TONE

Tone is the speaker or author’s attitude toward the subject. To miss the tone is often to miss the meaning of a work. A dog owner who scratches her pet’s ears and affectionately says, “You are the ugliest beast on the planet” does not actually intend insult to her dear dog.

Tone Vocabulary: This list of fabulous adjectives can help writers describe the tone of a work being analyzed, or a tone the writer would like to effect in his or her own writing. If you want to do well on the ACT’s – be sure to define all the tone words below.

angry / dramatic / objective / contemptuous
sharp / restrained / conniving / apologetic
upset / formal / frivolous / humorous
silly / polite / audacious / questioning
boring / sad / provocative / horrific
afraid / cold / somber / sarcastic
happy / urgent / giddy / nostalgic
hollow / joking / peaceful / zealous
joyful / poignant / sentimental / irreverent
sweet / detached / forlorn / benevolent
vexed / aloof / mournful / seductive
bitter / confused / complimentary / malicious
tired / loving / condescending / candid
dreamy / childish / sympathetic / pitiful
proud / mocking / comforting / didactic

Analyzing the tone of a piece of text and establishing a tone in writing establishes meaning. Look at the sentences below. In both, the speakers utter the exact same words. The textual clues about the tone, however, show that these “hat” statements have nearly opposite meanings.

“I love that hat,” she said thinking of the last time her mother wore it.

  • The tone of her comment is serious and thoughtful, as she waxes nostalgic about the last time her mother wore this particular hat.

“I love that hat,” the bully said with a sneer.

  • The tone of this comment -- same exact words -- determines its meaning. This bully does not reminisce or give a compliment; instead the bully speaks sarcastically with malicious intent.

Exercise: Just to test out tone, try saying the exact same sentence (“I like your hat” will work) with different tones from the tone vocabulary. How does the tone change what this sentence means and how it sounds? If you find yourself unsure about a certain word’s meaning then use your resources and look it up!

SOAPSTone

To write effectively about a text (anything from a political cartoon to a fairy tale), writers must have a strategy for understanding and discussing the text. SOAPSTone provides a great place to start. To achieve a consistent and engaging voice, writers need to articulate their own SOAPSTone information.

Speaker

Occasion

Audience

Purpose

Subject

Tone

  • Who is the Speaker (perspective)?

The speaker is the voice that tells the story. The speaker is not the same as the author! Robert Browning wrote several “Madhouse Cell” poems with crazy, often murderous narrators, while remaining perfectly sane himself. You might decide to write a story from your cat’s perspective.

  • What is the Occasion (context)?

The occasion is the environment that produced a piece of writing, the time and the place. Was this piece commissioned by an editor? Did the Civil War rage while the author wrote? What context produced this piece of writing?

  • Who is the Audience (group of readers/listeners)?

The audience is the group of readers to whom the speaker (again – not the writer) directs the piece. How would writing be different if directed to a friend versus directed to a senator? What particular group of people is this piece attempting to convince or entertain?

  • What is the Purpose (intended message)?

The purpose is the reason behind the text. What does the speaker want the audience to think or do as a result of reading the text? What is the intended message?

  • What is the Subject (topic and content)?

The subject is the topic and content of a piece of writing. Is this text about eating green eggs and ham, or about a small engine chugging up a hill? What is the theme?

  • What is the Tone (attitude)?

The tone is the attitude of the speaker, the way the writer uses voice. Does the speaker use sarcasm or deep sorrow to convey these thoughts?

As a reading strategy, SOAPSTone helps writers understand the separate elements of a piece of writing.

Consider the birthday invitation above. Performing a SOAPStone analysis will help in understanding what this mysterious document means.

Speaker: Anu and her parents

Occasion: Anu’s birthday

Audience: Anu’s close friends

Purpose: To inform Anu’s friends about her birthday, what to wear and what to bring.

Subject: Celebration

Tone: Exuberant and affectionate

As a writing strategy, SOAPSTone helps writers determine the effect of their own writing, as well as helping readers determine meaning in the writing. Consider how differently these two writings “about birds” by the same author will turn out based on the SOAPSTone analysis.

Writing #1 “about birds”

Speaker: A concerned thirteen year-old citizen

Occasion: Upcoming vote on protected wetlands

Audience: State senator

Purpose: To convince senator to vote to protect the habitat of local wetland birds.

Subject: Protection, survival

Tone: Formal, urgent and persuasive

Writing #2 “about birds”

Speaker: A fictional young inventor

Occasion: Anniversary of the Wright brothers’ flight

Audience: A fictional group of 19th century folks who would be awed by airplanes

Purpose: To encourage townsfolk to purchase new “birdsuits”

Subject: Inventions

Tone: Humorous, light-hearted and sarcastic