Mood, Tone, and

Symbol

Symbol sol 8.4D5

Tone and Mood SOL 8.5C4
 Mood
• Mood is the general atmosphere created by the
author’s words. It is the feeling the reader gets
from reading those words. It may be the same, or
it may change from situation to situation.
• Common Mood descriptors:
• Frightening gloomy
• Happy frustrating
• Joyful romantic
• Mysterious sentimental
• Suspenseful sorrowful
What does mood look like
on the SOL?
• Which of the following contribute
to the mood of the story?
• Paragraph # expresses a mood
that—
• The reader can best conclude the
mood of the passage is--
 MOOD EXAMPLE 
During the holidays, my mother's house glittered with 
decorations and hummed with preparations. We ate 
cookies and drank cider while we helped her wrap 
bright packages and trim the tree. We felt warm and 
excited, listening to Christmas carols and even singing 
along sometimes. We would tease each other about 
our terrible voices and then sing even louder. 

Mood: Content, happy. How do we know? Words like 
"warm, excited, glittered” are used by the author.

Wash Publishing Co. 2009
 Let’s Practice Mood!
Scuba diving is the most exhilarating experience I
have ever had. The first time I went, the dark mirror
of the water beckoned me to drop from the side of
the boat. I jumped feet first and entered a brightly
colored world populated with fish, plants, and
objects I had never dreamed of.

•Which of the following best describes the

mood of this experience?
•A. bored B. anxious
•C. excited D. serene
 Tone
• Tone is the author’s attitude toward the
writing (his characters, the situation) and
the readers. A work of writing can have more
than one tone. An example of tone could be both
serious and humorous. Tone is set by the setting,
choice of vocabulary and other details.
• Common Tone descriptors:
• - serious solemn sarcastic
• - objective enthusiastic humorous
• - hostile disapproving personal
• - impersonal
 How to tell tone
• Look at word choice. Are they more positive or
negative? What connotations do they have?
• How do you feel when reading? (mood can
sometimes reflect tone)
• Are they sarcastic or opinionated?
• Are they trying to persuade you or influence you?
• What is the author’s purpose for writing?
 What does tone look like
on the SOL?
• Paragraph # expresses a tone of—
• The tone of the poem can be described
by all of the following EXCEPT---
• In order to change the tone of the
story, from whose point of view would
it be told?
• In this poem, which tone is created
through the author’s word choice?
 TONE EXAMPLE
Finally, one of the girls pointed to the grass and
giggled. "Meow!" A cat sat on the edge of the
field and licked its paw. They did indeed have
company. The girls ran over to the cat and pet
his belly. They laughed and the cat sauntered
contently back to the field.

The tone of this passage is happy/contentment

as there was a successful, happy resolution to
the problem. Also, words like giggled and
laughed give us clues about the tone.
Wash Publishing Co. 2009
 Let’s Practice Tone
  The girls were playing in the pond, splashing each other
and trying to catch fish with their hands. They were having fun,
but kept looking over their shoulders at the looming forest. The
long grass of the field kept moving and they sort of felt like they
were being watched… About a half hour passed and still the
girls kept checking the field for movements. It seemed like a pair
of dark eyes was on them. They even considered going back
inside, but that would mean homework time. So they continued
splashing, but with caution now. Their eyes hardly left the field.

The tone of this passage is—

• Ominous serious
• Positive depressing 
Wash Publishing Co. 2009
 Symbol:
• Symbol: A person, place, or
object that represents something
greater or beyond itself.

• Writers often use symbolism to

create the mood (ex: black crow
circling overhead symbolizes
dangerous or bad things are
about to happen.
 What does symbol look
like on the SOL?
• The symbol ____ in the story
represents—
• Which line in the poem contains a
symbol of—
• In line #, which item is a symbol
for---
• In both passages, the authors
incorporate what symbol in common?
 What do these
symbols represent?
 Common Symbols
• Dove is a symbol of peace.
• Red rose or red color stands for love
or romance.
• Black color is a symbol that
represents evil or death.
• A ladder may stand as a symbol for a
connection between the heaven and
the earth.
• A broken mirror may symbolize
separation
 Let’s Practice Symbol!
“All the world’s a stage,And all the men and women
merely players;
they have their exits and their
entrances;
And one man in his time plays many
parts,” Shakespeare

In this passage, stage symbolizes—

A)The world B) a person C) middle school D)
home

In this passage, players symbolize—

A) Team members B) friends C) humans D) actors