--- title: "Writing Craft Vocabulary" description: "Know and use the vocabulary of writing craft and effect — form, structure, register, tone, voice, coherence, cohesion, argument, evidence, perspective, rhetoric, technique, formal, informal, and style" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/writing-craft-vocabulary-mt_82KKv0Fca3 source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/writing-craft-vocabulary-mt_82KKv0Fca3.md retrieved: 2026-10-19 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # Writing Craft Vocabulary Know and use the vocabulary of writing craft and effect — form, structure, register, tone, voice, coherence, cohesion, argument, evidence, perspective, rhetoric, technique, formal, informal, and style — and understand that these words describe choices writers make intentionally to achieve a particular effect on the reader Subject: English · Area: Writing Composition · Ages 8 to 11 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/writing-craft-vocabulary-mt_82KKv0Fca3 ## Ready when they can - Explain the difference between 'formal register' and 'informal register' and give an example of when each is appropriate - Use terms like 'coherence', 'cohesion', and 'paragraph structure' accurately when discussing or improving their own writing - Identify the 'purpose', 'audience', and 'form' of a piece of writing and explain how these shape the language choices ## Lesson: Writing Craft Vocabulary Every piece of writing is full of choices. The writer decides on the words, the order, and the feeling they want you to have. There are special words that describe these choices, and knowing them helps you talk about writing like a writer does. *(drawing: This is structure: the order the parts of a piece of writing come in.)* Register is how formal or casual your words are. A note to a friend can be informal: 'hey, come over later?' A letter to your principal should be formal: 'I am writing to ask if we could discuss...' Tone is the feeling behind your words, like serious, funny, angry, or gentle. **Example.** Zoe is writing two pieces. One is a persuasive letter asking the school board for a new playground. The other is a spooky story for Halloween. For the letter, she picks a formal register and a serious tone, because her purpose is to convince adults. For the story, she picks an informal register and a tense tone, because her purpose is to entertain her classmates. Same writer, different purpose and audience, so different choices. **Tip.** Coherence means your ideas fit together and make sense as a whole, like stepping stones that lead somewhere. Cohesion means your sentences connect smoothly, often using linking words like 'however', 'because', or 'in addition'. Good writing needs both. **Recap.** Writers choose their register, tone, structure, and style on purpose, to fit their purpose and audience. ## Practice 8 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [Writing Process Vocabulary](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/writing-process-vocabulary-mt_o8ciHks8t2) ## Opens up - [Layout and Formatting in Informational Writing](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/layout-and-formatting-in-informational-writing-mt_AHAFw-atka) - [Writing for an audience](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/writing-for-an-audience-mt_cB7hV8sw7X) - [Short Research Projects](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/short-research-projects-mt_FW9_8F52bw) - [Basic Informational Writing](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/basic-informational-writing-mt_hp2qJ-QRBn) - [Revising and editing (age 8+)](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/revising-and-editing-age-8-mt_HWYAspz-LK) - [Planning Narratives](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/planning-narratives-mt_j6ENpc8--_) - [Vivid Word Choices](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/vivid-word-choices-mt_LMX-nZETLM) - [Revising and editing (age 7+)](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/revising-and-editing-age-7-mt_pis4novXWQ) - [Choosing Form and Tone for Your Audience](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/choosing-form-and-tone-for-your-audience-mt_v5DyOEpbbr) - [Narrative Writing](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/narrative-writing-mt_vauULTecMH) - [Structured Opinion Writing](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/structured-opinion-writing-mt_WKxX-b86Vr)