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 or shift from chapter to chapter or stanza to stanza or even line to line. Tone is the result of allusion, diction, figurative language, imagery, irony, motif, symbol, syntax, and style.
Very young children can sense a speaker's attitude in tone. But understanding tone in prose and poetry is an entirely different matter. The reader does not have voice inflection to carry meaning. Thus, a student's appreciation (knowledge) of word choice, details, imagery, and language all contribute to the understanding of tone. To misinterpret tone is to misinterpret meaning.
| 6381849722 | caustic | severely critical or sarcastic |  | 0 |
| 6381849724 | irreverent | showing a lack of respect for things or people that should be taken seriously |  | 1 |
| 6381849726 | disdainful | showing contempt or a lack of respect |  | 2 |
| 6381849727 | contemptuous | scornful, showing contempt |  | 3 |
| 6381849728 | sardonic | grimly mocking or cynical |  | 4 |
| 6381849736 | pretentious | attempting to impress by affecting greater important, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed |  | 5 |
| 6381849753 | melancholic | disposed to or affected with melancholy; gloomy |  | 6 |
| 6381849756 | poignant | keenly distressing to the feelings |  | 7 |
| 6381849760 | fanciful | overimaginative and unrealistic |  | 8 |
| 6381849762 | flippant | not showing a serious or respectful attitude |  | 9 |
| 6381849773 | inflammatory | tending to excite anger, disorder, or tumult |  | 10 |
| 6381849788 | pedantic | of or like a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or displaying academic learning |  | 11 |
| 6381849791 | didactic | intended for instruction; inclined to teach and lecture others too much; teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson |  | 12 |
| 6381849809 | admonitory | serving to warn, especially to correct |  | 13 |
| 6381849811 | ambivalent | having mixed or opposing feelings at the same time |  | 14 |
| 6381849814 | belligerent | given to fighting, warlike; combative, aggressive |  | 15 |
| 6381849817 | brash | offensively bold |  | 16 |
| 6381849818 | callous | emotionally hardened; insensitive; unfeeling |  | 17 |
| 6381849819 | choleric | easily angered; bad-tempered |  | 18 |
| 6381849821 | condemnatory | expressing strong disapproval of; judgmental; critical |  | 19 |
| 6381849824 | droll | amusing in a wry, subtle way |  | 20 |
| 6381849831 | haughty | arrogant, excessively proud and vain |  | 21 |
| 6381849834 | obsequious | attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people from flattery |  | 22 |
| 6381849835 | pompous | overly self-important in speech and manner; excessively stately or ceremonious |  | 23 |
| 6381924503 | histrionic | Overly dramatic, theatrical |  | 24 |
| 6381940459 | surly | Bad-tempered, hostile, unfriendly, or rude |  | 25 |
| 6381942888 | ribald | humorous in a vulgar way |  | 26 |
| 6381945841 | wry | dry humor |  | 27 |
| 6381949179 | satiric | Ridiculing to show weakness in order to make a point |  | 28 |
| 6381951458 | jovial | Cheerful and friendly |  | 29 |
| 6381952896 | staid | (adj.) serious and dignified; quiet or subdued in character or conduct |  | 30 |
