Characteristics of Tone and Style

• Style: language conventions used to construct the story, including diction, sentence structure, phrasing, and dialogue (Definition of Style, Tone, and Language)
• Style: Story’s “voice,” or what the story sounds like (Definition of Style, Tone, and Language)
• Style and voice contribute to Tone (Definition of Style, Tone, and Language)
• Tone: attitude the story creates toward its subject matter (Definition of Style, Tone, and Language)

Resources about Tone and Style

1. Kennedy, X. J. Literature: an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Little, Brown, 1979. Google Books. literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?id=sGqXxetXwYkC&q=tone and style&dq=tone and style&ei=8I0WTNSMG5TskQS9vN2MCg&cd=3>.
This Google Book focuses on the introduction to literature, with focus on different literary elements. Chapter four focuses specifically on tone and style, broadly defining the two as necessary to tell the story from a certain point of view. It then goes further into detail, giving examples following each. This is a reputable source because the author X.J. Kennedy is used as a textbook resource for English Literature classes.

2. "Definition of Style, Tone, and Language." VirtuaLit Fiction: Elements of Fiction. Bedford St. Martin's. Web. 8 June 2007. <http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/Virtualit/fiction/elements.asp?e=5>.
This website is focused on providing educational tutorials. When looking at literature, the website defines style as “the language conventions used to construct a story.” Writers can manipulate diction, sentence structure, phrasing and dialogue to achieve the desired style. Some different styles include richly detailed, flowing, sparing, or crisp. Style changes over time so the time period of a text can influence its style. Style and voice combine to create tone. The voice of a text is its communicative effect. What does the narrator sound like? Tone is then “the attitude that a story creates toward its subject matter.” Some examples of tone include earnest and sincere, signaling to the reader that the material is serious, or sarcastic to create humor. There is also links to Style, Tone, and Language exercises and an example of these elements in a story entitled “Girl.” This website is credible because it is sponsored by an established educational tutoring company.

3. Schuster, Edgar H. "Sentence Comparison: An Activity for Teaching Style." The English Journal 94.5 (2005): 94-98. JSTOR. Web. 14 June 2010.
This journal article is for teachers to help learn how to teach style to their students, as it can be difficult due to the fact that “style is expressed unconsciously.” This article simply defines style as “voice” and “individuality” which emerges after a writer is comfortable with their tools. This is a helpful resource because it gives examples of sentences with style versus sentences lacking distinctive style, forcing the reader to learn the amount of influence style has on writing. It then thoroughly explains why the “correct” answers are more attractive to a reader. This is a credible source because it was published in an accredited journal, The English Journal, as well as properly citing and including all proper citations.

4. "A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone." UMUC. University of Maryland, 2007. Web. 17 June 2007. <http://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/ewp_writingcenter/writinggde/chapter3/chapter3-21.shtml>.
The website is a page created by the University of Maryland University College as an online writing center for its students. Its purpose is to help and guide students in researching and writing various kinds of course assignments. The website defines tone and style as the writers expression of his/her attitude. Style is the writer's creative effectiveness in "attitude, language, and mechanics of writing." The page includes a link that provides the definition of tone, which is the "overall expression in writing of a writer’s attitude." It also provides links to numerous student resources as well as tutorials and chapter links to other writing techniques. The page is credible because it is a university based website as it is created by university professor and "experts and trained advisors" to help students.

5. Harris, Robert. "Evaluating Internet Research Sources." Virtual Salt. 4 Jan. 2002. Web. 16 June 2007 <http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm>.
This Website is designed to give definitions for literary terms, listing the terms in alphabetical order with descriptions underneath. Specifically this website gives definitions for ‘tone’ and ‘style’. Tone is defined here as, “the writer's attitude toward his readers and his subject; his mood or moral view. A writer can be formal, informal, playful, ironic, and especially, optimistic or pessimistic. Style is defined as “the manner of expression of a particular writer, produced by choice of words, grammatical structures, use of literary devices, and all the possible parts of language use. Some general styles might include scientific, ornate, plain, emotive.” The website emphasizes that these are usually unique to each author. These definitions are helpful because they give a definition to what the reader is experiencing. This source is credible because the author of the webpage is associated with a reputable site, Vanguard University.

