I'm in a composition class and my professor keeps marking up my essays with comments about 'tone.' She'll write 'tone shifts here' or 'be careful with tone' and I honestly don't know what she's talking about. I've googled what is tone in writing and I get definitions about 'the author's attitude toward the subject,' but that still feels abstract. How do I know what my attitude is on paper? And how do I make it consistent?
From what I've gathered, tone is created through word choice, sentence structure, and even punctuation . Like, using formal language and complex sentences creates a serious, academic tone, while contractions and simpler words can feel more conversational . But I'm not sure how to apply this intentionally.
My problem is that my tone seems to wander. I'll start an academic essay sounding formal, then halfway through I'll write something like 'and that's pretty messed up,' and my professor circles it with 'tone shift.' I get it now—I'm jumping from detached analyst to casual commentator. But how do you stay consistent across a whole paper? Do you have to constantly police every sentence? And how do you match tone to purpose? A persuasive essay needs a different tone than a reflective one, but I don't know how to switch gears effectively .
For anyone who's figured this out, what's your process? Do you read your work aloud to catch tone issues? Are there specific words or phrases that signal certain tones? I want my writing to sound intentional, not like I'm accidentally switching personalities mid-paragraph.
From what I've gathered, tone is created through word choice, sentence structure, and even punctuation . Like, using formal language and complex sentences creates a serious, academic tone, while contractions and simpler words can feel more conversational . But I'm not sure how to apply this intentionally.
My problem is that my tone seems to wander. I'll start an academic essay sounding formal, then halfway through I'll write something like 'and that's pretty messed up,' and my professor circles it with 'tone shift.' I get it now—I'm jumping from detached analyst to casual commentator. But how do you stay consistent across a whole paper? Do you have to constantly police every sentence? And how do you match tone to purpose? A persuasive essay needs a different tone than a reflective one, but I don't know how to switch gears effectively .
For anyone who's figured this out, what's your process? Do you read your work aloud to catch tone issues? Are there specific words or phrases that signal certain tones? I want my writing to sound intentional, not like I'm accidentally switching personalities mid-paragraph.