English Skills with Readings 8th Edition by John Langan

Exercise 5

To appreciate differences in tone, look at the six statements below, which express different attitudes about a shabby apartment. Six different tones are used. Label each statement with the tone you think is present.
a. bitter
b. sentimental
c. matter-of-fact
d. humorous
e. tolerant and accepting
f. optimistic and hopeful
EXPLANATION The tone of item 1 is sentimental. "It has a special place in my heart" expresses tender emotions. In item 2, the words "meets my needs" show that the writer is tolerant, accepting the situation while recognizing that it could be better. We could describe the tone of item 3 as bitter. The writer resents a situation that forces him or her to live in a "miserable dump." Item 4 is optimistic and hopeful, since the writer is expecting the apartment to be improved soon. The tone of item 5 is humorous. Its writer claims to be planning a comic revenge on the landlord. The tone of item 6 is matter-of-fact and objective, simply describing what needs to be done.
_________ When we move away, we're planning to release three hundred cockroaches and two mice so we can leave the place exactly as we found it.