Tone of A Passage

The tone of a passage is the reflection of the author's intent or emotion. So, to understand the tone of a passage, it is important to know various emotions. As we use different emojis to reflect different moods, we may also learn words that depict different human emotions.  

There are broadly two types of tones:

1. Objective: when an author presents the facts or situations without adding his/ her emotion or opinion, the tone is objective.

Example: He is a student.

(Here, the author presents the fact objectively without giving his/ her opinion about the person)

2. Subjective: when an author expresses his opinion about someone or something, the tone is subjective.

Examples: 

- He is a good student. ((Here, the author expresses a sense of approval about the person, hence the tone is positive.)

- He is a bad student. ((Here, the author expresses a sense of disapproval about the person, hence the tone is negative.)

To understand the tone of a sentence, we should carefully read the words of a sentence, and see their nature whether the words are neutral, positive or negative.

More examples:

- She lives in this area. (Neutral)

- She likes this area (Positive)

- She dislikes this area (Negative)

Now, we will see various tones that a sentence may have:

Positive tones:

Optimistic

Sanguine

Reverent

Laudatory

Euphoric

Elated

Humorous

Commiserating

Didactic

Negative tones:

Pessimistic

Critical

Cynical

Skeptical

Sarcastic

Satirical

Sardonic

Ironical

Indignant

Umbrage

Acerbic

Harsh

Severe

Bitter

Caustic

Vitriolic

Condescending

Snobbish

Supercilious

Disparaging

Contemptuous

Derisive

Belligerent

Bellicose

Aggressive

Biased

Prejudiced

Dogmatic

Indifferent

Apathetic

Apologetic

Nostalgic

Neutral tones:

Unreflective

Objective

Descriptive

Disinterested

Ambivalent

Stoical