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Understanding The Difference Between Formal and Informal Language in Writing

A good writer knows when to use formal or informal language in their writing. We’ll go over the difference between the two and provide examples.

Quick Summary of Formal and Informal Language

• The main difference between formal and informal language in writing is that formal language is more rigid and less personal, whereas informal language is more easygoing and adaptive.
• Deciding on using formal or informal language depends on what you’re writing and who you’re writing it for:
• Formal language is usually reserved for professional and academic settings, while informal writing is used for more casual settings, like friendly text messages and creative writing.
• There are many differences found in formal and informal writing. One of them is that contractions shouldn’t be used in formal writing, but are acceptable in informal writing .
• Vocabulary is another major difference between formal and informal language.

Formal vs. Informal Language

Effective writing has a lot to do with not only what you write but also how you write it. The type of language you use— formal or informal —must suit your audience and setting.

If you want your message to resonate, then it wouldn’t be a good idea to use colloquialisms in formal settings. Similarly, you shouldn’t use rigid language when you’re writing about something light, playful, or funny.

But what exactly is the difference between formal and informal language in writing? That’s what we’ll be covering in this blog. We’ll also provide helpful examples so you can better recognize the difference.

Plus, we’ll show you a paraphrasing tool that’ll ensure your text is pristine, regardless of what you’re writing.

Let’s begin!

What Is The Difference Between Formal and Informal Language?

Compared to formal language, informal language is considered more casual. Informal language also evolves much more rapidly than formal language. While new words or phrases can be introduced to informal language seemingly overnight (e.g., GOAT referring to the greatest of all time) , these changes can take years in formal language (e.g., you replacing thou, thee, and thy ).

But there are also more notable differences between formal and informal language. We’ll give some examples below.

1. Contractions

It is advised to avoid contractions (shortened versions of words) in formal language, but they’re acceptable in informal language.

Unfortunately, the team could not replicate the results. (Formal)

Unfortunately, the team couldn’t replicate the results. ( Informal)

2. Colloquial Phrases/Slang

Formal language is also marked by an absence of colloquial phrases and slang (words or phrases that are common only in everyday speech), but are typically used in informal language.

Everyone was disappointed . (Formal)

Everyone was bummed . ( Informal)

3. First-Person Pronouns

Generally, first-person pronouns (like I and we ) are avoided when writing with formal language. However, it’s accepted (and expected) in informal language.

The students were asked to fill out the questionnaire. (Formal)

Informal: We asked the students to fill out the questionnaire. ( Informal)

4. Phrasal Verbs

When using formal language in your writing, it is also recommended to replace phrasal verbs (proper verbs that are followed by one or more prepositions and act as a single verb).

It was something the protestors could endure . (Formal)

It was something the protestors could put up with . ( Informal)

5. Grammar Rules

When writing for formal settings, it is recommended to follow all grammar rules, even those that are considered trivial. In informal settings, some grammar rules can be ignored. For example, in informal settings, it’s okay to use who in place of whom . However, always using who in place of whom is not recommended when writing with formal language.

Whom do I have to speak to? (Formal)

Who do I have to speak to? ( Informal)

6. Vocabulary Choice

Formal language tends to use longer, more complex vocabulary. Sometimes it is not recommended to use this type of vocabulary with informal language (depending on what you’re writing) because it can confuse or distract your audience.

They needed assistance while recovering from the outcomes of the hurricane. (Formal)

They needed help while recovering from the effects of the hurricane. ( Informal)

Whether you’re writing in a professional or academic setting or a casual and creative one, LanguageTool can provide stronger vocabulary options—all you have to do is double-click on the word. This multilingual spelling and grammar checker can also detect different types of errors, whether you choose to write in formal or informal language.

Deciding When To Use Formal and Informal Language

Remember that choosing when to use formal or informal language in your writing depends on what you’re writing and who your audience is. However, you should also be mindful of the fact that formal and informal language is a spectrum, and some types of writing can fall in between these categories. Regardless of what type of language you’re using in your writing, keep these differences in mind to guarantee the most effective writing possible.

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Extended Essay: Formal vs. Informal Writing

• Extended Essay- The Basics
• Step 1. Choose a Subject
• Step 2. Educate yourself!
• Using Brainstorming and Mind Maps
• Identify Keywords
• Do Background Reading
• Define Your Topic
• Conduct Research in a Specific Discipline
• Step 5. Draft a Research Question
• Step 6. Create a Timeline
• Find Articles
• Find Primary Sources
• Get Help from Experts
• Search Engines, Repositories, & Directories
• Databases and Websites by Subject Area
• Create an Annotated Bibliography
• Advice (and Warnings) from the IB
• Chicago Citation Syle
• MLA Works Cited & In-Text Citations
• Step 9. Set Deadlines for Yourself
• Step 10. Plan a structure for your essay
• Evaluate & Select: the CRAAP Test
• Conducting Secondary Research
• Conducting Primary Research
• Formal vs. Informal Writing
• Presentation Requirements
• Evaluating Your Work

Differences Between Informal and Formal Essays

When writing your extended essay you should use language that is formal and academic in tone.  The chart below gives you some idea of the differences between informal and formal essays. See the box below for examples of the differences in tone in informal and formal essays written on identical topics. A PDF of this chart, and the examples below, is in the box to the right , along with a list of tips for avoiding colloquial writing.

Examples of Informal and Formal Tone in Essay Writing

The following examples highlight the differences between formal and informal tone.

Language B - English

• Formal vs. Informal Writing A chart giving the differences between informal and formal essays in seven areas (author's viewpoint; subject/content (sources of evidence); tone; structure; location of the research question; vocabulary; and purpose. Also included are examples comparing informal and formal writing for essays in English, biology, and psychology.
• How to Avoid Colloquial (Informal) Writing While it may be acceptable in friendly e-mails and chat rooms, excessive colloquialism is a major pitfall that lowers the quality of formal written text. Here are some steps/tips that you can follow to help improve your overall writing.
• ~[123]~: May 8, 2024 3:48 PM
• ~[124]~: https://libguides.westsoundacademy.org/ee

Tips for Online Students , Tips for Students

Formal vs. Informal: Best Writing Practices

Updated: August 7, 2023

Published: April 5, 2020

Langston Hughes once said, “The prerequisite for writing is having something to say.” But you are probably aware that there are many different styles of writing — and it pays to know which to use situationally. When it comes to formal vs informal writing styles, there is a time and place for each. By understanding their nuances and respective best practices, you can continue to improve your writing.

We will break all of this down and more, with examples. This can serve as a useful guide on formal vs informal writing for you throughout your educational journey (and beyond).

Defining Formal vs Informal Writing Styles

Formal writing is written for an audience you do not know on a personal level. It is often the main style in academic writing (unless otherwise noted) and is more complex than informal writing. Formal writing is serious.

Informal writing consists of short sentences and is used in more personal settings, such as writing a letter to a friend or writing a diary entry. It is much more relaxed than formal writing.

Photo by  Annie Spratt  on  Unsplash

Which style is appropriate.

Knowing the difference between formal and informal writing is only half the battle. The other important aspect is knowing which to use. Here are some examples of when you would use formal vs informal writing.

Use Formal Writing When:

• Writing professionally (reaching out to a client or prospect)
• Academic writings (essays, research papers, etc.)
• Job applications ( resume writing , CVs, and cover letters)
• Reaching out to someone you do not know

Use Informal Writing When:

• Writing to a friend
• Sharing a story or writing a personal blog
• Writing creatively
• Instructed to do so (if in school)
• Writing dialogue and conversations
• Writing an outline

If you are unsure of whether to use informal or formal writing, it’s generally the rule of thumb to start out writing formally. Then, when you make the connection and you see how the other side responds, you can ease up on the formality.

Key Features of Formal vs. Informal Writing

While the above gives a simple overview of the differences and uses of each style, let’s take a deeper look into what each style entails. That way, it should become more obvious how to recognize and structure each.

