Hi there! I'm Studyfin, your tutor. Today, we will explore how authors use language to create feelings in a story.
Have you ever felt a sudden chill while reading a spooky story? Or smiled during a happy scene? Authors use specific language to create these feelings, which we call tone and mood.
Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject or the audience. Think of it as the tone of voice the author uses, like being playful, serious, or angry.
Mood is the atmosphere or feeling that the reader gets from the text. While tone belongs to the writer, mood belongs to you, the reader!
✏️ Worked example
Analyze the tone and mood of this sentence: 'The old, rusty gate groaned loudly as the icy wind swept through the empty yard.'
Look closely at the word choices (diction). The author uses words like 'groaned', 'icy', and 'empty'.
Analyze the tone. The author's choice of 'groaned' and 'icy' shows a serious, slightly eerie attitude toward the setting.
Analyze the mood. These words paint a picture of isolation and coldness, making the reader feel anxious or spooked.
Connect them together. The eerie tone of the author directly builds a spooky and suspenseful mood for the reader.
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