Grade by Grade
A. Literacy Connections and Applications / C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts · Understanding and Responding to Texts

Elements of Style: Voice, Word Choice, Word Patterns and Sentences

C1.5About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can identify voice, word choice, word patterns and sentence structure in a text.
  • I can analyze how each element helps create meaning.
  • I can explain why a style is appropriate for a text form and genre, like a diary, a news report or a poem.

Words to know

style
The way a writer writes: their voice, words, patterns and sentences.
voice
The personality or attitude you can hear in the writing, such as chatty, serious, funny or calm.
formal
Careful, serious language, like in a news report or a letter to a mayor.
informal
Relaxed, everyday language, like talking to a friend.
word patterns
Repeated sounds or words, like repetition, rhyme and alliteration.
alliteration
Words close together that start with the same sound: shovels sleep in the shed.

Remember from Grade 3

In Grade 3 you described a writer's voice, word choice, word patterns (repetition and rhyme) and sentence structure.

In Grade 4 you will analyze how each element creates meaning and decide whether a style is appropriate for its form and genre. A style that's perfect for a diary might be all wrong for a news report!

Hook: Same snowstorm, three styles

All three texts below are about the same snowstorm. Read them aloud. How does each one sound?

Text 1: Diary entry

Dear Diary,

SNOW DAY!!! I woke up and the whole world was white. Mom said the buses were cancelled. I didn't even finish my cereal. I was out the door in four minutes flat (okay, maybe five). The snow came up past my knees! Best. Day. Ever.

Text 2: News report

Storm Cancels School Buses Across Region

More than 30 centimetres of snow fell overnight, cancelling school buses across the region on Tuesday. Road crews worked through the night to clear major roads. Officials asked drivers to stay home if possible. More snow is expected tomorrow.

Text 3: Poem

Snow on the swings, snow on the slide, snow on the mailbox, snow far and wide.

Hush, says the street. Hush, says the sky. Shovels sleep in the shed as the flakes drift by.

ElementDiaryNews reportPoem
VoiceExcited, chatty, personal (I)Serious, calm, formalQuiet, gentle, dreamy
Word choiceEveryday words: okay, Best. Day. Ever.Exact facts: 30 centimetres, officials, major roadsSoft sounds: hush, drift, sleep
Word patternsCapitals and !!! for excitementNone: plain and clearRepetition (snow on the), rhyme (slide/wide, sky/by), alliteration (shovels sleep in the shed)
Sentence structureShort, punchy sentences and fragmentsComplete, medium-length sentencesShort lines, like a slow, quiet beat
Comparing the style of three texts about the same storm
How many words in each sentence (or poem line)?2966127111Diaryone bar = one of its sentences161085News reportone bar = one of its sentences44444455Poemone bar = one of its lines
Counting words shows sentence structure: the diary mixes long sentences with one-word ones (Best. Day. Ever.), the news uses steady complete sentences, and the poem uses short, even lines.
Worked example

Let's analyze how style creates meaning

How does each element of style in the diary entry create meaning? Is the style appropriate?

  1. Voice: chatty and excited, using I. You feel like the writer is talking to you.
  2. Word choice: SNOW DAY!!!, four minutes flat (okay, maybe five). The joke in the brackets makes the writer sound honest and funny.
  3. Word patterns: capital letters and three exclamation marks show huge excitement.
  4. Sentence structure: Best. Day. Ever. Three one-word sentences slow you down so each word hits hard.
  5. Appropriate? Yes. A diary is personal and informal, written for yourself. An excited, chatty voice fits.

The diary's chatty voice, fun word choice, capitals and punchy fragments show the writer's excitement, and that informal style is appropriate for a personal diary.

Worked example

Let's test whether a style fits

What if the news report were written like this? SNOW DAY!!! The roads were sooo bad. Best day ever! Is this appropriate?

  1. A news report's purpose is to give facts to many people, including grown-ups who need to know whether to drive.
  2. Sooo bad isn't exact. How much snow? Which roads? A reader can't use that.
  3. Best day ever is an opinion. For drivers stuck in snow, it might be the worst day! News reports should be neutral.
  4. So the style is not appropriate. A news report needs a formal voice, exact words and clear, complete sentences.

Not appropriate. News needs facts, exact words and a formal, neutral voice, not excitement and opinions.

