Have you ever heard of tone words before? Before we jump into it, it’s important to know what tone is first. Well, tone, like voice, is present in any form of writing. Tone sets the mood for the readers by resonating the author’s feelings through his/her syntax, level of formality, and the use of words. A writer’s tone may be a direct message from him or her, or through characters he or she has written, if it is, for instance, a literary work.
Therefore, we can say that tone is aimed to set different emotions based on what the author intends to convey or what he/she wants to make his/her audience feel. In other words, it is used by a writer to express something. Since we already mentioned that it is the writer’s way of expressing something through syntax (how he/she put words together) and vocabulary (use of words), it’s therefore important to know a lot of tone words to give more color and convey more vivid emotions to anything one is planning to write, be it a narrative story, a memoir, a blog, and so on.
On a side note, many people still confuse tone with voice. To not fall into the same trap, note that voice is the writer’s personality and writing style. On the other hand, tone is how he/she expresses a certain thing or scenario, for instance, in a story, especially through the use of tone words. We can also say that it’s the writer’s attitude or how he/she views or takes a certain topic. Both tone and voice are important because these are what makes a writer’s style distinctive.
What type of tone to use based on what you’re writing?
Usually, in formal writing, the tone should be smart, sophisticated, precise, clear, and confident but respectful. Whereas in creative writing, the tone’s usually informal and subjective, but clear with the use of less complicated and easily understood words. Still, the use of words depends on the style, type, and genre of what one is writing; and, ultimately, what the writer prefers.
So before we go to the list of tone words, there are actually three things to keep in mind when a writer needs to find the correct tone for his/her article. First is, why is he/she writing it? Second is, who is his/her audience, and what message does he/she want to convey? Third and lastly is, what does he/she want his/her readers to realize, feel, learn, and/or understand?
Now, let’s explore the different types of tone with their related words.
What are types of tone?
Every tone word falls into a specific type of tone or feeling a writer wants to convey. As a matter of fact, aside from the ones mentioned below, there are many different types of tones in writing. It can also be a mixture of joy and sadness, anxiety and excitement, and so on. A writer’s creativity is her limit, and with the aid of a tone word or two, his/her article will evoke the emotions he or she intends.
Having a personal tone in writing is similar to having a personal tone when conversing with someone. For instance, what if someone asks, “Do you like your new teacher?” One can answer, “super!” enthusiastically if he/she does, or it can also be a hesitant “yeah? so-so.” if the respondent does not have a good first impression.
That is why great storytellers usually describe the way a character did or said something. For example, it’s very blunt just to tell, “She said yes” compared to “She replied with a hesitant ‘yes'” or “she confidently replied ‘yes’“. In this case, the tone words hesitant and confidently made it clear to the reader that the respondent is doubtful or confident.
So without further ado, here are some examples of types of tone in writing:
What are examples of tone words?
Now to better understand tone words, below is a list of tone words based on the types of tone above them. These are just some examples, so do not be limited by them! In the next section after this will be tone words in action.
Tone words expressing humor
Tone words expressing formality
Tone words expressing negativity
What are hypocritical tone words?
What are positive tone words?
Tone words expressing formality
Tone words expressing negativity
Tone words expressing sincerity
Tone words expressing fear
Tone words expressing joy
Tone words expressing hope
Tone words to express informality
Tone words causing sadness
How do you describe the tone of a text?
A text’s tone is described through the words the author used and how she/he has written it. Did the author actually used a happy tone word, but has written it sarcastically? This is one thing that can happen. That’s why the use of a tone word is just the first determiner of what tone the author used in a text, then next to it is the syntax or how he/she wrote things, as mentioned above.
Now, to apply these examples above, let us see how effective the use of a tone word is in conveying a message or emotion. Provided below are examples for each emotion portrayed and some tone words listed under it.
Conveying humor
Aubrey is such a jolly and comical person. There was never a dull moment with her witty jokes. Sometimes her colleagues laughed so hysterically that even their boss joked about how crazy they are.
Conveying formality
The official guidelines in their article assignment must be strictly followed. Subheadings and paragraphs should be clear, orderly, and well-organized. Writers must also follow the proper SEO rules and must be disciplined to finish the deadlines on time.
