The Tone of a Story Milwaukee WI

Tone is described by adjectives, and the possibilities are nearly endless. Often a single adjective will not be enough, and tone may change from chapter to chapter or even line to line.

Local Companies

Schwartz Janitorial Service
414-272-1150
1609 N Prospect Ave
Milwaukee, WI
Transcription Express, Inc.
262-375-1803
585 Starboard Court
Grafton, WI
Hatch Staffing Services
(414) 571-7000
7071 S 13th St
Milwaukee, WI
Trinity Staffing Group
(414) 541-1808
3505 S 68th St
Milwaukee, WI
Nurses Now Llc
(414) 967-0945
4447 N Oakland Ave
Milwaukee, WI
Lane Group the
(414) 226-2420
735 N Water St Ste 1228
Milwaukee, WI
Wisconsin Job Centers
(414) 760-6060
6550 N 76th St
Milwaukee, WI
Search Partners
(414) 453-4000
10909 W Bluemound Rd
Milwaukee, WI
Instant Labor
(414) 671-5021
2219 S Muskego Ave
Milwaukee, WI
Seek Careers & Staffing
(414) 357-6388
7645 N 76th St
Milwaukee, WI

Detecting the tone of a story is similar to picking up on tone of voice. It's not what is being said or done — it's a matter of how. According to the Literary Terms & Poetry Glossary, tone is "the manner in which an author expresses his or her attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning. Tone is described by adjectives, and the possibilities are nearly endless. Often a single adjective will not be enough, and tone may change from chapter to chapter or even line to line. Tone is the result of allusion, diction, figurative language, imagery, irony, symbol, syntax, style, and so on."

Sounds overwhelming? One trick that may help you figure out the tone of the story that you're reading is to imagine a key scene from the story as a movie. What sort of music would be playing in the background? Do you imagine something dark and moody, light and peppy, somber and thoughtful? Music is a tool often used in movies to emphasize tone.

As the definition above indicates, writers use words to set the tone. Take a look at the descriptions in your story. A story with a dark, ominous tone will probably have more negative descriptions than a light, happy comedy. A story with a suspenseful, adventurous tone will probably have lots of short sentences and brief, matter-of-fact descriptions. A sad, romantic story will often have long, detailed, sentimental descriptions. Try to visualize the scene and hear the characters voices as you read, and you'll be able to pick out the tone in no time. (Cue the triumphant music!)

Cliffs Notes Online

Featured Local Company

Schwartz Janitorial Service

414-272-1150
1609 N Prospect Ave
Milwaukee, WI