Jim did not smile, but his tone lightened.

As the series went on, the tone lightened and approached the screwball towards the end of the series.

Her tone lightened suddenly as she said, "The chickens are fine, by the way, thanks for asking."

When he resumed speaking, his tone had lightened slightly.

The tone of his voice lightened and I knew I'd let him off a hook with my question.

She patted Beth's shoulder and her tone lightened.

The Dragon's tone lightened, becoming cheerier and less querulous.

Beverly caught his little half smile, but her tone did not lighten.

Her tone lightened as she seemed to shrug away the seriousness of the subject.

I often thought Rob was like him in more than mere looks,' she went on thoughtfully, then her tone lightened.