6. "Diversity." Oxford English Dictionary: The Definitive Record of the English Language. Oxford University Press, 2010. Web. 11 June 2010. http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50254203?query_type=word&queryword=tone&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=2&search_id=ViXJ-GWPF6c-8000&hilite=50254203 >
This website presents several definitions on tone and style, separately. Tone, as relative to literature, is defined as “a particular style in discourse or writing, which expresses the person's sentiment or reveals his character” or the “author's attitude to his subject matter or audience; the distinctive mood created by this.” Style, in relation to literature, is defined as “The manner of expression characteristic of a particular writer (hence of an orator), or of a literary group or period.” The Oxford Dictionary is a very credible source, and gives several examples, often in old English, that are helpful while reading.

7. “"Style." The Writing Center. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2008. Web. 18 June 2008. <http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/style.html>.
This website is a handout from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which gives a great definition of tone and style and gives examples to work on to understand tone and style. This worksheet focuses in on making students aware of tone and style so they can make their papers better. Style according to the worksheet is the way you put together a sentence or group of sentences. Style is subjective and this is part of the reason so many students have trouble with it. The worksheet goes on to tell students to beware of their tone in the paper. I loved the way the worksheet used a conversation and how this conversation constructed tone. Tone is what gives the attitude of the writer for the entire paper. This website is a credible source because it is written by an accredited university and cited with contributing sources appropriately.

8. Beard, Carla. "TONE." Tnellen.Com. 16 June 2007 <http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/tone.html>.
The main purpose of this website is to offer definitions of literary terms. The website defines tone as the attitude a writer takes towards a subject or character: serious, humorous, sarcastic, ironic, satirical, tongue-in-cheek, solemn, objective. To analyze texts using the literary term, one should try and find out what the attitude toward the subject is. Understanding this literary term helps better understand the text because one can see that Paine’s attitude is very serious. The website is credible because the author is indicated. The website also has a works cited page to show how the information was compiled.

9. "Tone and Style." Literary Terms. Brooklyn College, 12 Feb. 2009. Web. 10 June 2009. <http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/lit_term.html>.
This site gives a listing of a variety of resources and literary terms that are essential to understand in literature. Tone and style are listed separately. Tone is defined as “the writer's attitude toward the material and/or readers.” It also gives examples of types of tone, including the following: playful, formal, intimate, angry, serious, ironic, outraged, baffled, tender, serene, depressed, etc. Style is defined as “manner of expression; how a speaker or writer says what he says.” It is also followed with an example of different style’s from Hemingway and Mark Twain for comparison. This is useful because it can help us better understand the literary terms and apply it for our specific periods that we are studying in American Literature. The resource is credible because it is derived from the University of Brooklyn, an educational institution and is provided with the proper links and resources of the works included.

10. “Tone and Style.” The Writing Center @ Del Mar College. 8 June 2007 < http://www.delmar.edu/engl/wrtctr/handouts/ToneStyle.pdf >.
This website appears to be the online version of a university’s writing center. It gives adequate definitions of tone, stating that it is “the expression of the author’s attitude . . . the tone of a story ay communicate the amusement, anger, affection, sorry, or contempt.” Style is equally described: “Style Refers to the individual traits or characteristics of a piece of writing. It’s a writer’s particular way of writing words that readers recognize.” I found the site very helpful in getting a general idea of what tone and style can consist of, at least apart from what I already knew.

. “tone”. 2004. Buzzin Learning Made Fun. Knowsley City Learning Centres. 16 June 2007. http://www.buzzin.net/english/tone.htm
“style”. Buzzin Learning Made Fun. Knowsley City Learning Centres. 16 June 2007. http://www.buzzin.net/english/style.htm
The purpose of this website is to help define literary terms to help someone write a paper. The website defines ‘tone’ as “In a general sense, ‘tone’ is the attitude of the speaker or writer as revealed in the choice of vocabulary or the intonation of speech” (tone). The tone of voice is one factor that determines the type of communication writer or speaker is expressing; ironic, serious, threatening, pessimistic, flippant, or light-hearted. The intonation pattern of the speaker “suggest the rising and falling of the voice tone” i.e. ‘Hello?’ ‘Is anyone there?’. Style is “a particular set of characteristics in the use of language”. It is important to write with style as it is important to the overall function of communication. By reading the outline of this website, Anne Bradstreet use the tone of metaphoric language, yet her expression is poor at times. She betrays the tension of her role between being a house-wife and historian-poet. This is a credible website because they are assisting teachers looking for resources.

