A good example of a solemn or gloomy tone is in the short story “The School” by Donald Barthelme.
A good example of a suspenseful tone is in the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. [4] X Research source
A good example of a humorous tone is the poem “Snowball” by Shel Silverstein.
A good example of a sarcastic tone is in the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.
For example, if a story is set in an abandoned cabin the woods, it may have a creepy or unsettling mood. The author may then have a narrator or main character who uses a gloomy or depressing tone to describe the cabin in the woods to the reader.
For example, you may study a passage from the short story “The School:" “And the trees all died. . . I don’t know why they died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the stuff we got from the nursery wasn’t the best. . . All these kids looking at these little brown sticks, it was depressing. ” In the passage, Barthelme creates a solemn, gloomy tone by using words like “depressing,” “dead,” “died,” and “wrong. ” Lady Macbeth uses the word damn in the play Macbeth. [10] X Expert Source Tristen BonacciLicensed English Teacher Expert Interview. 21 December 2021. It depicts the tone of anger and shows her pride. [11] X Expert Source Tristen BonacciLicensed English Teacher Expert Interview. 21 December 2021.
For example, in many thriller novels, the sentences are often short and to the point, with very few adjectives or adverbs. This can help to create a suspenseful tone, full of action and tension.
For example, if a person’s face is described as “glowing with happiness and excitement,” this may create a joyful tone. Or if a cabin in the woods is described as “grimy with the fingerprints of the previous occupants,” this may create a suspenseful tone.
For example, if someone says, “Good thing I wore my parka today” when the temperature is 85 °F (29 °C), they’re using verbal irony.
For example, you may read the following lines from The Catcher in the Rye out loud to determine the tone: “God damn money. It always ends up making you blue as hell. ” The use of “god damn” and “blue as hell” gives the line a sarcastic or bitter tone, with a hint of humor and sadness.
For example, a novel may begin with a humorous tone and shift into a more serious tone as the author delves deeper into a character’s history or personal relationships.
For example, you may write, “The author uses words like “super,” “stoked,” “awesome,” and “exhilarating” to create an upbeat tone. ” You can use more than one adjective if this will make your description more accurate.
For example, if you are writing about The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, you may use the last line of the book as an example: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. ” You can then note that the imagery of a boat going against the current as well as the use of the words “beat,” “borne,” and “past” create a solemn, nostalgic tone to the ending.
Note if the tonal shifts coincide with specific characters and/or changes in perspective or viewpoint. For example, you may note, “The tone shifts in Chapter 13 from a humorous tone to a more serious tone. This occurs when the narrator discusses their mother’s illness and death. ”
For example, you may link the nostalgic, solemn tone of the closing line in The Great Gatsby to the themes of remembrance, loss, and thwarted love in the novel.
