An author writes to share the main idea
about a topic. The author has something in
his mind when he/ she writes on paper. The
responsibility lies in the readers on how he/
she is going to analyze the ideas presented
in the text. An author’s main idea is directly
related to the author’s purpose.
•The tone is the speaker’s or author’s
attitude expressed toward the subject or
topic in a text. It can be inferred using
descriptive words.
•The following are some words that
describe tone: amused, angry,
cheerful, scared, formal, gloomy,
humorous, informal, ironic, light,
witty, pessimistic, playful, funny, sad,
serious, suspicious, calm,
affectionate.
• The mood is the feeling or emotion you get while
reading a story. It’s not the reader’s emotions, but
the atmosphere (the vibe) of a story. It’s what the
reader learns, feels, or notices. To infer the mood,
think the setting, then how the character acts,
and the language used.
• The following are some words that describe
mood: fanciful, frightening, frustrating,
gloomy, happy, joyful, melancholy,
mysterious, romantic, sentimental,
sorrowful, suspenseful, peaceful, loving,
sadness, sympathetic.
The author has three common purposes:
1. To inform – to give information about a
subject. Author with this purpose wish to provide
facts that will explain or teach something to
readers.
➢ Example: Pain is a normal part of a physical
process that let us know something is wrong.
2. To persuade –to convince the reader to agree
with the author’s point of view on a subject.
Authors with this purpose may give facts but their
main goal is to argue or prove a point to readers.
Example: The death penalty is deeply
flawed and should be abolished.
3. To entertain – to amuse and delight:
to appeal to the reader’s senses and
imagination. Authors with this purpose
set out to captivate our interest in the
audience.
Example: “Yes, I have gained weight. I
weighed only 6 pounds when I was born”.
Inferring the speaker’s tone,
mood or purpose may be done
by determining the purpose of the
author in writing the poem or
selection. It may be done through
keen observation on the way the
speaker’s read the lines and
through analyzing of the words
used in the poem or selection.
Example:
1. Slamming the door open, the angry teenager
yelled at the poor, old woman waiting for the
bus.
- The mood of this passage could be describe
as sad, sympathetic, or frustrated.
- The tone would be sadness for the old
woman. And anger for the teenager.
- The mood and tone could be seen in the
words slamming, angry, poor, and old.
2. Gently and softly smiling, the young,
happy new mom quietly rocked her child,
laid her slowly into her warm bed, and
turned the light on, creating a comforting
glow.
- The mood of this passage could be
described as peaceful and loving.
- The tone is affectionate and calm.
- The mood and tone could be seen in the
words gently, softly, young, happy, warm,
and comforting.
Draw a
face for
each
emotion.
True or False.
1. Mood is the feeling in a written work.
2. Writers create mood only through the
work’s setting.
3. The mood of a story can be comic,
lighthearted, suspenseful, dark, etc.
4. Tone is the attitude that a writer takes
towards what they are writing.
5. Writers can express tone through
exposition, but not dialogue
True or False.
6. Tone gives you information that is
beyond just the meaning of the
words.
7. Tone can be impassioned, hard,
critical, contemptuous, etc.
8. A written work can have a mood
or a tone, but it can’t have both.
9. Only poems have mood and tone.
10. Father just went home from work.
He saw that his motorcycle was badly
damaged. His face turned red and he
shouted, “Who used my motorcycle?”
A. pity
B. angry
C. surprised
D. fear
11. It is already 10:00 in the
evening, but her daughter is not yet
home. The mother keeps on calling
her, but the line is out of reach that
makes her anxious.
A. joy
B. fear
C. excitement
D. angry
12. While Ana was walking on the
street, she saw a beggar asking for
food. In her hands was a pack of bread
intended for her daughter, but instead
she gave it to the beggar who needed
it the most.
A. benevolence
B. pessimism
C. cheerfulness
D. excitement