Expressing negativity
The singing contest judges were very critical of Abie’s performance even before she sings for the second time. They judged her unfavorably because of her previous troublesome performance, in which nervousness got the better of her. Since then, judges have been doubtful if she can even make it to the finals.
Conveying hypocrisy
Something fishy is going on in the office. My discernment tells me that the secretary is doing something shady against my team. Something tells me that her smiles are fake and that her kindness is unnatural, not to mention that this deceitful, two-faced lady is only cheerful and accommodating when the boss is around. With her charm along with her crafty ways, I’m pretty sure this woman is unreliable and untrustworthy.
Expressing positivity
I am confident that the funds in that charity will be distributed well because they are kind, considerate, and fair. Their enthusiastic and energetic attitude towards giving is also inspiring, that’s why I’ve always been optimistic that the funds will go a long way.
Indicating sincerity
John is serious about pursuing Cynthia. His effort unquestionably shows how honest he is about his feelings. Even his loving and affectionate acts can’t deny it. He even accepted her flaws wholeheartedly.
Indicating fear
The child has always been uneasy around her father. She seems cautious and intimidated whenever she talks to him. This actually disturbs and alarms me.
Conveying joy
After the wedding ceremony, they were delighted and surprised by their excited friends’ celebratory reception. They were greeted by lively and merry claps and cheers as they entered the function room. Everybody was so energetic, amused, and jovial.
Indicating hope
Tanuja is known as a hardworking, goal-oriented woman ever since she was young actually. Whenever I talk to her, she’s always passionate, excited, determined, and motivated, despite the long journey she has to go through in obtaining her doctorate degree. She hasn’t even graduated from college yet, but I’m assured she’ll achieve it with her faith and aspiration.
Indicating informality
Outside of the office, Donna’s relationship with her boss is casual. In fact, she is so relaxed and natural around her, not to mention how cheerful and easygoing her boss is. However, it was sometimes disadvantageous to the boss’s part, since Donna became a little bit too familiar around her, that she does her reports on-the-spot, compared to preparing them beforehand when they weren’t close yet.
Conveying sadness
I had been through depressing situations before. Since I was young, my parents separated. This heartbreaking situation somehow made me a cold and gloomy person because I felt like nobody else understood the tragic things I had to go through with my family. As I distanced myself from others, I felt lonely and miserable; even pathetic.
Paragraphs with different tone words
Now that we saw some tone words in action, here are some paragraphs that shift to different emotions using tone words. In the next examples, we can feel three different emotions conveyed:
In the early years of George and Lina’s relationship, they were serious, genuine, and affectionate. Their friends and family have no doubts about how real and pure their love for each other was, which can also be seen in the way they support each other wholeheartedly. In fact, their friends look up to them when it comes to commitment and dedication.
But things became mundane in the seventh year of their marriage. At that time, they still didn’t have any children yet. They got tired and began fighting even more, always finding fault with each other. George’s addiction to alcohol made it even worse. He began to be abusive to his wife, which is destructive and damaging not only to their relationship but to Lina. Lina then began doubting whether their relationship and marriage will be fixed.
But the worst thing that happened was when she caught George in bed with another woman. She was deeply saddened by this. They somehow tried to fix it, but Lina started to become cold and pensive towards George. Their once warm and happy home is now cold and lifeless, with Lina’s hopeful dreams slowly fading away as her miserable situation grows. This greatly depressed her and made her look back with the regrettable decisions she ever made, like marrying George.
In the above paragraphs, we can see three different emotions conveyed: sincerity, negativity, and sadness.
Final Thoughts
Now that we see how tone affects the readers’ feelings through the use of a tone word, aside from the way it’s written, we can now be more confident when we’re writing and trying to convey something with the aid of tone words. Using different tones that can be felt is truly a skill that may take some time to get used to, but it isn’t difficult to learn! By expanding one’s vocabulary and by practicing, one should be an expert at this in no time. And now that we have a handy list of different tone s to use here, expressing something when writing should be way easier!
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