Formal writing tends to include the following:

• Long and complex sentences: Sentences tend to be compound and contain commas to link two ideas or use transitions like “Furthermore” and “To exemplify,”
• Does not use contractions: Would use “cannot” instead of “can’t”
• Objective: Does not offer personal opinions
• Doesn’t use colloquial language: You won’t see any slang or common everyday vocabulary
• Diverse vocabulary words: Vocabulary is of a higher level
• Use of words that are subject-specific: For example, if you are writing about biology, you’d use words like “epithelial cells” instead of “skin cells”
• Use of third person: Does not use first person pronouns like “I” or “me”

Informal writing includes the following:

• Can use first person, second or third: You can use any type of pronouns, including “I”
• Can use slang: The use of everyday language and slang terms can be used, such as “It was cool that…”
• Active voice: Sentences tend to be written with a subject acting on the verb, such as “We chilled the drinks and went out to the sea” instead of “The drinks were chilled…”
• Personal emotional tone can be detected: Since the writing is personal, it can include feelings and the sharing of emotions
• Contraction and abbreviation: It’s okay to use “can’t” instead of “cannot” or “it’s” instead of “it is”
• Empathy: You can put yourself in the shoes of your audience and address their problems directly. This shows the author as coming from a place of understanding their situation.

Formal vs Informal Writing Comparison Guide

Additional Considerations

There are a few more things to take into account when starting out on any writing endeavor. These include the following 3 questions:

• “Who is my audience?” – This is the first question you should ask when writing anything. You want to write to your audience, so you have to define them.
• “How formal is the project I’m working on?” – This goes hand-in-hand with the audience and the project goals. However, knowing the level of formality will help you write accordingly.
• “What medium should I use?” – For both informal and formal writing, you can produce the piece digitally or by hand. If it is for academic purposes and on the job, you’ll want to type your work. But, if you choose to write a formal letter by hand (such as a thank-you letter after a job interview), then it is advised to write on thicker card stock paper to look more professional. Remember, presentation is everything when it comes to formal work!

Here’s an Example!

Along with this list of references , here is a (meta) example on how this article would be written both formally and informally:

• Formal: When writing academically or professionally, it is important to show respect to your audience by electing to write in a formal style, rather than informally. This means that sentences are longer than usual and tend to feel complex. Writing complex sentences with hyperfluent vocabulary shows your audience that you are well-informed on the subject matter. Furthermore, this writing style depicts unbiased information eluding emotions and first-person pronouns from the content.
• Informal: Formal writing feels harder than informal writing. I think it’s because I can’t use contractions or short sentences. The only reason I’d write informally is if I had to, like if it was professional or academic. But when I write like this about formal writing, it’s easier. My vocabulary doesn’t matter as much. As you can see, I still care about grammar. Writing like this feels like I am talking to a friend.

Photo by  Glenn Carstens-Peters  on  Unsplash

Tying it all together.

There are many differences between formal vs. informal writing. That being said, they both serve their respective purposes. That’s why it’s important to understand both styles, as well as when to use them.

When writing professionally or academically, opt for formal writing. Remember to leave out contractions and remain unbiased.

On the other hand, informal writing comes from within. It’s aimed towards a personal audience, so you can write as if you are speaking to them. That way, you can use contractions, shorter sentences, colloquialism, and the like.

Regardless of why you are writing, always be sure to reread your work to check for typos and mistakes. The most important thing for writing is having something to say, but it’s also making sure that what you say can be understood!

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• Formal and Informal Style

Whether you use formal or informal style in writing will depend on the assignment itself, its subject, purpose, and audience.

Formal language is characterized by the use of standard English, more complex sentence structures, infrequent use of personal pronouns, and lack of colloquial or slang terms.

Informal language allows the use of nonstandard English forms, colloquial vocabulary and typically shorter sentence structures.

The choice of formal or informal style will affect the following areas:

• standard or nonstandard English
• choice of vocabulary
• use of contractions
• use of pronouns

Rule to Remember

Formal style affects the form of English, the choice of vocabulary, and the use of contractions and pronouns.

Standard or Nonstandard English

Standard English is the language used in professional and business communication. It is the form of English that follows the formal rules of the language.

Nonstandard English uses regional or social language variations. Nonstandard English should only be used when there is a purpose for it in writing. For example, it can be used in a narrative to describe a person with a specific regional dialect. Otherwise, the standard form of English should be used.

Choice of Vocabulary

Vocabulary  needs to be adjusted depending on the level of formality of any written work.

Consider the following words: investigate, examine, check out . Each of them has a different level of formality. While check out can be used in informal writing and speech, using it in a formal research paper would not be appropriate.

Use more formal vocabulary and avoid the use of contractions in formal writing.

Sometimes the whole sentence needs to be rephrased:

Contractions are more casual, and if you are striving for more formal style, they should not be used. Contractions in negative sentences should be especially avoided since they are easy to miss.

The Use of Pronouns

Formal language tends to be impersonal and precise. The use of pronouns , therefore, is restricted. In formal writing, when addressing the audience, you may use the passive voice or an adverbial clause in place of the personal pronoun:

Restrict the use of personal pronouns in formal writing.

The writer's presence, signaled by the use of the personal pronoun I , or we (if there are several authors), can also make writing more informal and less credible.

The second sentence is more formal and can be perceived by the audience to be more credible.

• Punctuation
• Organization
• General Document Format
• Formatting Visuals
• In-text Citations
• List of Sources
• Bias-free Language
• Sentence Structure

• Academic Writing / APA 7th Ed

Formal vs. Informal Writing

by Purdue Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center · Published December 11, 2020 · Updated December 11, 2020

Writing to many is about dos and don’ts, especially don’ts–don’t use first person, don’t use second person, don’t use slang, don’t use contractions, don’t use hyperbole. Don’t, don’t, don’t. And of course these “don’ts” are usually couched within the context of formal vs. informal writing in that the don’ts apply to formal writing and what you don’t want to do when writing formally. These don’ts (and others) highlight what many see as the differences between formal and informal writing. Well, I suppose so, but exceptions to rules exist, and not all writing can be so neatly categorized as either formal or informal. Certainly some writing might be what I will term semi-formal. And just because a piece of writing is less formal than formal writing doesn’t mean that’s inherently bad, which I think is sometimes the impression given. For me, how language is used in a piece of writing is less about the level of formality of the writing context and more about audience and purpose. 

First, let’s consider formal vs. informal writing with respect to APA Style. APA Style does include some “don’ts” such as to avoid using contractions and slang, but APA Style also makes it clear that its guidelines are intended for scholarly writing, and the purpose of scholarly writing is to share research and discuss findings on a narrowly defined topic, so the audience would primarily be experts in a given field. When presenting research, one wants to be taken seriously, so using a more formal writing style seems a good approach as it would help to establish the proper tone for the work. After all, what would you take more seriously?

A. The upshot of the study will blow your minds.

B. The results of the study raise a number of questions worth pursuing.

The tone in the first example is too colloquial and casual. If the audience is made up of other experts in the field–researchers, scholars, academicians, educators–for the purpose of sharing and discussing serious research, then the writer would be wise to adopt a more formal usage of language in this writing context. To ignore what is surely a standard expectation of scholarly writing would risk alienating the audience. Not being aware of the writing context and dressing up your prose appropriately is akin to being invited to a big-deal gala, an invitation-only black-tie affair and showing up wearing shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers. You wouldn’t be taken seriously, would you? With this in mind, the audience and purpose in this example dictate that more formal writing be used. It just makes sense. 

Conversely, if you wrote a text to a good friend to invite him to a weekend barbeque, you wouldn’t write, Dear Friend, I would be honored by your presence at a barbeque Saturday, July 20, at 2 PM sharp. Food and beverages will be provided by the hosts. Casual attire required. RSVP no later than–you get the idea. The audience and purpose in this scenario would be alienated by the unnecessarily formal prose, not to mention utterly flabbergasted and perhaps even a little concerned. Clearly, a text to a good friend is an occasion for informal writing that might even include abbreviated words. Make sense?

