{"id":2858,"date":"2015-11-30T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-12-01T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?post_type=essay-writing-blog&p=2858"},"modified":"2019-06-10T12:19:06","modified_gmt":"2019-06-10T19:19:06","slug":"how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Control the Tone of an Essay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though tone is slippery to nail down and might be one of the most difficult parts of a language to learn, managing the tone of an essay can make the difference between an \u201cA\u201d and an \u201cF.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, tone can also be the determining factor for getting a nice pat on the back after you say \u201cI\u2019ll go clean my room now, Mom\u201d or getting a slap on the face for saying \u201cSure, yeah, of course I\u2019ll clean my room, lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, how can you use this intangible powerhouse to fuel your next essay? Before we talk about how to control the tone of an essay, let\u2019s talk first about what tone really is.
\n<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

What Is Tone in Writing?<\/h2>\n

Simply put, tone is the writer\u2019s personality mixed with his or her feelings about the subject matter, and tone comes through in the author\u2019s word choice.<\/p>\n

Controlling the tone of an essay has a lot to do with using similar types of words that all contribute to the overall feeling a reader gets from the writing.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
Tone is the writer\u2019s personality mixed with her feelings on a topic–filtered through words. <\/a><\/div>\n

Click To Tweet<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

To get this concept to stick in your head, let\u2019s dig into some examples. This is the opening sentence from the well-known book, Uglies,<\/i> by Scott Westerfeld:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe early summer sky was the color of cat vomit.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here, the stark contrast between what you associate with an early summer sky (beauty, serenity, etc.) and upchuck from your least favorite cat leaves you with a feeling that the speaker in the novel doesn\u2019t care much for the sunrise at all. Associating the sunrise with vomit gives the opening of the novel a cynical and uncaring tone.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s change a few words in that sentence and see what happens.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe early summer sky was the color of an artist\u2019s well-used pastels.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here, though the reader still gets the idea that sunrise is probably light red and orange, we have a completely new tone. In my rewritten sentence, \u201cwell-used pastels\u201d matches up with the associations that typically come along with a sunrise, so the tone might be affectionate or admiring.<\/p>\n

If you need help coming up with more tone words, check out this list.<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What\u2019s important here is that creating the right tone is all about the words you choose. They make all the difference.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s also important is that you\u2019ll never see the sunrise the same way again.<\/p>\n

What Should the Tone of an Essay Be?<\/h2>\n

When you\u2019re writing a formal essay, your instructor probably won\u2019t appreciate you taking a sarcastic, frustrated, or comedic tone. Most likely, your instructor expects you to write in a scholarly, informative sort of tone that showcases your literary analysis or research.<\/p>\n

Okay, let\u2019s pretend that we are writing an essay about why texting while driving is dangerous.<\/p>\n


\n

You know, texting while driving is bad. It\u2019s like you can\u2019t really pay attention to anything else, and you might get into a super big crash and your mom will be all up in your face about it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this version, phrases such as \u201cyou know\u201d and \u201clike\u201d make the writer of this sentence sound as though he or she is not serious about the topic. Also, the contraction \u201ccan\u2019t\u201d and colloquialisms such as \u201csuper big\u201d and \u201call up in your face\u201d make the tone of an essay sound too informal and not academic.<\/p>\n

Lastly, using the second-person perspective (you, your, yours) smashes any idea anyone might have had of an academic tone.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s try getting rid of all the elements that make that sentence sound like a Valley Girl wrote it.<\/p>\n

Texting while driving causes a large number of accidents every year. Because drivers cannot successfully pay attention to both their phones and their surroundings, their likelihood of getting into an accident goes up dramatically whenever they reach to text someone.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here, there are no contractions, uses of second-person perspectives, or colloquialisms. Instead, this paragraph keeps an impersonal, factual perspective of the topic, making its tone academic in nature.<\/p>\n

Now, notice that I didn\u2019t really include any big and fancy words. Many students make the mistake of thinking that big words make the tone of an essay more scholarly, but that can actually ruin the tone of an essay and make it sound just as ridiculous as version 1. See what I mean below.<\/p>\n

Texting while operating a vehicle causes a hefty quantity of calamities every year. Because drivers cannot efficaciously pay attention to both their phones and their environs, their prospects of getting into an accident go histrionically up whenever they send a digital message to another person.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not only does this version sound wordy and ridiculous, but it is relatively obvious that whoever wrote it (me) had the thesaurus in his or her hand at every step of the way. Here, the writer is trying so hard to have an academic tone that the tone actually turns into satire or cynicism.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s much better to use words you know to prove your point than to make your essay sound like it\u2019s being read aloud by an ancient old man with glasses.<\/p>\n

For more tips about how to avoid those temptingly big words, check out this blog about not using words that sound smart<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Making the Tone of an Essay Academic Doesn\u2019t Mean It Has to Be Boring<\/h2>\n

