Scribd
Upload
19 views3 pages

Tone and Mood

The document discusses how readers connect persuasive texts to their own experiences and counterarguments, influencing their understanding. It highlights the impact of post-World War I culture on American writers, who critiqued societal superficiality, leading to the emergence of the 'lost generation.' Additionally, it explains the concepts of tone and mood, emphasizing the importance of diction in conveying emotions and meaning in literary works.

Uploaded by

estherhpaula07
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
19 views3 pages

Tone and Mood

The document discusses how readers connect persuasive texts to their own experiences and counterarguments, influencing their understanding. It highlights the impact of post-World War I culture on American writers, who critiqued societal superficiality, leading to the emergence of the 'lost generation.' Additionally, it explains the concepts of tone and mood, emphasizing the importance of diction in conveying emotions and meaning in literary works.

Uploaded by

estherhpaula07
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

They can extend their initial connections to people they know or their personal expe-

riences. When readers read a persuasive text, they often connect the arguments made
to counterarguments and opposing evidence of which they are aware. They use these
connections to infer meaning.

EXAMPLE
After World War I, political and social forces pushed for a return to normalcy
in the United States. The result was disengagement from.the larger world
and increased focus on American economic growth and personal enjoyment.
Caught in the middle were American writers, raised on the values of the prewar
world and frustrated with what they viewed as the superficiality and materialism
of postwar American culture. Many of them fled to Paris, where they became
known as the “lost generation,” creating a trove of literary works criticizing their
home culture and delving into their own feelings of alienation.

10. Which conclusion about the effects of war is most likely true, according to
the passage?
A) War served as an inspiration for literary works.
B) It was difficult to stabilize countries after war occurred.
C) Writers were torn between supporting war and their own ideals.
D) Individual responsibility and global awareness declined after the war.

Tone and Mood


‘The TONE of a passage describes the author’s attitude toward the topic. In general, the
author's tone can be described as positive, negative, or neutral. ‘The Moon is the pervasive
feeling or atmosphere in a passage that provokes specific emotions in the reader. Put
simply, tone is how the author feels about the topic. Mood is how the reader feels about
the text.

Diction, or word choice, helps determine mood and tone in a passage. Many readers
make the mistake using the author's ideas alone to determine tone; a much better
practice is to look at specific words and try to identify a pattern in the emotion they
evoke. Does the writer choose positive words like ambitious and
DID YOU KNOW? confident? Or does he describe those concepts with negative words
To decide the connotation like greedy and overbearing? The first writer’s tone might be described
of a word, the reader
examines whether the as admiring, while the more negative tone would be disapproving.
word conveys a positive
or negative association in When looking at tone, it’s important to examine not just the
the mind. Adjectives are
literal definition of words. Every word has not only a literal meaning
often used to influence
the feelings of the reader, but also a CONNOTATIVE MEANING, which relies on the common
such as in the phrase
emotions and experiences an audience might associate with that
an ambitious attempt to
achieve. word. The following words are all synonyms: dog, puppy, cur, mutt,

2 Accepted, Inc. |GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Study Guide


canine, pet. Two of these words—dog and canine—are neutral words, without strong
associations or emotions. Two others—pert and puppy—have positive associations.
The last two—cur and mutt—have negative associations. A passage that uses one pair
of these words versus another pair activates the positive or negative reactions of the
audience.

Table 1.1. Words That Describe Tone

PosITIvE NEUTRAL NEGATIVE

admiring casual angry


approving detached annoyed
celebratory formal belligerent
earnest impartial bitter
encouraging informal condescending
excited objective confused
funny questioning cynical
hopeful unconcerned depressed
humorous disrespectful
nostalgic embarrassed
optimistic fearful
playful gloomy
poignant melancholy
proud mournful
relaxed pessimistic
respectful skeptical
sentimental solemn
silly SuSpICiOUS
sympathetic unsympathetic

EXAMPLES
Day had broken cold and grey, exceedingly cold and grey, when the man
turned aside from the main Yukon trail and climbed the high earth-bank, where
a dim and little-travelled trail led eastward through the fat spruce timberland.
It was a steep bank, and he paused for breath at the top, excusing the act to
himself by looking at his watch. It was nine o'clock. There was no sun nor hint
of sun, though there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a clear day, and yet there
seemed an intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle gloom that made the
day dark, and that was due to the absence of sun. This fact did not worry the
man. He was used to the lack of sun. It had been days since he had seen the
sun, and he knew that a few more days must pass before that cheerful orb, due
south, would just peep above the sky-line and dip immediately from view.
—from “To Build a Fire” by Jack London

Reading 13
411. Which of the following best describes the mood of the passage?
A) exciting and adventurous
B) unhappy and anxious
C) bleak but accepting
D) grim yet hopeful

12. The connotation of the words intangible pall is


A) adeath-like covering.
B) asense of familiarity.
C) a feeling of communal strength.
D) anunderstanding of the struggle ahead.

Meaning of Words and Phrases


The GED does not specifically ask you to define words, but it is good to know strate-
gies to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words you may encounter when analyzing
reading passages and improving paragraphs.
When confronted with unfamiliar words, the passage itself can help clarify their
meaning. Often, identifying the tone or main idea of the passage can help eliminate
answer choices. For example, if the tone of the passage is generally positive, try elim-
inating the answer choices with a negative connotation. Or, if the passage is about a
particular occupation, rule out words unrelated to that topic.
Passages may also provide specific context clues that can help determine the meaning
of aword. One type of context clue is a DEFINITION, or DESCRIPTION, CLUE. Sometimes,
authors use a difficult word, then include fat is or which is to signal that they are
providing a definition. An author also may provide a synonym or restate the idea in
more familiar words:

Teachers often prefer teaching students with intrinsic motivation; these


students have an internal desire to learn.

‘The meaning of intrinsic is restated as an internal desire.

Similarly, authors may include an EXAMPLE CLUE, providing an example phrase that
clarifies the meaning of the word:

Teachers may view extrinsic rewards as efficacious; however, an individual


student may not be interested in what the teacher offers. For example, a
student who does not like sweets may not feel any incentive to work when
offered a sugary reward.

Efficacious is explained with an example that demonstrates how an extrinsic reward


may not be effective.

14 Accepted, inc |GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Study Guide

You might also like