I am often in the minority when people rail against the evils of texting and how it’s the downfall of an orderly and civilized world. “Texting is ruining people’s ability to write complete and grammatically correct sentences,” they will say. “Before we know it, sentences will be nothing but abbreviations.” Well, I’m not so sure. I get the idea that when textspeak creeps into some writing contexts, a problem exists. But doesn’t the issue all come down to audience and purpose? Perhaps the issue isn’t so much texting itself, but, rather, people’s failure to consider audience and purpose appropriately? 

Further, doesn’t language usage evolve over time to reflect a changing culture? After all, we have new words in the English language this year that we didn’t have last year. And how many of you have received an email from your boss with such abbreviations as FYI or SME? Think of the abbreviations that are already used regularly and in many different writing contexts–TBA, FAQ, AKA, NNTR, and everyone’s favorite, TGIF. Would I use an abbreviation like these in an academic paper? Unless the point of the paper were to discuss textspeak or a related topic, of course not! Have I received emails from higher ups that include such abbreviations as NNTR or COB? Yes, I have, and I see nothing wrong with it. Communication and the formality of the language used is all about audience and purpose, and for written communication to be effective, the writer must consider audience and purpose carefully. EOD.

You might be thinking, ok, I get the difference between formal and informal writing situations, but what about the middle-of-the-road, hard-to-tell, not-so-black-and-white writing occasions? What’s the best approach in these kinds of situations? 

Just like there are back-yard barbeques and black-tie affairs, there are also semi-formal and business-casual events. Appropriate language use still comes down to audience and purpose. 

Let’s say your’re writing a blog post for an educational audience made up of primarily educators, students, and administrators. Your purpose is to inform and engage and develop an ongoing readership and learning community. Perhaps even to stir up a little controversy from time to time. Does this sound like a black-tie affair or business casual? While the audience may be comprised of students and educators, a blog post that shares information is not at all the same as sharing and discussing research findings in a peer-reviewed academic journal that might be published quarterly and whose primary audience is other experts in a defined field of study. Readers of a blog usually are subscribers and thus a more informal writing style is indicative of a closer relationship between the blog and its audience, so a casual treatment of language seems appropriate even if the topic itself is a serious one. While an author of a scholarly article might not use first person, address readers directly, engage in word play, or use other rhetorical devices for effect, such an approach seems perfectly fine for a blog. 

What about college assignments such as informative or persuasive essays that include research? Without a doubt, some student papers are intended to be formal academic works in which case avoiding contractions and first person makes sense. Indeed, for many college-level assignments, a more formal approach to writing is preferred, and if one has such an assignment and has questions about just how formal the writing should be, I suggest sending an email to the professor who would be the final authority on such a matter. (And if you do email your professor, please keep your audience and purpose in mind.)

That said, without another doubt, lots of student writing is not intended to be of a scholarly nature even if it uses content from research. Some assignments ask students to conduct interviews of family members or write about an issue in the community in which they live or discuss their personal educational journey, so, for example, it seems that using first person would be essential as referring to oneself in the third person is tremendously awkward and, frankly, just plain wrong. 

Now, despite all that I’ve written, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least put on the table that regardless of writing expectations and style guide pronouncements, I have to wonder if formal academic writing wouldn’t benefit by loosening up the writing a bit so that it sounded more natural, perhaps even personable. After all, those of us who teach writing or are educators surely have told our students not to use highfalutin, polysyllabic words and unnecessarily complex sentence structures when writing just to sound more sophisticated and knowledgeable, yet (dare I say it!), isn’t that what much formal academic writing does? 

Until next week–

Kurtis Clements

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Guilford College Writing Manual

Informal vs. formal writing.

• Practical Considerations
• Write to Learn
• Defining and Freeing the Self
• Joining a Community of Seekers
• Final Thoughts
• A Proposed Categorization of the Academic Writer's Responsibilities
• Required Writing Courses
• Placement in First-Year Writing Courses
• Writing Courses Beyond First-Year English
• Essay vs. Article
• Two Models of Papers
• What is the Real Difference?
• Specific Expectations of Papers
• Grade Descriptions
• The A Paper
• The B Paper
• The C Paper
• The D Paper
• The F Paper
• What makes college reading different?
• Levels of Reading
• An Overview
• Sample Schedule
• Suggestions for Prewriting
• Modes of Invention
• Four Categories of Invention
• Intuition Heuristics
• The Five Perspectives
• Loosening Heuristics
• Closing Observations
• Introduction
• Preliminary Tasks
• The Search Strategy
• Finding Materials
• Finding Appropriate Websites
• Selected Websites
• Documenting Your Sources
• Open Form vs. Fixed Form
• Geography of a Thesis and Proof Essay
• Introductions
• Body Paragraphs
• Conclusions
• Maintaining Control
• Geography of an Issues and Exploration Paper
• Reader Expectations
• What is Style?
• Festival of Verbs
• Two Zones of the Word Stock
• Levels of Generality
• Writing with Nouns and Verbs
• Avoiding Cliches
• The Two Faces of Jargon
• Using "I" in Academic Writing
• What Kinds of Sentences to Use
• Hemingway vs. Faulkner
• Three Syntactic Devices Worth Using
• Subject-Verb-Object
• Touches of Elegance
• Gunning's Fog Index
• Why It's Important
• Two General Principles
• Some College-Level Problems
• A Word on Typos
• An Important General Rap
• Revising Checklist
• Revising for Concreteness
• Revising to Eliminate Wordiness
• Revising to Sharpen
• Revising to Improve Coherence
• Revising to Make More Effective Use of Quotations
• Revising to Make Language More Inclusive
• Revising to Brighten
• What It Is and Why We Do It
• Sample Edit Guide

At Guilford you will do both informa l and formal writing. Let's look at informal writing first. The phrase is actually a misnomer. "Informal writing" suggests writing that is casual, unimportant. The true situation is just the opposite. Informal writing may be the most important writing you do.

Informal writing encourages independent thought, enlarges your capacity to make connections, makes you aware of yourself as a learner, increases your confidence by giving you a chance to get your ideas right with yourself before communicating them to others, affirms the value of your writing voice, and can serve as a springboard for formal assignments.

Informal writing tends to be:

exploratory digressive searching speculative talky writer-based uncorrected

Types of informal writing: impromptu writing in class, field notes, journal entries, initial drafts of papers, imaginative writing projects your professors will assign.

Now let's look at formal writing.

• Last Updated: Dec 8, 2015 1:59 AM
• URL: https://library.guilford.edu/writingmanual

How to Write an Informal Essay

During their college years, students write dozens of papers, which, when stacked together, can occupy an entire room. These pieces, including articles, reports, or just final papers for the specific course in their nature, are formal writings. So, this guide is devoted to introducing you to the formal side of informal essays.

By this time, you may catch yourself being happy about the chance to say whatever you like about anything that concerns you in the most suitable form. However, this is still an academic assignment, and there is a list of distinctive features of an informal essay you should follow.

What is an informal essay?

● The characteristics of an informal writing style allow the covering of controversial topics. ● Another peculiar feature of informal essays, which also flows out of a personalized writing style, is a similarity with conversation. ● In the end, your personality is the first aspect that the reader should see.

In the case of informal essay writing, you can pretty much ignore strict requirements.

While writing an informal essay, you are supposed to put great emphasis on creating a connection with your audience rather than just proving your opinion or telling a story.

How to write an informal essay: video guide

We know that some people understand information better in video format. That’s why we invite you to watch and hear informal essay writing instructions on YouTube below.

Difference between formal vs informal essay

What are the major differences between a formal and informal essay? There are several peculiarities about the structure of informal essays you should know before you start writing:

1) Informal types of papers do not have a specific format and can be determined by the author personally. You can now forget the “introduction, body, and conclusion” structure. When it comes to an informal essay, you are even allowed to use fiction to interest your readers. 2) There is no conventional way of organizing the thoughts, judgments, and presentation to readers, as well as there is no agreement about the length of informal essays. Of course, your writing should follow general writing rules, such as being logical and concise. Still, you don’t need to place the topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph and follow other strict rules of academic writing. 3) There are no requirements for informal essays to contain strong theses or even thesis statements as such. The desire to create friendly relationships between the writer and future readers together with the primary objective (the pleasure from the reading process), dictates the situation when structure gives way to a more exciting presentation of thoughts.

