Tone in literature refers to the attitude or feelings that the writer has towards the subject matter and audience). It is the overall mood or attitude conveyed by the narrators word choice in a story. Tone is an essential component of an author’s style, and it can be conveyed through various literary elements such as diction or word choice, syntax, imagery, details, and figurative language). The tone of a story is always described using an adjective.

It is important to recognize that the speaker or narrator is not to be confused with the author, and that attitudes and feelings of the speaker or narrator should not be confused with those of the author). In general, the tone of a piece only refers to the attitude of the author if writing is non-literary in nature).

Tone can be formal or informal, positive or negative, lighthearted or dramatic. By using the right tone, an author can convey moments of tension, relief, or anticipation to the readers and make them feel more invested in the story. Tone helps engage with the target audience and elicit a particular feeling and emotion in the reader.

Tone is often confused with mood, but they are not synonyms. While tone signifies an authors point of view, the mood of a piece of writing is the atmosphere of a piece and the overall feeling it conveys.

Examples of tone words in writing include: formal, informal, serious, humorous, sarcastic, ironic, optimistic, pessimistic, and many more.