Understanding Author’s Tone And Mood

Authors use tools called mood and tone to suggest ideas and create feelings in their readers. This helps to make the story more interesting. Authors use strategies like word choice (diction), style, and details to suggest their tone and create a mood, or feelings, in the reader.

Movie Examples How do movies establish tone and mood? What strategies are used? What is the effect on viewers?

Movie Examples How do movies establish tone and mood? What strategies are used? What is the effect on viewers?

Strategies in Movies Music Camera shots Video clips Effect? The first video had a humorous tone and created a fun, exciting, comical mood. The second video had a negative tone and created a suspenseful or uncertain mood

Tone Words

Mood

What is Mood? The mood of a text is how the reader feels after reading. The details that the author uses can help create mood. The words that the author uses can help create mood.

Examples in Text During the holidays, my mother's house glittered with decorations and hummed with preparations. We ate cookies and drank cider while we helped her wrap bright packages and trim the tree. We felt warm and excited, listening to Christmas carols and even singing along sometimes. We would tease each other about our terrible voices and then sing even louder. Mood: Content, happy. How do we know? Words like "warm, excited, glittered” are used by the author.

Examples in Text After New Year's the time came to put all the decorations away and settle in for the long, cold winter. The house seemed to sigh as we boxed up its finery. The tree was dry and brittle, and now waited lonely, by the side of the road to be picked up. Mood: Dreary, depressed. How do we know? "cold, sigh, brittle, lonely"

Tone

What is Tone? Tone is how the author feels about the subject- his or her attitude Tone can be understood by looking for positive or negative language used by the author Tone can be positive (+), negative (-), or neutral.

Tone & Vocabulary Identifying the tone requires knowing the definitions of many descriptive words. Without this large vocabulary, it’s difficult to describe outside of “good” and “bad.”

So, let’s TONE our brain muscles with descriptive vocabulary exercises!! Bitter Serious Witty Playful Tender Sympathetic Optimistic Fearful Impartial Cheerful Amusing Angry Detached Gentle Sincere Compassionate Humorous Afraid

Examples in Text The homeless face terrible problems. Many become victims of violence. Serious health problems may begin because they are exposed to bad weather and unclean conditions. Homeless children may miss the chance to go to school. Worst of all, some cities pass laws that make it even harder on the homeless. Which word best describes the author’s attitude toward the problems of the homeless? a. upset b. uncaring c. amused The tone of this passage is: a. positive b. neutral c. negative Tone clue words: Terrible, victims, serious, unclean, worst

Examples in Text Donovan and Larry were early for baseball practice. They decided to run up and down the bleachers to exercise before the rest of the team arrived. Larry was first to the top. He whispered to Donovan, “Look over there.” He pointed to a man sleeping on the highest, narrow bench of the bleachers. His pants and shirt were faded, worn, and too large for his thin frame. One big toe stuck out of a huge hole in his sock. His scraped-up shoes sat a few feet away. Donovan whispered, “We should help him out. Let’s hide something good in his shoes. Then, when he wakes up, he will have a nice surprise.” Larry smiled. He enjoyed giving to others. The tone of this passage is: a. positive b. neutral c. negative Which word best describes the author’s attitude toward the homeless man? a. angry b. uncaring c. sympathetic Tone clue words: Help, nice, good, giving, smile

Review Mood is how the author wants the reader to feel after reading the text Tone is how the author feels about his or her subject Look for words or details in the story that can help you understand mood and tone.

Tone and Mood Together During the holidays, my mother's house glittered with decorations and hummed with preparations. We ate cookies and drank cider while we helped her wrap bright packages and trim the tree. We felt warm and excited, listening to Christmas carols and even singing along sometimes. We would tease each other about our terrible voices and then sing even louder. Mood: Content, happy. How do we know? Details like “Warm and excited” and “glittered with decorations” are used by the author. What is the author’s TONE in this passage? Happy because the author uses words that make the reader feel happy thoughts like those experienced during the holidays.

Final Example   The girls were playing in the pond, splashing each other and trying to catch fish with their hands. They were having fun, but kept looking over their shoulders at the looming forest. The long grass of the field kept moving and they sort of felt like they were being watched… About a half hour passed and still the girls kept checking the field for movements. It seemed like a pair of dark eyes was on them. They even considered going back inside, but that would mean homework time. So they continued splashing, but with caution now. Their eyes hardly left the field. The tone of this passage is threatening, suggesting a mood of fear and suspense. Words like "caution, dark, and looming” lead readers to the tone. Phrases like “looking over their shoulders,” “being watched,” and “checking the field for movement” lead readers to the mood.