How to write an informal essay in 5 steps

The good thing about informal essay writing is that you don’t have a strict plan to follow. We will provide you with the main guidelines on topic choice and completing your essay to help you lead your creativeness in the right direction:

1. Determine the purpose of the future essay. 2. List as many subjects in the focus of your interest as possible. 3. Evaluate each of the topics in the list. 4. Develop a topic of choice using any paper structure you like. 5. Double-check and proofread the completed paper.

How to choose informal essay topics

The key to a well-written essay is choosing a good topic to write about. Writing about something you are sincerely interested in will drive your creativity and writing process.

For example, a teacher has asked you to write about a person or event that has determined your decision to pursue a degree in a particular sphere. How to understand that moment? You will need to dig into your memories. Maybe it was a specific moment in a movie, or your aunt has become a role model you wish to follow. Think about what you have felt and the touching points.

Another case is when your teacher didn’t give you a research question, so you must pick a topic yourself. Then the best way is to brainstorm about the topics that interest you the most or look through the news to discuss the most topical issues.

If you suffer with finding a good topic for your informal essay, you can always ask us to write my essay anytime. Our writers will find a good topic and explore reliable sources to write a unique informal essay for you.

Informal essay topics list

Here is a list of various topi ideas you can use as a basis for your paper. Pick one and use brainstorming techniques to find the ideal topic for the informal essay.

• Traditions in my family and their importance.
• Why I choose religion as my life path.
• How celebrities and influencers affect our choices.
• My view on femininity and feminism.
• The moments of my life that I wish I could have changed.
• Best location in your hometown or elsewhere.
• How advertising uses sexuality for more attraction.
• The best memories from my childhood.
• What is wrong with sex education in schools?
• The worst disappointment I ever had.
• Event or person that influenced your academic interests.
• Describe the event when you have experienced discrimination personally or witnessed discrimination against other people.
• Why do people procrastinate?

How to create an informal essay outline

Use Mind Map to develop your topic and make your structure clear. Write the issue in the center, then start adding new boxes around it with ideas you wish to include in your paper. The more boxes you create, the better. Subsequently, you will choose the best ideas and readily see the structure of your future writing. Add details near boxes to expand your thoughts. You can use just paper and pencil, use online services like Canva, or create a mind map in Word.

While informal essays don’t have strict recommendations for the structure, you can follow a typical three-part outline:

• Introduction
• Conclusions

Introduction. You may be seriously puzzled by a question on how to start an informal essay. The answer is: imagination. Informal writing gives you an unlimited version to create your text.

For example, you can use the following starting points:

• Highlight the topic you are going to discuss.
• Tell why the subject matters.
• Ask a question.
• Take a confident position to cause tension.
• Start with a quote.

Main body. While there is no need to follow an ordinary essay structure, the text of your essay should still be logical. If you are writing on a topic that specifically relates to your personal experience or thoughts, don’t be shy to add a vivid description of what you feel and think. Make your readers feel the scene or how you feel about the subject. You can choose several points of the issue and cover them with descriptions, your personal experience, and facts.

Conclusion. You can’t just leave the text without closing words. Write a brief summary in one or two sentences to point out the main ideas you have covered in the essay.

Tips to write a good informal essay

Before you start writing, check out these short but valuable tips, and check the list of free essay writing tools from EssayShark to create a fantastic informal essay that will leave your readers in speechless awe:

● End the whole paper with a sentence that stimulates the readers to think further about the raised issues, or at least to think outside the box. ● Use more lyrics! It is well-known that lyrics capture the reader, so do not forget to use as many epithets, metaphors, and comparisons as possible. ● The bigger the introductory part, the better the reaction presented by readers. Remember that you are writing to tell a story, not to prove a point. ● Do not give any concrete ideas about the central issue of the essay because you need to stimulate your readers to think and form their own opinions and feelings.

Informal essay writing checklist

When you complete your essay, follow this list of questions to help you improve your writing.

– Does the whole essay reveal the topic that was carefully chosen for your informal essay writing task? – Is the essay’s style in a less formal tone than traditional academic papers? – Did you use everyday words, slang, and colloquialisms, and “you” and “I”? – Did you check whether you used the first-person perspective to address the reader directly? – Does the essay stimulate readers to raise questions in their minds with the information you have provided? – Does the essay fit into the framework of the standard five-paragraph type of structure? – Is the subject described in an entertaining manner? – Did you use examples, quotes, diagrams, anecdotes, narratives, and other types of testimony?

Example of informal essay

Below, you can read an informal essay example written by one of the EssayShark writers. Read it carefully to understand the structure and tone of this type of essay. Also, notice how the author addresses the topic of the most embarrassing memory and uses touching points to describe the situation better.

The Most Embarrassing Memory

Each summer as a child, my parents would surprise the family with a week-long trip. Many summers we would be surprised with a beautiful beach trip or tent camping in a remote forest. I can remember one summer more prominently than others because of how memorable the vacation was. Not because it was one of our best trips, nor because we went on our first long road trip. This trip is burned into my memory primarily due to the fact I had never been more embarrassed as a kid than what happened on this family vacation.

Like most children, I experienced embarrassing moments. I would not say I was more sensitive to experiencing them, but even when I try to forget, my parents still bring it up to this day. The morning of our trip started early. I stared out the window for what seemed like hours. After I finished listening to a few CDs and drank my entire water bottle, I was thrilled to find that we were pulling into a rest stop. The rest stop was full of vehicles and visitors looking at the different historic maps and pictures that had decorated the place. My mom said to be quick, and without skipping a beat, cd player in hand, I headed to the restroom. It was nice to finally stretch out, use the restroom, and get away from the vehicle for a few moments.

Once I was finished, I ran back to the car, got in my seat, and buckled up. As I was staring out the window, I could see my mother off in the distance. She seemed to be worried, but I didn’t pay any mind, as it always felt like she was worried or in a hurry. The car was getting hot and I wondered when my family would make it back to the car, especially since they said to be quick. Seconds turned into minutes, and I was getting bored of waiting. I then heard my mother and father calling my name. I had suspected they knew I was in the car, but from that moment, I knew they hadn’t seen me.

I opened the car door, and with a puzzled look, an older lady was staring at me. She stated, “Are you lost, dear?” I was puzzled, thinking, no, I am just getting out of the car. It was then my mother came running up to me, yelling, “What are you doing!?” As I turned to point to the car, I realized I had gotten into someone else’s car. My father laughed, my mother shook her head, and the older lady joined in, and the laughter seemed to rumble to my core. I felt so embarrassed to not have only climbed into the wrong vehicle, but people I didn’t even know were laughing at my poor decision and lack of awareness.

The road trip to the big red tree forest that year was a great one, though the drive couldn’t have felt longer due to the constant chatter of what I had done. This trip was not memorable for the mountain high trees, the flowing rivers, or even the cave exploration. No, this trip was memorable because a young kid couldn’t look up and notice that he hopped into the wrong car, and everyone, including strangers, laughed.

FAQ about writing informal essays

Q: What is the first stage in writing a short informal essay?

A: First of all, you need to read the assignment carefully, as teachers frequently ask you to do something in the essay or consider several important points. Only then can you start brainstorming about the topic and start writing the text.

Q: How to end an informal essay?

A: An informal essay is an exceptional academic paper, since it allows you to end it as you wish. Think about how books usually end or how authors conclude a long blog post. You can use a question to finish the essay, restate the idea you have covered in the text, call for action, or create a vivid image.

Q: How to identify an informal essay?

A: The main things that distinguish an informal essay are a highly personal tone and the absence of specific structure. Blogs, personal reflections, and magazine articles are great examples of informal texts.

Q: Is an expository essay formal or informal?

A: Usually, this kind of essay explains or describes something. It is typically written with formal language in the third person perspective, but it may be informal depending on your assignment requirements.

Q: Is an argumentative essay formal or informal?

A: It’s mostly an academic type of writing that should follow a formal writing style. In certain cases, the teacher may ask you to write an informal essay on an arguable topic. We also recommend checking teachers’ recommendations.

