Okay, now, let's move on to the next topic of writing skill. It will be "Formal vs Informal Writing". What are they? What are the differences? Let's check it out!
Do you remember my first post about writing? I mentioned a bit about formal and informal writing, right? Here are the examples that I wrote there:
Examples of formal writing:
1. Essay writing at school and college,
2. Cover letters to apply for jobs,
3. Emails and letters at work,
4. Writing used in most books, and advertisements
5. etc.
Examples of informal writing:
1. Letters and text messages sent to friends, relatives, or your (ehem) lover,
2. Writing used in your personal notes to yourself or to your children,
3. Writing used in some books, and advertisements
4. Your blog's contents,
5. Your social media statuses and updates,
6. etc.
I bet you are already familiar with those examples, right? Now, let's go back to formal and informal writing. What are the differences between those two?
Informal writing
1. Colloquial. The writing basically resembles spoken conversation. Words that are used are, for example, kids, guy, awesome, cool, look up, etc. It is exactly like what I'm doing right now. I write the posts here informally. I am using first person point of view as if I were talking to you directly. Informal writing can also have second and third person point of views.
2. Simple. You can make simple sentences since you're free to choose what to write. Incomplete sentences, slang. or idioms can also be used in order to sound friendly and casual.
3. Contractions and Abbreviations. The use of words such as doesn't, haven't, I'm, you're, etc. are acceptable. Abbreviations such as TV, photos, bud, etc. are also allowed since they express friendliness of the writer.
4. Emphaty and Emotion. The writer is free to express his/her concern and emotion. For example, his/her anger, embarassment, etc. This shows his/her thoughts and feelings about the topic, the reader(s), or the writer himself/herself.
Formal writing
1. Complex. The use of long sentences is better. Why? Because in formal writing, the writer needs to elaborate and explain things clearly. The topic that is being written must be as clear as possible.
2. Objective. Formal writing appears to be objective, showing no emotion at all.
3. Contraction-free. This kind of writing usually does not allow to be filled with contractions.
4. Restrain. Formal writing uses different yet the same vocabulary as informal writing does. The difference is, formal writing uses basic and complicated English words, while informal one uses casual words.
5. Third-person. Formal writing is not a personal writing style. The writer can neither be subjective, nor friendly. The writer is, somehow, in order to be objective, disconnected from the topic.
How do you know when to use them, then?
Well, there are questions that you can ask, to yourselves of course, to determine which style will you use.
Questions:
1. For whom is this writing presented? Who is the audience?
If you're going to write a letter to a friend or relatives, being informal is okay. But, if you're writing a letter to your teacher or your boss, it's better if you go with the formal one.
2. What's the best way to communicate the message?
Consider about the message first. What's the best way? If you write it in an informal style, would it be rude or friendly? Or, if you write it in a formal style, would it be understood by everyone?
3. Does my topic require a certain delivery style?
Considering about the topic is also a good question to determine the writing style. If it's an everyday topic, be informal is acceptable. If not, maybe you should choose to be formal. And also, consider about what is the message for. If it's, for example, to apply a job, be formal.
Did you get the point? Did you understand the differences? If you do, now, have an exploration for more information and examples about this topic. After that, give it a shot. Try to write those two different styles. If you're not sure, maybe it's easier to start with the informal writings first. Since I'm also an English learner, I know that writing informally is easier than writing formally.
Okay, that's it for this post. I'll continue to another topic, still about writing, later. See you!~
sources:
http://img.ezinearticles.com/video-img/formal-vs-informal-thumb.jpg
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/write/formal-or-informal.html
http://writingguide.geneseo.edu/?pg=topics/formalinformal.html
http://ezinearticles.com/videos/watch/142/formal-vs-informal-writing-what-is-the-difference-and-when-to-use-them/
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