11. “Style and tone.” 9 Oct 2001. 12 June 2008. < http://core.ecu.edu/engl/henzeb/5780/lec2.htm > This website’s purpose is to define style and tone to students. It says that style and tone determine how the audience perceives the work. This means paying attention to things such as structure, point of view, and intention.I found this helpful in looking at Whitman’s poem because paying attention to his structure helps to read through his poetry. It also helped me to think about his tone throughout his writings. This website is credible because it is a .edu.

12. Literary Terms and Definitions. Wheeler, Dr.6 June 2008. Carson Newman College. 12 June 2008 < http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_I.html >. This website defines tone as the means of creating a relationship or conveying an attitude or mood in a writing. Most of the time a reader can find a tone in an author’s writing and how they want their readers to feel about the subject. Someone could write about the holocaust but use words that conveyed a tone of hope for the future. It defines style as the author's words and the characteristic way that writer uses language to achieve certain effects. With both tone and style, the writer’s word choice is what makes the reader understand what the author wants them to. The website is helpful because it explains how a reader can find tone and understand it better. It is credible because it is put on by a doctor teaching at an accredited University, it is updated frequently, and it is used for educational purposed only.

13. Jordan-Henley, Jennifer. “Language and Style.” Literary Analysis: Terms. October 2004. RSCC Owl Online Writing Lab. 16 June 2008. < http://www.rscc.cc.tn.us/owl&writingcenter/OWL/ElementsLit.html > This site provides definitions of many literary terms. Its organization of the definitions is helpful, as it separates prose and poetry elements. The site defines style as the “verbal identity of a writer,” which can be determined by the author’s word choice and syntax. The site goes on to define tone as an author’s attitude about a subject. An author like Thomas Paine, who was trying to persuade his readers, would certainly use style and tone to engage the reader. An author could influence the reader's emotions and imagination simply by the way he/she "says" something. The source comes from the RSCC writing lab. It is reliable as it is presented by Roane State Community College.

14. “Tone.” Columbia Granger's World of Poetry Online. 2008. Columbia University Press. 18 Jun. 2008. <http://www.columbiagrangers.org>
This source discusses literary terms as they pertain to poetry. It defines tone as "A vague term sometimes used for an implicit set of attitudes in an utterance having to do with a speaker's or writer's feelings about subject or audience." The source alsoprovides a few examples of common tones. I find this source credible because it a publication made by Columbia University, which I believe to be a credible academic source.

15. “Teaching Literature: Tone and Mood” Nada’s Literature. September 8, 1998. Undated: May 30, 1999. Fortune City. 11 June 2009. <http://members.fortunecity.com/nadabs/literature-tonemood.html>. The main purpose of this website is to clearly define the literary terms tone and mood. It provides numbers definitions for each of the terms, gives background information as to how they are used, and also adjectives to further describe both terms. The website defines tone as a style or manner of expression in speech or writing. The website defines mood as an atmosphere or a state of mind. Understanding these terms helped me better grasp the meaning of the text I was reading because it showed me how to interpret what the author was trying to express with the mood and tone of the poem. This would be considered a credible website because it is just one page out of several links for teachers and students regarding numerous different things. Although this website is part of a completely different teachers curriculum (as it also lists their syllabus), it still provides very helpful and useful materials and articles.

