When it comes to people, we are not the same. This authenticity makes our characteristics unique and non-repetitive. We may share some aspects but not all of them. To know how to express yourself in Spanish when writing, keep in mind that it works the same way: there are different writing tones, almost as many as there are writers.

What kind of tones are there in writing? In writing, tone is the writer’s expression of the subject, audience and message. Everything counts in writing, from vocabulary to phrasing to intention and style. While style focuses more on syntax, tone focuses on attitude.

Learn today with iScribo 6 writing tones examples so that you can identify the one that best suits your needs and style.

1. Serious Tone

The serious tone is one of the most common types of writing in journalism, as it is factual, direct and focused. It can also be used in somber or solemn literature, which is very common in trends such as realism.

Here is an example of a serious tone in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment:

“Peter Petrovich belonged to that class of people who on the surface are very polite in society, who make a great point of behaving properly, but who are completely disconcerted when they are contradicted about anything, and become more like sacks of flour than elegant, lively people of society.”

2. Humorous Tone

The author’s intention with the humorous or comic tone is to make the reader laugh, they want to amuse the audience. It can sometimes be confused with sarcasm but, unlike sarcasm, humour is intended to entertain. It is the opposite of dramatic or sombre tone.

An example of a humorous tone would be a monologue which, mind you, before performing it, must be written. Practise your Spanish with this one we’ve mentioned.

3. Sarcastic Tone

Also known as ironic tone and its purpose is to persuade through contrarian humour, that is, sometimes it mocks or offends someone. It is often intended to provoke a critical reaction in the reader. Taken to the extreme, it can provoke satire, such as Francisco de Quevedo’s very famous sonnet, A una nariz.

«Once there was a man stuck to a nose

It was a nose more marvellous than weird,[…]».

4. Intriguing Tone

Also known as curious tone, it is quite common in thrillers and stories of intrigue. It is very common in literature because of the number of followers it gets. This tone awakens a certain uneasiness inside, sometimes you even hold your breath without realising it, it disconcerts you at some point. This is because you anticipate, or at least try to anticipate, the plot, you want to uncover the story.

Any mystery novel by Agatha Christie or Mary Higgins Clark is the perfect example, but you can also find it in some journalism articles.

5. Hopeful Tone

Also known as pacifying, this type of tone is used in texts of a reassuring or reconciliatory nature. They are not controversial at all, the vocabulary is neutral with positive overtones and is intended to make us put aside the negative and focus on the good things that can happen.

Self-help or religious texts use this type of tone for the most part, but it can also be found in social and journalistic themes, to send a message of encouragement to the reader in current adverse conditions. One example is newspaper articles at the time of confinement.

6. Loving Tone

Today, I want to finish the list with a close and intimate tone. The loving tone also gives us a glimmer of hope, as love will always be a wonderful thing in the world.

The loving tone is characterised using warm words with an affectionate and positive attitude, sometimes with respect and even adoration. It can be expressed in formal and informal contexts and can be extrapolated to texts of a serious nature or of an erotic nature.

It is also common to mix the amorous tone with others, as in Romeo and Juliet, with tragic overtones. Another example is the historical novel, as in Outlander.

Identify Yours and Practise!  

Tone expresses the feelings of the writer, or of the publication itself if the writer has been given specific guidelines. That is what style guides are for!

It is important not to confuse mood with tone. Mood is the atmosphere of the writing and is what the writer intends to trigger in the reader.

No matter what tone you are going to use, with iScribo you can learn how to express yourself in Spanish and correct all the documents you compose without having to worry about making mistakes. Do you identify with any of these types of writing tones? Do you know of any others that we haven’t mentioned? Tell us about them in the comments below.