Analyzing the poem

  • Repetition: Snow on the... snow on the... snow on the... makes you feel snow is everywhere, covering everything.
  • Rhyme and rhythm: slide/wide and sky/by give the poem a gentle beat, like falling flakes.
  • Alliteration: Shovels sleep in the shed repeats the soft s/sh sound, like a whisper or the hush of snow.
  • Word choice: Hush, sleep and drift are quiet words. The poem feels peaceful, not exciting.
  • Sentence structure: short lines and pauses make you read slowly.

A poem's style is about sound and feeling, so these choices are appropriate for poetry.

Snow on the swings,← repetition: snow on the...snow on the slide,← rhyme: slidesnow on the mailbox,← repetition againsnow far and wide.← rhyme: wide (matches slide)Hush, says the street.← quiet word: hushHush, says the sky.← rhyme: skyShovels sleep in the shed← alliteration: shovels, sleep, shedas the flakes drift by.← rhyme: by (matches sky)
The poem's word patterns: repetition, rhyme, alliteration and quiet word choice all create a peaceful feeling.

Style matches form and purpose

Ask: Who is this for? Why was it written? Then check: does the voice, word choice and sentence structure fit? A letter to the mayor needs a formal voice. A text to your best friend can be informal. A poem can play with sounds.

Just for fun

Imagine a TV weather reporter using diary style: OMG, 30 centimetres of snow!!! My boots are SO not ready. Best. Storm. Ever.

That's why style has to match the form!

Hands-on activity

Style switcheroo

You need: paper and a pencil.

  1. Choose a small event from your week (losing a tooth, a fun recess, a rainy walk).
  2. Write it three ways: a diary entry (chatty, I), a news report (headline, facts, formal), and a short poem (repetition or rhyme or alliteration).
  3. Underline one example of word choice in each and explain why it fits.
  4. Read all three to a grown-up with the right voice. Can they guess which is which with their eyes closed?

Your turn

1

Describe the voice of the news report.

2

Find an example of repetition in the poem. What is its effect?

3

Find the alliteration in the poem.

4

Why does the diary writer use Best. Day. Ever. as three sentences?

5

Which text uses exact numbers? Why?

6

Which words in the poem create a quiet feeling?

7

Would Best. Day. Ever. fit in a letter to the mayor asking for better snow clearing? Why?

More practice: warm-up

1

Is a diary usually formal or informal?

2

Name two rhyming words in the poem.

3

What does voice mean in writing?

4

Which text uses I?

5

What is alliteration?

More practice: on your own

1

Rewrite this in a formal voice: The game got cancelled cuz the ice was super gross.

2

Write a sentence with alliteration about winter.

3

How does sentence structure change the feeling? Compare: The wolf crept closer. Closer. Closer. and The wolf walked slowly toward the cabin while the moon shone.

4

Why are exclamation marks not appropriate in a news report?

5

Which word choice is more exact for a news report: lots of snow or 32 centimetres of snow? Why?

Challenge

1

Write the first two lines of a science report about snow. Explain why your style is appropriate.

2

Change the poem's mood from quiet to exciting by changing two words or lines. Explain how your changes affect the meaning.

3

A writer uses a chatty, funny voice in a how-to text for kids on building a snow fort. Is that appropriate? Explain both sides.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which voice fits a news report?

2.

Shovels sleep in the shed is an example of...

3.

Why does the poem repeat Snow on the?

4.

Which is the best example of exact word choice?

5.

Best. Day. Ever. uses short sentences to show...

6.

An informal, chatty voice is most appropriate for...

For parents and teachers

What this lesson teaches: Grade 4 students identify elements of style, including voice, word choice, word patterns and sentence structure, and analyze how each helps create meaning and is appropriate for the text form and genre (C1.5).

How to help at home:

  • Read the same news event in a newspaper and in a kids' magazine. Compare voice and word choice.
  • Read poems aloud and listen for repetition, rhyme and alliteration.
  • Ask: "Would this style work for a different kind of text? Why or why not?"

Common difficulties:

  • Naming an element without explaining its effect. Always add "...which makes the reader feel ___."
  • Thinking informal is always bad. It's right for diaries and friendly messages; it's about fit.
  • Mixing up rhyme and alliteration. Rhyme is at the end of words; alliteration is at the beginning.