Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: __________________
REFERENCE: Tone
®
THE LANGUAGE ARTS MAGAZINE
©2016 BY SCHOLASTIC INC. TEACHERS MAY PROJECT OR MAKE COPIES OF THIS PAGE TO DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS.
Tone Words
Tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject matter or toward the reader or audience.
There are many different words that you can use to describe an author’s tone. Here are some to inspire you.
POSITIVE TONE WORDS
admiring
adoring
affectionate
amused
appreciative
approving
celebratory
cheerful
comforting
comic
compassionate
complimentary
confident
contented
earnest
elated
empathetic
encouraging
excited
facetious
forthright
friendly
funny
gleeful
gushing
happy
hopeful
humorous
interested
jovial
light
lively
modest
nostalgic
optimistic
passionate
playful
pleasant
proud
reassuring
respectful
romantic
sentimental
silly
sympathetic
tender
whimsical
wistful
worshipful
zealous
angry
annoyed
biting
bitter
blunt
cold
conceited
condescending
confused
curt
cynical
depressed
derogatory
despairing
desperate
disappointed
disliking
disrespectful
doubtful
enraged
fearful
flippant
forceful
foreboding
frustrated
furious
gloomy
grave
grim
harsh
haughty
hostile
impatient
melancholy
mocking
mournful
offended
ominous
outraged
pessimistic
sarcastic
scornful
selfish
skeptical
sly
somber
stern
suspicious
uneasy
worried
ambiguous
ambivalent
casual
commanding
conversational
detached
direct
indifferent
introspective
neutral
pensive
questioning
reflective
scholarly
serious
solemn
straightforward
speculative
uncertain
unconcerned
NEGATIVE TONE WORDS
NEUTRAL
TONE WORDS