When we interact with our different social groups, we inevitably use different tones of voice. For example, we might use a more casual, humorous tone with our friends and a more formal tone with our teachers. Sometimes there is some overlap (sometimes we need to discuss serious things with friends, for example), and we can even switch between different tones within a single interaction.
The specific tones we're going to explore in this article are the humorous tone and the serious tone.
Tone definition
In a nutshell:
Tone refers to the use of pitch, volume, and tempo in your voice during an interaction in order to create lexical and grammatical meaning. What this boils down to is that the qualities we can change about our voices can significantly impact the meaning of the things we say. In writing, where we cannot literally 'hear' voices (pitch and volume don't exist in writing, after all), tone refers to the attitudes or perspectives of the author on a particular subject, and how their writing reflects this.
There are lots of different tones that can be created in both written and verbal communication. We'll now look more in-depth at the humorous tone and the serious tone.
We'll begin with serious tone!
Serious tone definition
The concept of seriousness is something you're probably already familiar with. During your lifetime, you will have been in situations that were deemed serious, and ones that were deemed casual, and you're probably able to distinguish between the two with ease. To recap, let's look at the definition of serious.
Serious meaning
Serious is an adjective, which means it is a word that describes a noun. Serious can have two meanings:
Serious means commanding or requiring careful consideration or application. For instance, a 'serious matter' is one that requires a lot of careful thought.
or
Serious means acting or speaking in earnest rather than in a light-hearted or casual manner. For instance, when someone proposes to their partner, they are (usually!) doing it in a serious way, rather than joking around.
In writing, a serious tone can be used to signal that a pivotal moment in the action of the story is coming, or that something bad or sad has happened. In non-fiction writing, a serious tone can be used when the information being shared is important and requires proper thought and respect.
A serious tone can be created using a range of techniques and strategies.
Serious synonyms
The word 'serious' has many synonyms, and because it has two separate meanings, these synonyms can be broken down into two groups:
The synonyms for the first definition of serious as stated in the above section:
Important: of great significance or value
Critical: expressing adverse or disapproving comments
Profound: very great or intense
The synonyms for the second definition of serious as stated in the above section:
Genuine: true to what something is meant to be, authentic
Sincere: free from pretence or dishonesty
Resolute: purposeful and unwavering
Ways to create a serious tone
In verbal communication, a serious tone can be created using:
Tone, pitch, and volume of voice to convey different meanings: e.g. Speaking more loudly, or writing in all capitals to mimic a louder volume, can signal urgency which is a common element of the serious tone.
Word choices that reflect the seriousness of the situation: e.g. 'There was nothing left to be done. The time had come. James had found himself in dire straits (a very difficult situation).'
Questions and exclamations that show serious emotions such as desperation, sadness, anger or trepidation: e.g. 'Do you think I wanted this to happen?', 'How dare you!'
In written texts, a serious tone can be created using techniques such as:
Emotive punctuation such as exclamation marks to indicate urgency or a rising voice: e.g. 'Stop! If you touch that fence you'll get a shock!'
Strong adjectives that paint a vivid mental picture in the reader's mind: e.g. 'The old man really was a cantankerous (stubborn and argumentative) fossil.'
Showing the characters' actions as being carefully considered: e.g. 'Sally paced the room until it felt as though she was making an indentation in the wooden floor.'
Serious tone examples
By this point, you probably have a solid idea of what a serious tone would look and sound like, but to take that understanding even further, we'll now look at some examples of a serious tone in both written and verbal exchanges.
First up, here are some examples of a serious tone in fictional text:
John watched his phone as it buzzed on the coffee table. He was torn. He knew that the chances of good news on the other side if he answered it were slim to none. He also knew that if he didn't answer now, he would regret it for the rest of his life. He took a deep, steadying breath and reached for the phone.
'Hello?' he answered with a mix of trepidation and resignation in his voice, 'Yes, this is he.'
In this example, the character of John is waiting for some news that he assumes is very likely to be bad news. He internally debates whether he should answer the phone or not, and this initial indecision shows that he is taking time to consider his options.
A serious tone is created in this passage through the description of this internal debate, and we get a sense that this is a serious matter for John's character. The evocative adjectives 'deep' and 'steadying' used to describe his breath also suggest that this is a serious situation that John has given a lot of thought to. When John answers the phone, there is no indication of rising volume or pitch as he speaks, which shows us that he is probably speaking in a measured and level tone of voice, which emphasises the sense of seriousness in the text.
Now we'll look at an example of a serious tone in a non-fiction piece of text:
'The death toll in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal has reached more than 300 after devastating floods wreaked havoc in the area. A state of disaster has been declared in the area after some areas saw months' worth of rainfall in one day.'1
This example is taken from a news article on the BBC website and is about flooding in South Africa. The subject matter is evidently serious which already creates a serious tone, but the language used to describe the flood emphasises this. Words and phrases such as 'death toll', 'devastating' and 'state of disaster' create a powerful mental image of how significant the floods have been, and contribute to the creation of a serious tone within the piece.
A significant flood is an example of a serious situation.
Finally, we'll look at a verbal example:
Person A: 'This is getting to be a bit ridiculous now. How can you expect to get a decent grade if you never do any work? I just don't get it!'
Person B: 'I know, I know, you're right. I just get so overwhelmed sometimes.'
Person A: 'If you need help with anything, I'm always here. You just need to say.'
Person B: 'I know, thank you. I think I do need some help.'