16. “Tone.” Literary Elements. Orange County Unified School District. 12 June 2009. <http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/literary_elements.htm> The main purpose of this site is to provide teaching tools for students. It defines tone as: “The author’s attitude, stated or implied, toward a subject. An author’s tone can be revealed through choice of words and details.” I think this is helpful because, regardless of whether an author considered his or her tone, it reflects their psychology and intentions. As a communicator, Emerson shows in “The Over-Soul” that his tone is optimistic. He speaks about eternity as chances, receptivity, and a God-force that he makes applicable in many manifestations. So, his style echoes his stated intentions. This adds to the credibility of his writing, as well as the transcendentalism he inspired, because he essentially does as he preaches; his tone supports his optimism in the communicative process. Emily Dickinson, although from the transcendental generation, at first shows an accepting pessimism within the natural process of life and death. While her longing for life may be taken as critical of the transcendental movement, I think her tone supports a universality within the individual’s realization and reluctant acceptance of her own mortality. I think this is a credible site because it is a teaching site for Orange County, California.

17. "A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone - Chapter 3: Thinking Strategies and Writing Patterns - Online Guide to Writing and Research - Effective Writing Center (EWC) -." UMUC. 12 June 2009 <http://www.umuc.edu/ewc/onlineguide/chapter3/chapter3-21.shtml>.
The purpose of this site is to give a more detailed definition of style, tone, and voice in order to assist a writer in creating their own works. “Style is a technical term for the effect a writer can create through attitude, language, and the mechanics of writing … Voice is who the readers hear talking in your paper, and tone is the way in which you are doing the writing. Voice can be institutional or academic—that is, objective and formal. Or voice can be personal—in fact, your distinct voice”. When analyzing a text using these literary terms you need to decide whether the author is informative or persuasive, along with formal or personal. Understanding these terms were helpful when reading “The Raven” and The Deerslayer because it helped to decipher the style of the author and the tone in which they were presenting their novel/poem. This source is credible because it came from the University of Maryland’s school website.

18. "Tone." The Poetry Archive. 2005. The Poetry Archive. Web.12 Jun 2009. <http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/glossaryItem.do?id=8107>.
This is from the Poetry Archive site, which provides information about poetry and various poetic devices. Tone and style in any kind of writing are extremely important. Without them, all writing would sound the same. Lack of tone or style takes the character and individuality out of the piece of writing. This site defines tone as "the attitude that its style implies". Tone and style work together to make writing interesting and give it the voice of its author.

19. Wheeler, Dr. L. Kip. “Literary Terms and Definitions.” 5 Jan 2009. http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_D.html
The purpose of this website is to provide a glossary of literary terms. Wheeler defines tone as “The means of creating a relationship or conveying an attitude or mood”. She explains how the word choice of an author sets the tone of the overall text. There are various types of tones: formal and informal, playful and ironic, optimistic or pessimistic etc. Wheeler explains how to identify tone within a text by isolating the underlying attitudes which control the poem as a whole. The tone in which an author employs within their work conveys their attitude about particular matters and characters. Tone is also described as the voice of the author/poem.

20. "Many Worlds of Poetry--Tone." College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | The University of Florida. 23 June 2009 <http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/pcraddoc/mwtone.htm>.
The purpose of this site is to look at the many ways that tone is used. It defines tone in poetry as how an author portrays his attitude towards the subject he is writing about. When analyzing a poem the reader must be sensitive and pick up on the author’s diction, pay attention to the images, cadences, rhythms, and other events within the poem. Understanding this term made me much more aware of what to look for in “The Raven” to decipher the tone Poe tried to portray. This site is credible because it comes from the University of Florida’s web page.

P, Maria. "Music Listening, Emotion and Reward Systems « Nou Stuff." Word Press. Nou Stuff, 31 Oct. 2009. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://noustuff.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/music-listening-emotion-and-reward-systems/>.

Merriam Webster defines Tone & Style.

Dictionary.com defines Tone & Style.

FreeDictionary.com defines Tone & Style.



Skittle, Jadey B. "YouTube - Mood and Tone: The Basics." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Jadey Bug Skittle, 08 Feb. 2010. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFJhYRaBOrU>.


"YouTube- Writing Fiction & Poetry : How to Identify Narrative Style in Literature." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Ed. Expert Village. Expert Village, 20 Oct. 2008. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vp6Lvin1rA>.

Representative Authors & Texts

Harriet Jacobs
Henry David Thoreau