ELA Review: Mood

Mood Review

Interactive Practice

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Created by Dr. Jennifer Chandler, 2024

Index

Practice

Definition

Assessment

Examples

Survey

Examples with Text

What is mood?

Mood is the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader. For example, most stories in the horror genre have a frightening and suspenseful mood. Authors shape mood in their stories through a variety of ways: settings, imagery, and descriptive details.

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Examples of Moods

• angry
• hopeful
• hopeless
• surprised
• joyful
• annoyed
• amused

• scary
• thoughtful
• frustrated
• sad
• calm
• stressful
• peaceful

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"The Interlopers" by Saki (H.H. Munro)

EXCERPT from the text

How the Excerpt Contributes to the Story's Mood

• The story’s setting in a “dark forest” on a “winter night” creates a sense of danger and uncertainty and establishes a suspenseful mood.
• At the end of the paragraph, the mood of excitement and suspense increases when we realize that the man is hunting a “human enemy.”

In a forest of mixed growth somewhere on the eastern spurs of the Carpathians, a man stood one winter night watching and listening, as though he waited for some beast of the woods to come within the range of his vision and, later, of his rifle. But the game for whose presence he kept so keen an outlook was none that figured in the sportsman’s calendar as lawful and proper for the chase; Ulrich von Gradwitz patrolled the dark forest in quest of a human enemy.

"The Interlopers" by Saki (H.H. Munro)

EXCERPT from the text

How the Excerpt Contributes to the Story's Mood

• The phrase “the weary screeching of the wind” reflects the pain and exhaustion of the characters as they are trapped under a fallen tree.
• The "fierce hatred seemed to be dying down” also shows a shift in mood from the bitterness of the dialogue between the men.

Ulrich was silent for a few minutes and lay listening to the weary screeching of the wind. An idea was slowly forming and growing in his brain, an idea that gained strength every time that he looked across at the man who was fighting so grimly against pain and exhaustion. In the pain and languor that Ulrich himself was feeling, the old fierce hatred seemed to be dying down.

You Pick It!

Read to see which details contribute to a cheerful mood.

Practice 3

Read examples of imagery to match to a sad mood.

Practice 2

Practice 1

Read about a ship and identify mood based on the setting.

After completing all three practice items, click here!

Practice 1

Read the following excerpt and identify the mood of the passage. The ship bobbed up and down, back and forth, in the stormy sea. Waves crashed over its sides again and again. Some crew members struggled to take down the sails, which flapped uncontrollably in the high wind. Others worked on deck, furiously bailing water over the side to keep the ship afloat.

Practice 2

Practice 3

Read the following excerpt and identify the mood of the passage. It was a new morning. Kathleen got out of bed and stretched as she walked to the window. She looked down at the young, green trees surrounding the garden below. The sun had just come up. The sky was blue, and the air was fresh. Kathleen said to herself, “On a day like this, I’m ready for anything!”

Read each excerpt carefully before answering the question. Your responses will be recorded.

QUIZ TIME!

Quiz Time!

Read the following excerpt and identify the mood of the passage. The old house was creaking loudly that night. Shadows of tree branches stretched across the walls of Brandon’s room like the fingers of an alien hand. He stared at them for a moment. Then, with a shudder, he hid his head under the covers.

Quiz Time!

Read the following excerpt . The bells in the old tower continued to echo through the rainy morning. Their ringing sounded like shouts of “Guilty!” to Leah. “If only they would stop!” she thought wildly. She pressed her hands to her ears, trying to block out the sound. It seemed, however, that the bells were growing louder than ever! Leah suddenly screamed, “Someone help me—please!”

Course completed!

Check with your teacher about next steps.