Recognizing Mood and Tone

Recognizing Mood and Tone

Mood

How are you feeling today? Are you happy? Bored? Playful? The way you are feeling is called your mood.

• Dicunt percipit deserunt ut usu
• liquip delenit an eam, vocent vituperata vim ea
• Ei mollis audire interpretaris cum, ei impedit fierent
• Sea Ius at homero noster prompta, ea sit dignissim
• Vituperata efficiendi. Natum placerat ad mei.

Tone

How are you sharing those feelings? Are you using a cheerful voice? Are you whispering because you are afraid? The tone of your voice is the way you say your words. Your tone reveals how you think or feel about something. Saying, "Hi. It's nice to meet you," in a friendly, cheerful way means you are interested in getting to know someone. But saying those same words in a cold, mean, and unfriendly way lets the person know you are not interested in becoming friends.

The texts you read have their own moods and tones. Authors choose their words carefully. They want to make sure the words help readers get certain feelings as they read. And an author's words provide clues for the reader about the author's own feelings or opinions.

Tone

The tone of the text is the author's attitude toward the text's topic, character, or audience.

Mood

The mood of a text is the feelings readers get when they read the author's text.

Example 1

Example 2

My car may look run-down and rusty, and it has a lot of miles on it. But this is the car I used to learn to drive. It has taken me to many wonderful places over the years. I plan on keeping this car for as long as I can. It gets me where I need to go.

This is my car. I drive it every day. It gets me where I need to go.

Both examples tell about a car owner and a car, but the tone of Example 1 is different from the tone of Example 2. The author of Example 1 is simply stating facts, and the tone is straightforward and direct. But in Example 2, the author is showing special feelings for the car. The tone here lets the reader know the author's attitude is more emotional and grateful.

Example 1

Example 2

It was a dark, stormy night. The man huddled under his blanket, shaking with fear. He was not hiding from the bright flashes of lightning and booms of thunder. He was hiding from the creature that was scratching at the bedroom door.

The kitten used its small, soft paw to push a toy mouse across the floor. A girl watched the little animal play with the toy. The girl smiled and thought how happy she was to have this wonderful new pet.

The mood of each of these examples is clear. As you read Example 1, did you feel scared? The author used words such as dark, stormy, huddled, and shaking to create a mood that is frightening and mysterious. In Example 2, the author used the words smiled, happy, and wonderful to make the reader feel happy. The joyful scene of a girl and her kitten is light and cheerful. As you read, try to determine the mood and tone of the text. Knowing this information will help you better understand how the author feels and how the author wants you to feel as you read.

Quiz 1

The tone of this paragraph gives the idea that the author is:

I have been reading the book "The Hobbit" for about a month. It is taking me a long time to read the chapters. Some parts of the story are interesting, but some parts are boring. I do not know if I will finish this book.

Excited

Angry

Unsure

Upset

sit amet consecteteur

Lorem ipsum dolorsit amet consecteteur

Quiz 1

The tone of this paragraph gives the idea that the author is:

I have been reading the book "The Hobbit" for about a month. It is taking me a long time to read the chapters. Some parts of the story are interesting, but some parts are boring. I do not know if I will finish this book.

Excited

Angry

Unsure

Upset

sit amet consecteteur

Lorem ipsum dolorsit amet consecteteur

Quiz 2

The tone of this paragraph gives the idea that the author is:

I have been reading the book "The Hobbit" for about a month. I am almost finished, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next! All of the characters are so interesting. I love fantasy stories like this book.

Excited

Angry

Unsure

Upset

sit amet consecteteur

Lorem ipsum dolorsit amet consecteteur

Quiz 2

The tone of this paragraph gives the idea that the author is:

I have been reading the book "The Hobbit" for about a month. I am almost finished, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next! All of the characters are so interesting. I love fantasy stories like this book.

Excited

Angry

Unsure

Upset

sit amet consecteteur

Lorem ipsum dolorsit amet consecteteur

Thanks for your attention!I'm so proud of you!