Order an informal essay from EssayShark

If you still can’t get how to write this type of essay, you can use our informal essay help . We know all the peculiarities of informative writing and can assist you with any essay type. We know that picking a really impressive topic and following an informal tone may be particularly challenging, especially when you face such an essay type for the first time. That’s why we are here to cover your back! Please submit an order on our webpage, and our experts will start working on it promptly.

Except writing, you can count on us with calculations and lab reports. For example, you can request do my math homework for me help and our experts will meet your expectations.

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How to Write an Informal Essay: A Beginners' Guide

A typical academic essay is serious writing. It is serious because it is often well-researched and written formally. The typical informal essay is the exact opposite of this.

It is often not researched at all and is written in a casual tone. Furthermore, it is commonly written for enjoyment rather than serious discourse. And for that reason, it is a non-fiction essay that does not follow the writing conventions and is purely based on the author's reasons, reflections, and ideas.

In this guide, you will discover everything crucial you need to know to write a brilliant informal essay.

What is an informal essay?

An informal essay is an essay that is written for enjoyment rather than to argue or support a thesis with scholarly evidence. The essay is usually personal in nature and based on memory. A good example of an informal essay is – The happiest day of my life.

To write this essay, you simply need to recall the happiest day of your life and then write about it chronologically. As you can see, you don’t have to do much research to write an informal essay.

The fact that an informal essay is written for enjoyment does not mean that it does not have a set structure. The typical informal essay is a five-paragraph essay with three key parts – introduction, body, and conclusion. In terms of word count, the essay is often between 700 and 1,000 words long. The only thing informal about it is the fact that it does not need serious research. Moreover, unlike most essays, the informal can be written in a casual or conversational tone. This means that it can be written in the first and second person.

In most cases, informal essays are written for consumption by the author – to show their creativity, journal an experience, or release emotions through writing pieces.

Structure of an Informal Essay

Like most college students, you are probably used to following the five-paragraph essay structure that most professors recommend for formal essays . While using this structure to write your informal essay is okay, it is not necessary. The rationale for this is that the informal essay is informal and doesn’t follow any rigid structure.

Informal essays involve subjective opinions or ideas through prose. Some common examples of informal essays include impromptu speeches, diary entries, journals, social media posts, personal essays, and personal notes.

While the informal essay does not have a rigid structure or format, it must include four elements – topic, introduction, body, and conclusion.

The informal essay must have a title. It might be informal and without a structure, but it must have a title, and the title must be specific. By giving your informal essay a title, you are basically creating a compass that you can always refer to when writing your essay to ensure you are in the right direction. If, for example, you want to argue a point but are unsure whether it deserves to be in your essay, you can refer to your title to evaluate its importance. If the point helps to contribute to your title, you should include it in your essay. If it doesn’t, you should quickly ignore it.

2. Introduction

The informal essay must have an introduction . In other words, it must simply have a paragraph presenting what you will discuss in the body section. When writing the introduction of an informal essay, there is no specific formula to follow. The only thing that you must do is to make the introduction as interesting as possible. You can do this using a relevant quote, an interesting fact, or a related statistic.

In the body of your informal essay, you must go all out to tell the story you set out to tell in the introduction. You must do the title justice; you must make sure that anyone who reads your essay will agree that what you discuss or talk about in the body section is exactly what they expected. While there is no specific structure to follow when writing the body paragraphs of your informal essay, the best way to write them is chronological. This is because chronologically written paragraphs are easy to follow.

4. Conclusion

After writing your essay, you must write the conclusion part of your essay. The conclusion is usually the easiest part to write when writing an essay. This is because all you need to do is to summarize what you have written in the body section or body paragraphs. After doing this, you simply need to end your essay with a powerful closing sentence to complete it.

The Steps to Take to Write an Informal Essay

An informal essay is written in a conversational tone, which is laid-back, entails breaking academic writing rules, and sounds like everyday communication. You can use informal transition words, short sentences, contractions, common and cliché words, adages, expressions, and personal examples.

Here are the steps to take if assigned to write an informal essay.

1. Choose a topic

When you are asked to write an informal essay, you are normally allowed to choose your own topic. If this is the case, you should choose a topic that is very interesting to you. Because by doing so, the fact that the topic is interesting to you will result in you naturally writing an interesting essay. And interesting is what you want your informal essay to be to get a top grade.

Below the informal essay sample that follows this guide is a list of exciting informal essay topics. This list should inspire you to develop your own exciting informal essay topic; a topic that will make your essay interesting.

2. Create an outline for your informal essay

After choosing an interesting or exciting topic, you should create an outline for your informal essay . An essay outline is an essay writing plan. It highlights what you will include in the introduction section, the body section, and the conclusion section of your essay. To create an outline, provide a short summary of what you will include in your introduction paragraph, your three body paragraphs, and your conclusion paragraph.

But how do you know what you will include in your informal essay paragraphs? Well, it depends. If you are writing an informal essay based on a personal experience topic, you must recall as many details as possible about the experience to plan your essay. If you are writing an informal essay based on an academic topic, you will need thorough research to find as many details as possible about the topic to plan your essay.

3. Write the first draft of your essay

After creating a comprehensive outline for your informal essay, you should write the first draft of your essay. Do this by first writing your essay introduction. After writing your essay introduction, you should write its body paragraphs and the conclusion.

Writing the first draft of your informal essay after creating an outline for it should be a relatively straightforward job. You need to follow the outline like a map and use information from it to begin and structure your paragraphs.

The body paragraphs of an informal essay should each express your main message, perspective, or point of view. You can use persuasive writing skills to convince your readers. It would help to think of the topic as a forum thread where you defend your personal views against opposing opinions. Therefore, you must develop resilient supportive facts to defend your stance.

When developing the body paragraphs, you are allowed to use informal language. You should write short, clear, concise sentences, as long formulations are boring and misleading. You should center your discussions around some emotional vibe, express your personality, and write with vigor and respect.

Following your outline will make your informal essay well-organized and structured. However, it won’t guarantee flow in your essay. You will have to create a flow with your writing and transition words. Also, it won’t automatically give your essay a conversational and laid-back tone. You have to do this on your own using conversational words and writing.

Related Articles:

• Using I in an essay.
• How to format paragraphs for better readership.
• Steps to come up with a great thesis statement.

4. Edit your essay

After writing the first draft of your essay, you should edit it thoroughly. Do this by reading it to eliminate ambiguous and unclear words and statements. After reading it to eliminate unclear words, you should read it to remove all types of grammatical and punctuation errors.

The next thing you need to do with regard to editing your essay is to review it one more time using Grammarly.com or similar software. This will help you to catch the errors you may have missed and to correct them.

After proofreading your essay using Grammarly.com, it will be ready for submission.

Informal Essay Example

Title: Benefits of living in a remote location They say no man is an island. While living in a community surrounded by friends and neighbors is a good thing with many benefits, living alone in a remote location also has its benefits. I have been living alone in a remote Pacific island for the last eight months, and the experience has been bliss. The island has a single cabin research station with basic amenities and a satellite connection. The nearest settled island is over 500 kilometers away. I had doubts when I first stepped on the island. I thought I wouldn’t last long. However, this has obviously not been the case. My stay on this island has been quite amazing. I have enjoyed many benefits, including improved mental health, improved safety, and a low cost of living. When I was living in Sydney, Australia, I was in a bad place mentally because I felt a lot of pressure to succeed. I also felt depressed and was frequently on depression medication. Living in a remote location has changed all this. I no longer feel any pressure. I no longer feel depressed or miserable. Just about every day is a good day nowadays. I wake up, check equipment, spend hours on the beach, and eat fresh food I grow in the station’s garden. I feel amazing mentally. I feel like a new person because life is so slow-paced on this island and devoid of the pressures of city life. Regarding safety, I believe living alone on a remote island is much safer than living in a big town or city. I feel safer on this island because there is literally no one around to cause me harm. I do not have to look over my shoulder when walking, sleeping, or doing anything on this isolated island. I also have no reason to watch the news, so I am not exposed to the constant reports of insecurity that city dwellers are exposed to. Not being exposed to constant reports of insecurity makes me feel even safer. Furthermore, in case of any emergency, there is an emergency number I can call at any time of the day to request urgent help. Lastly, regarding the cost of living, living isolated on a remote island is much cheaper than city or town living. I literally do not pay any rent on this island. I also grow much of my own food, and supplies are brought to me biweekly. Furthermore, I do not pay taxes and am not exposed to constant adverts that force city dwellers to make impulse purchases. And even if I want to purchase something, I wouldn’t because it probably wouldn’t have much use on a remote, isolated island. In conclusion, living in a remote location is very beneficial. If you choose to do this, you will be happier, safer, and less stressed financially. I can only equate it to living in paradise.

