A Vocabulary for Tone

Name a text's tone with precise words instead of 'happy' or 'sad.'

Tone is the attitude a writer or speaker takes toward a subject or audience. Analyses often stall at 'positive' or 'negative'; precise tone words make your reading sharper. For admiration: reverent, laudatory, celebratory. For criticism: indignant (angry at injustice), scornful, sardonic (grimly mocking). For distance: detached, clinical, objective. For sadness: melancholy, wistful (gently longing for something lost), somber. For humor: wry (dry and slightly ironic), playful, whimsical.

Worked example: 'The old fairground stands silent now, its carousel horses frozen mid-leap, waiting for children who grew up long ago. ' 'Sad' is too vague. The gentle longing for a lost past points to wistful, and the quiet stillness adds melancholy. To support a tone claim, quote the specific words that create it: 'frozen mid-leap' and 'grew up long ago. ' Tone often shifts within a text, and noticing the shift is often the key to a passage's meaning.

• 1Tone is the writer's attitude toward subject or audience.
• 2Use precise tone words instead of 'positive' or 'negative.'
• 3Support a tone claim with specific quoted words.