Read the excerpt from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash; till he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms. How does the author’s word choice help express the tone of the excerpt? The negative connotations of the words “dust,” “aching,” and “weary” give the excerpt a tone of relaxation. The negative connotations of the words “dust,” “aching,” and “weary” give the excerpt a tone of tiredness. The positive connotations of the words “home,” “morning,” and “splashes” give the excerpt a tone of relaxation. The positive connotations of the words “home,” “morning,” and “splashes” give the excerpt a tone of tiredness.