Informal Essay Topics

Below are some informal essay topics you can use as inspiration to come up with your own informal essay topic if asked to choose your own topic by your professor.

• The best meals in our college cafeteria
• Celebrities who are excellent role models
• My religion and why I love it
• My thoughts on marriage and divorce
• The best day in my college life
• The most embarrassing incident in my life
• How parents can understand their children better
• Why my mother is the most important person to me
• The most famous African American inventors
• Entrepreneurs who changed the world
• Alcoholism among teenagers
• Why home education is bad
• Elon Musk and life on Mars
• The Illuminati and other conspiracy theories
• Legal migration and its benefits
• Mental health in the USA
• Communism and its benefits
• The United Nations and its failures
• Gender violence in California
• Freedom of speech around the world
• The effects of sanctions on Cuba
• Education during the peak of the pandemic
• East African culture
• Why the death penalty should be abolished everywhere
• Abortion and the right to life
• What would I do if I became a millionaire overnight?
• Why soccer is the most popular sport in the world
• The pros and cons of video gaming
• The Second Amendment and its protections
• Why I would like to become a doctor
• Why I love intermittent fasting
• How I won a half marathon when undergoing chemotherapy
• Lessons from my close friend who betrayed me
• How I plan to win the next marathon
• The car I love most
• My dream job
• Places I would like to visit
• Why I love my step-dad
• The last day at my first job

Dos and don’ts when writing an informal essay

• Do write your essay in the first person. This will make it clearly informal and casual. It will also make it read much better.
• Do write short sentences. Long sentences will make your essay difficult to read. In contrast, short sentences will make your writing easier to read and more casual (which is something you want when writing an informal essay).
• Do rewrite your essay. After writing your informal essay, you should read through it to make it flawless. Do this by editing or rewriting anything that appears out of place in your essay.
• Do proofread your essay. After you are done improving the flow of your essay, you should read it one more time to ensure it has zero grammar, punctuation, and formatting errors.
• Do ensure your essay is chronological. While it is unnecessary to make your informal essay chronological, making it chronological will make it easy to read and understand.
• Do use humor. It is okay to use humor in an informal essay. But you should only do it sparingly to avoid making your essay sound like a comedy script.
• Do use conversational language. Using conversational language will make your article to read like a blog, which is a good thing when writing an informal essay. But do not go overboard with conversational language. It could make your essay difficult to understand.
• Do read any informal essay examples. Before you write your informal essay, you should try to find and read informal essay examples online. This will help to make it easy for you to write your essay because it shows you the pattern you need to follow.
• Do let your personality show. If you have a way of expressing your ideas, arguments, and so on, you should let your personality show in your writing. Let your writing be as unique as it can be. Do not try to make your essay look or even feel academic. Just write it as you would write a blog to be read by a friend. This will help make your essay delightfully informal.                                                                                                                     
• Don’t forget to ensure a good flow throughout. While an informal essay doesn’t have a set structure, it must have a good flow. Therefore, you should ensure your essay is understandable throughout.
• Don’t forget to edit your essay. The best informal essays are flawless ones. So after writing your essay, you should read it severally to edit it and ensure it is flawless.
• Don’t make it formal. When writing informal essays, many students usually use the conventional academic language they use in formal essays. This is not right. You should try hard to make your essay as flawless as possible.
• Don’t forget to include a thesis . At the end of your introduction, you should have a thesis statement, and your entire essay should be centered on this statement. A thesis is what distinguishes an informal essay from a blog article.
• Don’t include weak arguments. It is important to ensure that your essay only contains strong arguments. Doing this will ensure you get a top grade. If you include weak arguments, you risk getting an average grade.

Parting Words!

Writing a good informal essay is not an easy job. It will require you to know the structure and style you must follow when writing an informal essay. Fortunately, you now know these two things. You also know exactly how to go about writing an informal essay. So go ahead and write yours. If you get stuck at any point, hire us to help you.

• The Ideal number of paragraphs in a comprehensive essay
• Reasons to buy essay help online

You can hire professional writers to write excellent informal essays for you. Therefore, you should never hesitate to hire the best creative/composition writers to help you complete your informal essay assignment or to write it from scratch. Try our essay writing services today; you will not regret it.

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• WRITING SKILLS

Formal and Informal Writing Styles

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• Note-Taking from Reading
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Writing style is how a writer expresses themselves. It includes spelling, grammar and punctuation, as well as aspects like sentence length and word choice. Style may vary with the type or purpose of writing. For example, you may come across academic writing , journalistic writing and business writing , all of which have different purposes and characteristics. Style may also vary with period (age) and nationality.

However, all styles of writing can be described as either formal or informal.

This page covers the key aspects of formal and informal writing styles, to enable you to distinguish between the two, and use them appropriately.

Understanding Formal and Informal Styles

What do we mean by ‘formal’ and ‘informal’?

Some definitions

formal , adj . stiffly polite rather than relaxed and friendly; said of language: strictly correct with regard to grammar, style and choice of words, as distinct from conversational

informal , adj. without ceremony or formality; relaxed and friendly; said of language, clothes, etc: suitable for and used in relaxed, everyday situations.

Source: Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, online edition.

Informal language and writing, then, is suitable for use every day .

It is, effectively, how we speak and write to our friends and families. It will include slang and colloquialisms (defined as phrases that are used in informal but not formal language). The recipient may tolerate some spelling and grammar mistakes.

We are therefore likely to use an informal writing style when composing emails and letters to friends and family. Blogs and other online copy are also often written in a more informal, conversational style.

Formal writing needs much more care.

It is the style of writing used for business and other official purposes. It needs to be correct in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage.

A more formal style may also be appropriate for some letters, for example, if you are making a complaint to an organisation.

You may find our page on Writing Styles helpful. This is part of our study skills section, and summarises the main styles of writing that a student may encounter during their studies.

Characteristics of Formal and Informal Writing

When you look at a piece of writing, it is possible to distinguish whether it is written in a formal or informal style from several different aspects.

The main characteristics of an informal writing style are:

Colloquial language and terms. Informal writing is similar to a spoken conversation. It may therefore include slang, figures of speech, broken syntax, or asides.

A personal tone as if you were speaking directly to your audience (readers). Informal writing is often very conversational in style. The writer often uses the first person (I and we), and will also address the reader directly using the second person (you and your).

A simple structure and approach. As in conversation, both sentences and paragraphs tend to be shorter in informal writing. This is especially true in writing for the internet. Writers may also use incomplete sentences or ellipses (…) to make points.

Contractions and abbreviations within the text. Just as in speech, words may be shortened or abbreviated in informal writing. You will therefore see contractions (for example, I’m, doesn’t, couldn’t, it’s) and abbreviations (e.g. TV, photos) used much more in this form of writing.

Empathy and emotion. In informal writing, a writer will often show more empathy towards the reader. They may, for example, explain a more complex thought more clearly. This is linked to the more personal style in informal writing, which is more suited to conveying emotions.

The main characteristics of a formal writing style are:

A more complex structure. Formal writing often uses longer sentences. However, this is changing slightly with a growing understanding that clarity is important. In formal writing, you will also see a more structured approach generally, with points clearly introduced, explained and concluded. Formal pieces of writing are often carefully planned, revised and reviewed several times to ensure that they are as clear as possible, and make all the necessary points.

Complex should not mean incomprehensible

Some people equate formal writing with the use of longer words and complex sentence structures.

It is true that formal writing can be like that. However, this is neither essential nor desirable .

