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DESCRIPTIVE WRITING - Tone and Mood

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Devika Baburaj
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36 views2 pages

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING - Tone and Mood

Uploaded by

Devika Baburaj
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

Sensory description uses sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste to sketch an impression in writing.
Consider a paragraph without sensory description.
My sister and I walked along the boardwalk each afternoon of our vacation. We watched the
ocean and listened to the waves. Usually we stopped for a snack at one of the many stores that
line the boardwalk. Afterwards, we walked along the beach and let our feet get wet.

Now, consider this paragraph with all five sensory descriptors: sight, sound, smell, taste, and
touch.
My sister and I walked along the boardwalk one afternoon on our vacation. The hot boards
warmed our bare feet. We watched the foam-covered waves topple over each other and then
slide back into sea. The crashing water competed with the exuberant yells from the seagulls.
We bought a perfectly oval fluff of pink cotton candy that dissolved sweetly in our mouths.
Afterwards, we walked along the edge of the water, letting the warm salty air blow our hair
away from our necks as the cool water lapped over our toes.

What to Avoid When Using Sensory Detail (by Ali Faucher)


• Too many adjectives—retain only the most powerful words in your writing, deleting any
unnecessary words
• Too many adverbs—verbs are stronger than adverbs. She strolled into the room is more
powerful than She walked casually into the room.
• Clichéd figures of speech—overused language, such as green with envy, signals a lack of
imagination. Use fresh, descriptive words that go against rote thinking.
Read the passage and answer the question below.
It was a dark and stormy night. I sat alone in the old, dilapidated house staring out the window. The sky
was black, the wind was loud, and the rain slammed against the broken windowpane. I shut my eyes,
remembering my earlier visit, and I felt so embarrassed and angry. When I opened them, the lightning bolt
flashed and lit up the room once more. I had to get out of the house; I had to hide. No one could know my
horrible mistake. I opened the door, took a deep breath, and ran into the cold and rain.
1. What feelings did you have while reading the paragraph?
2. What made you feel this way?
3. What words helped create this feeling?
Mood is the feeling you get while reading a story. This could be happiness, sadness, darkness,
anger, suspicion, loneliness, or even excitement. You can think of mood as the atmosphere of the
story.
To describe mood, you should think about the setting and the language used by the author. In the
opening story, we saw the setting as dark and the weather angry. The narrator used language that
created fear, such as cold and black.
What Is Tone?
Tone is the author's attitude toward a subject. The tone can be identified by looking at word
choices and phrases. Take time to look at the language. An author uses words to create meaning.
For example, a dog described as a lovable puppy is positive, but one described as a fierce fighter is
more frightening.
The following are some examples of ‘tone’ in sentences. Explain why it displays tone in one
sentence.
b. The sun is shining brightly in the meadow, let’s go out and play!
c. I called my friend at their house, her brother said she’s not home, but I heard her voice come on
the line.
The following are some examples of ‘mood’ in sentences: Explain why it shows mood in one
sentence.
1. The man kicked and threw the poor cat out of his house.
2. There was plenty of food, and the music was playing. Everybody was having a good time.

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