As the writer, you absolutely have creative license while working on your essay, and you don\u2019t have to maintain a strictly scholarly tone 100 percent of the time. Though it\u2019s good to stick to an academic tone as much as possible in formal essays, throwing in the odd joke or giving your essay more of a creative feel works in some cases.<\/p>\n

Also remember that you have much more leeway in your essay’s tone when you are writing a personal or narrative essay<\/a>. In fact, keeping a scholarly tone in those assignments will make them boring and irritating to both write and read.<\/p>\n

When you have tonal freedom, you should choose the tone that is most appropriate for your story. For instance, you probably wouldn\u2019t want to use a joking tone to talk about your great-grandmother\u2019s funeral. Often, choosing the right tone in stories comes naturally since the words you use to describe events already match the tone you need.<\/p>\n

To get some ideas about what tone to take in a personal narrative essay, see these examples<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Still Worried about Controlling the Tone of an Essay?<\/h2>\n

Our editors at Kibin have a complete understanding of tone and can\u2019t wait to help you sort it out. We\u2019ll give you pointers about word choice and resources that will shape you into a master of tone in your writing.<\/p>\n

To get your writing polished up and ensure that you are using an appropriate tone for your topic, check out our essay editing services<\/a> today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Though tone is slippery to nail down and might be one of the most difficult parts of a language to learn, managing the tone of an essay can make the difference between an \u201cA\u201d and an \u201cF.\u201d In fact, tone can also be the determining factor for getting a nice pat on the back after you … <\/p>\n

Read more<\/b> “How to Control the Tone of an Essay”<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":8728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[57,151],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Control the Tone of an Essay - Kibin Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Managing the tone of an essay can be hard, but it also can make the difference between an \u201cA\u201d and an \u201cF.\u201d This post helps you make sense of tone.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Control the Tone of an Essay - Kibin Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Managing the tone of an essay can be hard, but it also can make the difference between an \u201cA\u201d and an \u201cF.\u201d This post helps you make sense of tone.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kibin Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-12-01T01:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-06-10T19:19:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/toneofanessay2.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"355\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andra V.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andra V.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay\/\",\"name\":\"How to Control the Tone of an Essay - Kibin Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-12-01T01:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-06-10T19:19:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1f3f87f898658eb2999d0b7697001e04\"},\"description\":\"Managing the tone of an essay can be hard, but it also can make the difference between an \u201cA\u201d and an \u201cF.\u201d This post helps you make sense of tone.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/\",\"name\":\"Kibin Blog\",\"description\":\"Creating Better Writers\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1f3f87f898658eb2999d0b7697001e04\",\"name\":\"Andra V.\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/kassandra-25-e1551551651586-100x100.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/kassandra-25-e1551551651586-100x100.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Andra V.\"},\"description\":\"(they\/them), in addition to writing and editing for Kibin, is the author of Body Until Light, Time Counts Backward from Infinity, and two chapbooks of poetry. They lead creative writing workshops and believe that art, poetry, and aesthetics are forms of divinity. They live the revolution of queerness and are very happily settled with a nesting partner, two bunnies, and a spinning wheel at their home in Portland, OR.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/author\/kassandrak\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Control the Tone of an Essay - Kibin Blog","description":"Managing the tone of an essay can be hard, but it also can make the difference between an \u201cA\u201d and an \u201cF.\u201d This post helps you make sense of tone.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Control the Tone of an Essay - Kibin Blog","og_description":"Managing the tone of an essay can be hard, but it also can make the difference between an \u201cA\u201d and an \u201cF.\u201d This post helps you make sense of tone.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay\/","og_site_name":"Kibin Blog","article_published_time":"2015-12-01T01:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-06-10T19:19:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":355,"url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/toneofanessay2.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Andra V.","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andra V.","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay\/","url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay\/","name":"How to Control the Tone of an Essay - Kibin Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-12-01T01:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2019-06-10T19:19:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1f3f87f898658eb2999d0b7697001e04"},"description":"Managing the tone of an essay can be hard, but it also can make the difference between an \u201cA\u201d and an \u201cF.\u201d This post helps you make sense of tone.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/how-to-control-the-tone-of-an-essay\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/","name":"Kibin Blog","description":"Creating Better Writers","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1f3f87f898658eb2999d0b7697001e04","name":"Andra V.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/kassandra-25-e1551551651586-100x100.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/kassandra-25-e1551551651586-100x100.jpg","caption":"Andra V."},"description":"(they\/them), in addition to writing and editing for Kibin, is the author of Body Until Light, Time Counts Backward from Infinity, and two chapbooks of poetry. They lead creative writing workshops and believe that art, poetry, and aesthetics are forms of divinity. They live the revolution of queerness and are very happily settled with a nesting partner, two bunnies, and a spinning wheel at their home in Portland, OR.","url":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/author\/kassandrak\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2858"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2858"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7323,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2858\/revisions\/7323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}