Any writing needs to convey your point to the reader as clearly as possible.

Using simpler language and sentence structures is usually a better way to do this. Long words do not make you sound cleverer, especially if you use them incorrectly.

See our page on Using Plain English for more about this.

An objective approach. In formal writing, the writer uses a more objective approach. Main points are usually stated and then supported with arguments. Formal writing is less likely to be emotional in style. It therefore avoids emotive punctuation such as exclamation points or ellipsis, unless they are being cited from another source.

Use of full words rather than contractions. As a general rule, no contractions should be used to simplify words in formal writing. Abbreviations should generally be spelt out in full when first used. There are a few exceptions to this rule, for example, when the acronym is better known than the full name (BBC, ITV or NATO for example) or where it has become part of the language (for example, AIDS).

Writing in the third person. Formal writing is not a personal writing style. The writer often aims to sound dispassionate about the topic. It is usually not appropriate to use the first person (I or we) or second person (you). However, there are some exceptions to this (see box).

First or third person in academic writing?

In academic writing, it was traditional to use the third person and the passive voice. For example:

“The authors are not aware of any other studies that have used this approach.”

“The reagents were added together carefully to avoid any cross-contamination.”

However, this type of language is quite hard to read. Many academic journals therefore now encourage the use of the active voice, and the first person, but within a style that is considered formal.

Examples of this use of language are:

“As far as we are aware, no other studies have used this method.”

“In total, we enrolled 65 people onto the study over a period of six months. They completed the initial questionnaire during April 2021.”

When to Use Formal and Informal Writing

A formal writing style is not necessarily “better” or “worse” than an informal approach.

There is a time and a place for both. They have very different purposes. You should therefore take care to choose the most appropriate style to use. There are several factors that may affect your choice.

Two of the key factors dictating the choice of a formal or informal writing style are your audience and your medium.

You may therefore find it helpful to read our pages Know your Audience and Know Your Medium .

In general, writing for professional or work purposes is likely to require a formal style. However, you may be able to use a more informal style if you are writing to someone you know in person.

Emails also tend to use a less formal style than paper-based communications. However, this is changing slightly as more organisations use emails for all communications. You should therefore avoid the use of “text talk” or too much informality.

There is more about this in our page on Good Email Etiquette .

If in doubt as to how formal your writing should be, it is usually better to err on the side of caution.

Almost nobody is offended by too much formality. However, it is certainly possible to offend by being too informal in your approach.

Continue to: Know Your Audience Common Mistakes in Writing

See also: Active and Passive Voice Creative Writing How to Write a Report

• University Writing Center
• The Writing Mine

The writing in text messages and scholarly articles is different. There’s no denying it.  

Several features in each make them drastically different, such as the content. But one of the main differences is the tone of the writing.    

In simple terms, tone refers to the attitude of writing. Some examples of tone are optimistic, sincere, and regretful. There are many more, but two of the most important – in my opinion – are informal and formal.   

Formal Writing  

Think of formal writing as the serious one; the tone you use with people you aren’t close to, your seniors and people whom you want to show respect to, such as your boss, a professor, or a potential employer. This is also the tone you use in academic writing.  

This style of writing requires properly formulated sentences with no slang or colloquialisms. Instead, it calls for more elevated language. This doesn’t mean using words you don’t know the definition of, but rather choosing more specific and complex words.   

For instance, if I were writing an email to my boss apologizing for something, I wouldn’t write “Sorry.” I would write, “My apologies.”   

Or if I was writing a research paper about discrimination, I wouldn't write, "Marginalized communities have historically put up with discrimination." Instead, I would write, "Marginalized communities have historically endured discrimination."  

Writing formally also requires proper grammar. Although this might be a no-brainer, some forget to double-check their writing before sending or submitting it. As tempting as this is, our writing greatly influences others’ impressions of us, especially when we’ve never met. So, use punctuation marks where needed and avoid spelling mistakes.   

Formal writing is impersonal. So first-person pronouns (I, we, us) are a no-go. It’s best to use third-person pronouns (they). You should also avoid emotional language. Instead, try to be as objective as possible.  

On a smaller scale, but just as important, avoid using contractions when writing formally. Instead of “can’t” or “they’re,” write “cannot” and “they are.”   

Informal Writing  

Think of informal writing as the more relaxed one; the one you use with people you know and are more comfortable with, such as your family and friends. This type of writing might come easier to most as it resembles the way we speak more closely.  

When writing informally, you can use slang and colloquialisms. Throw a “y’all” in there if your heart desires. Also, there’s no need for using complex words.  

Unlike informal writing, this style is more personal, so it allows you to express your feelings. Don’t be afraid to express your anger, sadness, or happiness. You can also use first- or second-person (you) pronouns.   

This style also allows you to use contractions and abbreviations. Also, you can avoid some grammar rules. For example, using “who” instead of “whom” even when the latter is needed. At the end of the day, you are sending this to someone you’re comfortable with. They won’t judge you… right?  

Hopefully, this helps you better address and reach your audiences more effectively.   

Remember, mastering this takes practice, so don’t stress out if you still don’t have this down perfectly. If you need more help, don’t hesitate to come visit us at the Writing Center.   

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Informal Vs. Formal Writing: What’s The Difference?

• What Is Formal Writing?
• What Is Informal Writing?
• Formal Vs. Informal Writing
• Formal Example
• Informal Example

As a writer, you’re faced with a lot of choices related to your writing: how long should your essay be ? Who should be addressed in a cover letter ? What is a thesis statement ? But there’s one question that also applies to every composition: how do you distinguish writing that’s informal vs. formal?  

That’s right. Whether a piece is informal or formal will influence everything down to the smallest comma and period. But what, exactly, is the difference between formal and informal writing? When do you use one over the other? Are they really that different? If you are wondering the answers to those questions, then read on as we explore the many different features between formal and informal writing. 

What is formal writing ?

First, you should know that it is the intended readers that will determine if a writer should use formal writing or informal writing . Generally, formal writing is defined as writing targeted toward an audience that a person doesn’t personally know. Typically, formal writing is used when a person wants their writing to be viewed as professional, polite, authoritative, or some combination thereof. For this reason, formal writing is often used in professional settings. For example, formal writing is often the form of writing used in research and academic papers, corporate memos and emails, press releases, and job applications. 

What is informal writing ?

Informal writing is the inverse of formal writing . In a manner of speaking, informal writing is the T-shirt-and-jeans counterpart to formal writing’s dress coat and pants. In general, informal writing is defined as writing targeted toward an audience that the writer knows personally or with whom the writer wants to establish a friendly tone. Informal writing may include inside jokes, slang, abbreviations, and local colloquialisms . 

As you might expect, informal writing is common in casual settings such as social media and in texting between friends. However, you will often see informal writing used in other situations, such as in literature or in lighthearted feature stories in newspapers and magazines. 

Formal vs. informal writing

There are many differences between formal and informal writing. We will cover a large number of them here, but this list won’t be exhaustive. Still, you should have a good idea how formal and informal writing differ after looking at these different features.

Grammar, spelling, and punctuation

In almost all cases, formal writing adheres to the proper rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation . Informal writing, on the other hand, may not. A person may not intentionally break the rules of grammar in informal writing, but they know that a reader is unlikely to care about errors or nonstandard sentence structure. 

• Formal writing: The writing was clear but had several mistakes; you should revise and redraft the article.
• Informal writing: The writing was clear, but had alot of mistakes… u should revise and redraft the article.  

Formal writing doesn’t always have to follow stuffy, antiquated rules. Check out 5 formulaic writing rules you can explore breaking.

Sentence length

Generally speaking, formal writing often uses long, complex sentences that are connected using transitions. Informal writing often includes shorter sentences that may abruptly move from topic to topic. 

• Formal writing: Surprise inspections will be performed on a regular basis as determined by the acting supervisor, who has the authority to request them as needed. Furthermore, employees should be prepared to submit their work for review in a timely fashion. 
• Informal writing: I love my new sweater! Thank you!! Where do you want to meet for lunch?

