Tone
Tone refers to the writer’s attitude about a subject to their reader. It can be delivered in different ways, through the choice of words, sentence structure, and punctuation. It is similar to engaging with a person. Your body language, facial expression, and pitch of the voice convey a certain tone that informs about the language you use in the conversation. For a writer, the use of the right tone helps the reader understand the emotions about the topic. It is the signal to the reader about how the writing should make them feel. The writer’s tone might vary from being humorous, lighthearted, or aggressive, depending on the writing.
Key details about tone:
All the official documents, writing, letters have a tone, even an official neutral tone is still a tone.
The tone can change the course of the text to create a different effect.
Tone and mood are not similar. Tone is the author's attitude,and whereas mood is about how the reader feels about the work.
Common types of tone:
Formal tone
Informal Tone
Neutral Tone
Formal Tone: Formal tone is commonly used for professional and academic writings. The focus is on being thorough and direct yet respectful. It uses complete words rather than emphasizing on facts and grammatical correctness. For E.g., The Indian Constitution, Preamble. “We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic and to secure to all its citizens…”
Informal Tone: Informal tone is the opposite of formal tone. Informal tone is expressive and conversational, similar to how you’d speak to a relative. It uses colloquial phrases, contractions, and emotion than formal writing. The sentence structure can be shorter and choppy or long and chatty. E.g.- Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone. “It’s not easy being a student at IIT. Half the time you’re drowning in books, the other half you’re trying to survive hostel food.”
Neutral Tone: Neutral tone is clear, object and fact driver. It avoid being heavily formal as well as being casual in style. The aim is clarity without being emotional. E.g.- “A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth.”
Use to right tone:
Choosing the right tone can be a monumental task, but answering few questions can help in figuring it out:
Who is the audience?
The audience can be narrowed down by the appropriate tone used for writing. A letter to a business client will be formal, whereas a postcard to a friend might be playful or casual in tone.
What's the purpose?
Identify the reason for writing. Gaining a prospective client versus sending a letter to the relative on a holiday greeting will have a different tone.
What will be the reader's takeaway?
Your write-up will communicate and inform about a topic. Think about what your reader will learn and feel after reading the write-up.
Word choice supports tone
The words you choice for writing, helps the reader to get tremendous clarity about its tone. Though there is only a handful of word with similar meaning, but deliberate choice of words helps in added connotation to identify tone
For instance, ‘Zestful’ denotes to full of energy, while energetic can also suggest a similar meaning. But choosing the word ‘Zestful” gives it a deeper meaning. Thus, connotation of the choice of word, affects the meaning and tone of the writing.