Mood and Tone

• Tone and mood are literary elements integrated

into literary works, but can also be included into
any piece of writing.
• Identifying the tone and mood in literature is very
important to truly understanding what an author
is trying to say and can be helpful in helping to
discern the theme and author’s style. Students
often mix up the two terms and can become
confused.
 TONE

Tone is the AUTHOR’S attitude towards the

audience, the subject, or the character.

*Tone is shown through

– Dialogue - talking
– Descriptions – author’s diction [word
choice]
Words that describe TONE
 MOOD

*Mood is the feeling the reader gets from

a story.

*Mood is shown through

– Setting
– Atmosphere
Words to describe MOOD
TONE IS NOT MOOD
The tone could be
Tone serious but the
mood could be
ridiculous.

Mood
 TONE IS NOT MOOD
• FOR EXAMPLE:

He approached the task with sheer

determination. He had studied his plans
carefully, spent hours preparing and was
sure of his approach. The hours he spent
practicing were grueling and exhausting
but he was ready. This was the year he
would win the pie eating contest at
school.
 TONE

• FOR EXAMPLE:

He approached the task with sheer determination.

He had studied his plans carefully, spent hours
preparing and was sure of his approach. The
hours he spent practicing were grueling and
exhausting but he was ready. This was the year
he would win the pie eating contest at school.

According to the author’s descriptions, what is the tone?

Serious, Intense, Formal, Focused
 MOOD

• FOR EXAMPLE:

He approached the task with sheer determination.

He had studied his plans carefully, spent hours
preparing and was sure of his approach. The
hours he spent practicing were grueling and
exhausting but he was ready. This was the year
he would win the pie eating contest at school.

According to the setting, what is the mood?

Playful, informal, silly, exciting
 You Try!

On the following slides identify the author’s tone or the

reader’s mood and explain how you knew.
Remember:
Tone is determined by
DESCRIPTION or DIALOGUE

Mood is determined by
SETTING or ATMOSPHERE
 The TONE of the passage is _________
The author’s ______________ relays the tone.

My annoying brother likes to drive me crazy.

There is no other who is that lazy.
He whines to Mom and Dad night and day
Until he eventually gets his way.
What is a sister to do
When he screams 'til he's blue?
There is no way to win,
For he gets under your skin.
He does his best to kill all joy.
Oh, how my brother does annoy!
 The TONE of the passage is FRUSTRATED
The author’s DESCRIPTIONS relay the tone.

My annoying brother likes to drive me crazy.

There is no other who is that lazy.
He whines to Mom and Dad night and day
Until he eventually gets his way.
What is a sister to do
When he screams 'til he's blue?
There is no way to win,
For he gets under your skin.
He does his best to kill all joy.
Oh, how my brother does annoy!
 The MOOD of the passage is ______________
The ______________ relays the MOOD.
The door swings open to reveal all of my
family members standing around the
Christmas tree. The lights are twinkling
and the fireplace is roaring with a warm
fire. Everyone is singing Christmas carols
as the snow falls quietly outside the
window.
 The MOOD of the passage is COZY/FAMILIAR
The ATMOSPHERE relays the tone.

The door swings open to reveal all of

my family members standing
around the Christmas tree. The
lights are twinkling and the
fireplace is roaring with a warm
fire. Everyone is singing Christmas
carols as the snow falls quietly
outside the window.
 The TONE of the passage is ____________
The author’s _____________ relay the tone.
We’re contacting you today to let you know about the
Special Olympics annual fund drive. You have been
kind enough to support us generously in the past,
and we’d like to ask for your help again, as we send
our athletes with special needs to compete at the
national level. Please fill out the form below and
return it in the enclosed envelope with your
donation. It will make a child’s day if you do.
 The TONE of the passage is FORMAL/POLITE.
The author’s DESCRIPTIONS relay the tone.
We’re contacting you today to let you know about the
Special Olympics annual fund drive. You’ve been
kind enough to support us generously in the past,
and we’d like to ask for your help again, as we send
our athletes with special needs to compete at the
national level. Please fill out the form below and
return it in the enclosed envelope with your
donation. It will make a child’s day if you do.
 Tone vs. Mood Venn Diagram
Mood
Tone
Similarities
• Emotions that you (the
reader) feel while you
• Tone is the attitude that
are reading a piece.
an author takes toward • Conveyed by an • Some pieces of
the audience, the subject, emotion or literature make you
or the character. emotions through feel sad, angry or
• Tone is conveyed words happy.
through the author's • The way a reader • Often, a writer creates
words and details. feels about a piece the mood at the
• Use context clues to help beginning of a piece
(the reader’s mood)
determine the tone. and then carries that
can be determined
• Author sets the tone same mood throughout
through facial the whole piece.
through words. expressions, • SOMETIMES
• Possible tones are as gestures and in the the mood will
numerous as the number tone (the way the change as
of possible emotions a author expresses characters or
human being can have. his/her feelings plot changes.
throughout the
piece) of voice
used.
• Study Questions:
• Focus on the importance of tone in any
literary piece
• How tone can be identified in in any
literary piece
• Difference between tone and mood
• How it helps to understand literature