Tone (AQA GCSE English Language): Revision Notes
Tone
What is tone?
Tone represents the overall feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates through their choice of words and language. It's essentially the writer's attitude towards their subject matter and audience, which comes across when you read their work.
Think of tone as being similar to someone's tone of voice when they're speaking to you. Just as a person might sound happy, angry, sarcastic, or serious when talking, a writer's tone can convey these same emotions through their written words.
When you're analysing tone, you're looking at how the writer's attitude and feelings are expressed through their language choices, which then creates a particular mood for the reader.
How to identify tone through language
The most effective way to work out a text's tone is by examining the language the writer has chosen to use. Different types of language create different tones:
Formal vs informal language:
- When a writer uses informal language, the tone often feels personal, friendly, or familiar
- Formal language typically suggests a more serious, professional, or distant tone
Emotional language choices:
- Words that express strong feelings create an emotional or passionate tone
- Calm, measured language suggests a more logical or controlled tone
Descriptive language:
- The specific adjectives and descriptive words a writer chooses can make the tone feel happy, sad, threatening, comforting, or any number of other emotions
Punctuation and tone clues
Punctuation marks can provide valuable hints about a text's tone:
- Lots of exclamation marks often indicate that the tone is emotional, passionate, or excited
- Short, sharp sentences might suggest tension or urgency
- Long, flowing sentences could create a more relaxed or contemplative tone
Purpose, audience and tone
The tone of a text usually reflects both its purpose and its intended audience:
- Informative texts typically have a serious, straightforward tone
- Texts aimed at younger audiences might use a more playful, engaging tone
- Persuasive writing might adopt a passionate, urgent, or authoritative tone
Understanding who the writer is trying to reach and what they're trying to achieve can help you identify the tone they've chosen to use.
Worked example analysis
Worked Example: Analysing Tone in Literature
Consider this extract:
"Phillipa stood on the cold, dark street, peering up at the abandoned hotel. Large wooden boards stood impassively across most of the window frames, sentries to the stillness and silence within, guarding the eerie presence of the dilapidated building."
Analysis: The tone here is heavily foreboding and creates a sense of unease. Several language choices contribute to this:
- Adjectives like "cold," "dark," "abandoned," "eerie," and "dilapidated" all create a threatening, uncomfortable atmosphere
- Personification of the wooden boards as "sentries" makes them seem menacing and watchful
- Silent atmosphere described through words like "stillness" and "silence" adds to the ominous mood
Conclusion: The writer uses this tone to make readers feel the character's fear and anxiety, sharing in her vulnerability as she faces something potentially dangerous.
Watch out for ironic and sarcastic tone
Sometimes writers use ironic or sarcastic tone, where their words don't mean exactly what they appear to say on the surface. This can be tricky to spot, but it's important to watch for it.
When you suspect a writer might be using irony or sarcasm, look for:
- Words that seem too positive or negative for the situation
- Statements that don't quite fit with the context
- Language that seems deliberately exaggerated
Key Points to Remember:
- Tone is the general feeling created by the text and shows the writer's attitude
- Look closely at language choices - formal vs informal, emotional vs logical
- Punctuation can give you clues about tone, especially exclamation marks
- Consider the text's purpose and audience when identifying tone
- Be careful to watch for ironic or sarcastic tone where words might not mean what they first appear to say