In this example, Person A is calling Person B out for not doing enough work, and Person B is trying to take accountability for it. A serious tone is created firstly, through the subject matter - getting good grades is important to them both, and in the context of their conversation, it is not a laughing matter. The fact that Person B also admits to needing help shows that the situation has reached a certain point of seriousness. Words like 'ridiculous' and 'overwhelmed' also contribute to the serious tone, and the exclamation mark after 'I just don't get it!' shows that Person A's voice is rising in volume, adding a sense of urgency.
Humorous tone definition
The humorous tone is another one you're likely to be very familiar with and as we mentioned at the top of this article, it is likely a tone you use a lot with your friends and family. Just as we broke down serious and looked at some examples of a serious tone, we'll now do the same with humorous.
Humorous meaning
Humorous is also an adjective!
Humorous means having or showing a sense of humour, or causing amusement or laughter.
In writing, a humorous tone can be created by the writer describing the characters or scene in a funny or comic way, or by using figurative language that evokes entertaining and playful imagery.
The old man was usually about as charming as an eel, but when it came to cricket, he turned into a young boy again, leaping and yelling alongside the field.
Humorous synonyms
Since humorous only has one key meaning, we only need to think about synonyms relating to that definition.
Here are some synonyms for humorous:
Amusing: providing entertainment or causing laughter
Comedic: relating to comedy, characteristic of comedy
Light-hearted: carefree, cheerful, amusing, and entertaining
There are many more possible synonyms for humorous but you get the idea.
Laughter is a key indicator that something is humorous.
Ways to create a humorous tone
A humorous tone can be created in written texts using strategies such as:
Juxtaposition is when two or more different things are placed together to emphasise how different they are from one another.
Short and simple sentences - long, complicated sentences can sometimes lead to meaning getting lost, and if you're feeling confused then you probably aren't going to find something funny!
Descriptive depictions of characters and their interactions: e.g. 'Mary was constantly looking for her glasses. Day and night, dark or light, they were never anywhere to be found. This is, of course, because they were already perched atop her head!'
Emotive punctuation to mimic the different qualities of a voice: e.g. Fluffy! Get BACK here with my slipper RIGHT now!'
In verbal exchanges, a humorous tone can be created using:
Tone, pitch, and volume of voice to convey different meanings: e.g. Talking more loudly or quickly, or raising the pitch of your voice could signal excitement which is an emotion often connected with humour.
Hyperbole or exaggeration: e.g. 'If you make that shot, I'll eat my hat!'
Hyperbole is a significantly exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally.
Humorous tone examples
Just as we did for the serious tone, we'll now look at a couple of examples for the humorous tone. Firstly, here's an example of a humorous tone in a non-fiction text:
'Harry Potter is like football. I'm talking about the literary, cinematic, and merchandising phenomenon, not its focal fictional wizard. He is not like football.'2
This example is an excerpt from David Mitchell's book, Thinking About it Only Makes it Worse. David Mitchell is a British comedian, so this knowledge already hints to us that his book will take on a humorous tone. However, Mitchell uses other techniques to create and showcase this tone too.
In this example, he likens the Harry Potter franchise to football, which is a seemingly unlikely comparison that initiates a tone of humour. The humorous tone is then ramped up when Mitchell clarifies that the character of Harry Potter himself is 'not like football'. This seems like such an unnecessary comment (I don't think anyone thinks Harry Potter the wizard is anything like football the sport), which makes it all the funnier. The lack of emotive punctuation and the simplicity of the sentences also contribute to the humorous tone by creating a sort of deadpan (expressionless) voice, which is quite amusing.
Now here's a fictional text example:
'Hey guys! Dare me to jump in that massive puddle?' Rory pointed towards a puddle in the road that was about half a meter in diameter. He didn't wait for an answer from the group and started running towards it.
'Rory wait! That's not...' Nicola's protest went unheard, as Rory jumped into the puddle unceremoniously, and disappeared up to his waist!
In this example, Rory's character is clearly a playful and boisterous person which starts to hint that a humorous event is going to take place. The humorous tone is then emphasised by Nicola shouting at him not to jump into the puddle and being cut off mid-sentence as he does it without listening. The three-dot ellipsis suggests that she was going to tell Rory that it wasn't just a puddle but a deep hole and, because he didn't listen, he pays the price. The exclamation mark after 'waist' also adds to the ridiculousness and humour of the scene.
And finally, a speech example:
Person A: 'Hey I bet I can go lower than you at the limbo.'
Person B: 'Oh yeah? I bet all the money I've ever seen that I can go lower than you.'
Person A: 'You're on!'
Person B: (falls over during turn) 'Ouch!'
Person A: 'Pay up!'
In this example, a humorous tone is created using the competitiveness between the speakers, as Person B uses the hyperbole of 'all the money I've ever seen' and then ends up falling. Person A's response of 'pay up!' also adds to the humorous tone as they were not the one to suggest a monetary bet, yet end up being the one that wins.
A comedy club is a place where you'd find lots of humour!
Serious vs. Humorous Tone - Key takeaways
- The serious tone and the humorous tone are two very different tones that can be used in verbal conversation as well as in writing.
- Serious means requiring careful consideration, or when someone speaks or acts earnestly.
- Humorous means having and showing a sense of humour, or making people feel amused.
- The serious tone is often created through word choices, use of punctuation and evocative adjectives, and through descriptions of characters and actions.
- The humorous tone is often created using hyperbole or exaggeration, unlikely comparisons, and simple sentence structures.
1. S. Nyoka,
Durban floods: South Africa floods kill more than 300, BBC News. 2022
2. D. Mitchell, Thinking About it Only Makes it Worse. 2014
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