Study Skills: Tone and Mood, Author's Purpose and Drawing Conclusions

STUDY SKILLS

Tone and Mood, Author’s Purpose and

Drawing Conclusions
Picture this:
It was a dark and stormy night. I sat alone in the old, dilapidated
house staring out the window. The sky was black, the wind was loud,
and the rain slammed against the broken windowpane. I shut my eyes,
remembering my earlier visit, and I felt so embarrassed and angry.
When I opened them, the lightning bolt flashed and lit up the room
once more. I had to get out of the house; I had to hide. No one could
know my horrible mistake. I opened the door, took a deep breath, and
ran into the cold and rain.
1. What feelings did you have while listening/reading to the previous

story?
2. What made you feel this way?
3. What words did you hear that helped create this feeling?
TONE AND MOOD
literary elements that help create the main idea of a story.
• TONE • MOOD
author's attitude toward a subject feeling you get while reading a
story.
a lovable
dog =
positive
Fierce dog
=
frightening
SAMPLES AND EXERCISES
Identify the mood and the tone of the following
Nearly skipping into the room, her face glowed as
she showed her shining, beautiful engagement
ring.
Slamming the door open, the angry teenager
yelled at the poor, old woman waiting for the bus.
Inform
Persuade  the author's goal is to
 the author's goal is to convince enlighten the reader about
the reader to agree with the real-world topics and provide
author. facts on those topics.
 the author wants the reader to  facts are presented in order to
think or even act in a specific teach the reader.
way.  written in order to provide
information to the reader.
Entertain
 contains almost all examples of what you think of when
you hear the word 'literature.' Authors who write to
entertain have the goal of telling a story or describing
real or imaginary characters, places and events. This
includes all pieces of fiction, which is literature that is not
real.
AUTHOR’S PURPOSE
Authors write for many different

reasons. Those reasons are called
the author's purpose.
Author’s Purpose Activity
Directions: Read the descriptions of each item and determine
the author’s main purpose (to entertain, persuade, or inform)
• A story about a family trying to stick together and

survive through the Great Depression in the Midwest in
the 1930s
• A section in a history book describing the conditions and
causes of the Great Depression in the Midwest in the
1930s
• An article where the author argues that an iPhone is
better than an Android phone
• A medical report describing the effects of steroids on the
human body
Samples: Read the short passages and be able to
answer the questions
The marching band Sam woke up Pilar slipped the
looked amazing on the late, spilled second she put one
football field. Each toothpaste on foot outside the
member played their his shirt, and door. She fell down
instruments perfectly. missed the bus. and hurt her wrist,
The audience loved His sister and her fingers
the performance. accidentally took started to sting
his lunch to from the cold.
You can tell : school, instead
a. The football field was of her own. It is probably :
big Sam probably
b. The marching band feels a. rainy outside
practiced a lot a. frustrated b. icy outside
c. The audience was quiet b. calm c. dark outside
c. lonely
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
 Using information that is
implied or inferred to make
meaning out of what is not
clearly stated.
 Writers give readers hints or
clues
 Reading between the lines
SHORT QUIZ:
READ AND ANSWER
First be sure to check the date on the bread. Then take out the
peanut butter, jelly and a knife. Then, take the knife and put it into
the peanut butter and then spread it on one side of each piece of
bread. Next, take the jelly and spread it on one of the slices on top
of the peanut butter. Now it's time to put one slice on top of the
other. You can cut the sandwich either in half or in quarters.
What is the author’s purpose in writing?
A. To inform C. To entertain
B.To convince D. To persuade
Football is an American sport. It is a popular game in which two teams
compete. This is a dangerous sport for the players on the field. Players must
wear special equipment for games. They wear pads and a helmet. This gear
keeps them safe. The game includes throwing a ball and running. The players
try to score points, but the other team tries to stop them. Players block and
tackle in order to prevent the other team from scoring. Many players become
injured from this physical and harmful sport.
What is the author’s purpose?

A. To inform about the fun game
B. To inform about how football is played
C. To entertain with the facts about football
D. To inform about football being dangerous
Which sentence from the text shows the author’s opinion?
A. Football is an American sport.
B. They wear pads and a helmet.
C. The game includes throwing a ball and running.
D. This is a dangerous sport for the players on the field.
Tony's Place is crammed into a tiny building next to the Fine Arts Theater. The owners
offer a menu of Italian food. They've got the checkered table cloths, dim lights, and crusty
bread. They also know how to make a hearty red sauce. Too bad they use it to drown
delicate fish. They also seem to lace everything with truckloads of garlic.
The service needs some work, too. Our waiter didn't know what the specials were. Nor
did he think to refill our water glasses before we asked. With a combination of fake-friendly
chatter and outright nagging, he made us order, finish up, and clear out. He seemed to see
us only as automatic tip machines. The food and low prices bring the customers in the door.
The service should push them out.
What is the tone of the passage above?

A. Sad B. Plain and factual
B. Boastful D. Critical or finds faulty
What is the writer’s main purpose in writing the selection?

A. To flatter the readers
B. To inform the readers
C. To entertain the readers
D. To sell something to the reader
“Proserpine" by Algernon Swinburne
There go the loves that wither [dry up],

The old loves with wearier wings;
And all dead years draw thither [there]
And disastrous things; Dead dreams of days forsaken, Blind buds that snows
have shaken, Wild leaves that winds have taken,
Red strays of ruined springs. ...
And love, grown faint and fretful With lips but half regretful Sighs, and with
eyes forgetful Weeps that no loves endure [last].
What mood do the details in the poem convey?

A. Happiness
B. Mistrust
C. Sadness and despair
D. Wastefulness and excess
In the first two lines, what images does the speaker use to describe
love?
A. Love that dies.
B. Love whose is both young and old.
C. Love that grows both wobbly and worrisome.
D. Love that goes away and have exhausted wings.
I've been having really bad allergies ever since I moved across the state. I know
you have a lot of goldenrod here, but we had that where I used to live, and I've
never been allergic to it. Or any other plants, really. There doesn't seem to be
anything different here that we didn't have at my old house.
What conclusion can you draw from this passage?

A. The author has never had allergies before.
B. The author is having an allergic reaction to goldenrod.
C. The author has always had an allergy to goldenrod, but now it is more
severe.
D. The author is probably having an allergic reaction to something other
than a type of plant.
After a long day, a teacher is grading a large number of essays which were written by his
students. He is reviewing how his students structured their essays. Tom structured his essay
so each paragraph had 3 sentences. Jane used 4 to 5 sentences, Katie used 6 to 7
sentences, while Phil used 9 to 10 sentences for each paragraph.
Based on the length of essay, which of the following likely

received the highest rating?
A. Jane B. Katie C. Phil D. Tom

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STUDY SKILLS

Tone and Mood, Author’s Purpose and

1. What feelings did you have while listening/reading to the previous

Authors write for many different

• A story about a family trying to stick together and

What is the author’s purpose?

What is the tone of the passage above?

What is the writer’s main purpose in writing the selection?

There go the loves that wither [dry up],

What mood do the details in the poem convey?

What conclusion can you draw from this passage?

Based on the length of essay, which of the following likely

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