Frustrating Romantic Hopeful Playful

Gloomy Sentimental Happy Sorrowful Joyful Suspenseful Violent Tense Heartbroken Painful

How does a writer create mood?

Length of sentencesWords that are chosenPunctuation usedSound of words

Images create mood

Mood?

Mood?

Mood?

Select a movie & change the mood

Mary Poppins as a horror film: Scary Maryhttp://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=scary+mary+poppins&qpvt=scary+mary+poppins&FORM=VDRE#view=detail&mid=5966070235F9A2B1FAC65966070235F9A2B1FAC6

Dumb and Dumber was turned into a horror film, Lurk and Lurker: Dumb and Dumber (Horror)http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lurk+and+lurker&qs=AS&sk=&FORM=QBVR&pq=lurk%20and%20lurker&sc=1-15&sp=1&qs=AS&sk=#view=detail&mid=1E0C3F7B47C8748ADF111E0C3F7B47C8748ADF11

The Shining was transformed from horror film into a feel-good romantic comedy: The Shining (Feel-Good/Romantic Comedy) http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=The+Shining+Happy+Trailer&FORM=RESTAB#view=detail&mid=E838556FB8A670301E45E838556FB8A670301E45

The Most Dangerous Game

• Tone?

• Mood?

The Necklace

• Tone?

• Mood?

Gift of the Magi

• Tone?

• Mood?