Vocabulary and tone

Typically, formal writing has a serious tone and uses a sophisticated vocabulary that often includes large, complex words. Additionally, formal writing often uses technical terms that match the topic being discussed. For example, a medical text using formal writing will often use the term tibia rather than shinbone or a similar term. Informal writing will often instead have a lighter tone that uses simpler, commonly used words.

• Formal writing: The research team expeditiously and meticulously analyzed the findings in order to identify the origin of the Staphylococcus infection.  
• Informal writing: We were out back chopping down some trees when Mom called.

Third person vs. first person/second person

In general, formal writing is usually written from the third person . Formal writing typically avoids using first- or second-person pronouns such as I, me, we, us, and you . By contrast, informal writing often uses first-, second-, and third-person perspectives while making frequent use of personal pronouns. Because of this difference, formal writing is also more likely to use the passive voice in order to avoid using a first- or second-person perspective.

• Formal writing: The data were gathered by using sorting algorithms. 
• Informal writing: I used sorting algorithms to gather the data. 

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Word choice

In general, formal writing will most likely avoid using many of the words or phrases that our dictionary has tagged as being informal. This includes terms such as wanna , gotta , gonna , ‘nuff , kerfuffle, cept, ’Merica, thingamajig , and many other examples of informal language. Relatedly, phrasal verbs are also often typically not used in formal writing . Formal writing will also typically avoid using slang, euphemisms , colloquialisms, expletives, vulgarities, nonstandard abbreviations, jargon , and online acronyms.  

• Formal writing: Gregory wanted to remove the items from the box, but it was sealed tightly. Being unable to find scissors, he admitted defeat and ate a sandwich. 
• Informal writing: Greg was dying to get the stuff outta the box, but the box was like it ain’t happening bro lol. He couldn’t find the damn scissors, so he said the hell with it and bounced to go scarf a hoagie.

Interjections

Typically, interjections are not used in formal writing . Going further, exclamation points usually don’t appear very often in formal writing. Both interjections and exclamation points are used in informal writing. 

• Formal writing: The mixture violently erupted, catching bystanders unaware. 
• Informal writing: The stuff exploded! Wow! 

Contractions

Typically, contractions are avoided in formal writing , and the words are instead spelled out. In informal writing, contractions are commonly used. 

  Examples: 

• Formal writing: The team would have purchased extra materials, but the store was not open. 
• Informal writing: The team would’ve purchased extra materials, but the store wasn’t open. 

Objectivity

In general, formal writing is usually written objectively . In most cases, writers attempt to avoid stating subjective thoughts or presenting personal opinions in the main text of formal writing. When presenting arguments in formal writing, writers often calmly present their side backed by supporting evidence and trustworthy sources . Informal writing can include (strongly worded) personal opinions, emotional appeals, and inflammatory language presented without evidence or supporting facts. 

• Formal writing: As the evidence clearly shows, the director severely miscalculated production costs when initially presenting the film’s budget.
• Informal writing: The incompetent buffoon who claims to be a professional director blew the budget so badly that the studio should fire him as soon as possible. 

Formal writing often entails referencing or researching what others have written. Check out these tips to avoid plagiarism.

Example of formal writing

The following excerpt shows an example of formal writing that was used in a statement released by American president Joe Biden:

Love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love. Today’s bipartisan vote brings the United States one step closer to protecting that right in law. The Respect for Marriage Act will ensure that LGBTQI+ couples and interracial couples are respected and protected equally under federal law, and provide more certainty to these families since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs . I want to thank the Members of Congress whose leadership has sent a strong message that Republicans and Democrats can work together to secure the fundamental right of Americans to marry the person they love. I urge Congress to quickly send this bill to my desk where I will promptly sign it into law.

Example of informal writing

The following example of informal writing is a review of the movie Fight Club by a user of the aggregator website Metacritic:  

Best movie of all time. Period. Seen it more than 28 times. Its a bible of what we have to learn. I say you are not your clothes. You are not the brands u wear, even when u think they re part of ur personality. Comb your hair. I ll tell everyone here the end of the movie, but that its not what this movie is about. First rule of fight club is… you do not talk about fight club. And if u havent seen this film then you are a hollow shell. Become human again and start by watching this lesson.

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What Is Formal and Informal Writing: Characteristics, Key Differences and Examples

• by Anastasiya Yakubovska
• 15.10.2022 10.05.2024

In this article, you will learn what is formal and informal writing styles (as well as slang), examples, and key differences between formal and informal styles.

Table of Contents

• Formal and Informal Writing Style: Why Does the Right Choice Matter? 
• What Is Style in Writing? 
• Formal Writing: Definition 

Informal Writing

• What Is Slang? 

Key Differences between Formal and Informal Writing Styles and Characteristics

• Examples of Formal Writing Style 
• Examples of Informal Writing 
• Conclusion 

Formal and Informal Writing Style: Why Does the Right Choice Matter?

To write any text, be it a book, story, scientific paper, essay, review, or blog post, in addition to a good vocabulary, it is necessary to choose the right writing style.

Because even a rich vocabulary will not be enough if you do not know how to use words correctly depending on the context and in what style to write.

For example, it’s completely wrong to use slang in academic writing, but it’s okay to use it in your blog. It would be a mistake to write a commercial proposal in an overly formal style, but a scientific article is quite appropriate. 

This article will help you avoid mistakes and write your writing piece in the right style.

What Is Style in Writing?

Style in writing (or writing style) is the choice of words to express thoughts and ideas.

But this choice is often not as simple as it seems. Let’s see why. 

What Are Formal, Informal Writing Styles, and Slang?

The writing style can be formal or informal (it is also known as colloquial). Besides, in some writing pieces, you can find slang. 

For example:

• “It was a pleasure meeting you” – formal writing style. 
• “See you later” – informal style. 
• “See ya” – slang. 

Formal Writing: Definition

Formal writing style implies the use of exclusively professional, restrained, complex vocabulary, no words from colloquial speech, and, especially, slang.

This style is appropriate for writing legal documents, business letters, scientific reports, and academic and research papers.

Read also post “What Is Business Writing Style: Characteristics, Types, and Examples”.

Informal writing is a more personal, emotional, and conversational style that often reflects how we communicate with each other in real life.

The most striking example of using this style is literary works.

Types of informal writing in literature are:

• Informal essay. 
• Drama and fiction. 
• Poetry. This is the most popular type of informal writing. 

Informal writing is usually used by writers when addressing a familiar audience, discussing some entertaining topic, or crafting the narrative. 

What Is Slang?

Slang is a vocabulary of new words, abbreviations, or modified words that are used in conversation or writing by various subcultures, groups of people, or in a particular context (for example, youth slang, computer or football slang).

Characteristics of formal writing style:

• Usually, the author refers to himself in the third person (“the researcher”, for example). 
• Many sentences may be constructed in the passive voice. 
• More factual. 
• Direct, serious, official sound. 
• Has a declarative nature. 
• Do not use slang, cliches, colloquialisms , constructions, imprecise speech, and personal pronouns. 
• Use terminology, jargon, and full words. 
• Complex sentences and paragraphs. 
• Clearly stated and fully supported information. 

You need to remember that a chosen writing style must fit the intended audience. 

Characteristics of informal writing style:

• More active voice sentences. 
• Personal pronouns such as “I” and “We” are used as subjects of sentences. 
• Often uses the personal pronoun “You” to engage the reader in the topic and personalize the information. 
• More emotional and relaxed. 
• Can be more conversational, personal, and casual in tone. 
• Informal writing can include constructions, abbreviations, colloquialisms , and sentence fragments. 
• Does not necessarily follow conventions. 
• In some cases, slang, or cliches can be used if this is done correctly. 
• Favors short sentences and paragraphs. 

Examples of Formal Writing Style

As you already know, the formal style of writing is used when crafting legal documents, scientific and academic papers, and research reports.

Read post “What Is Scientific Writing: Characteristics, Types, and Examples”.

Example of formal writing: research report

Abstract 

The Evidence on Busing. Research Report

Armor, David J.

Public Interest, n28 p90-126 Sum 1972

The development of school integration programs throughout the country has made possible a test of the hypothesis that school integration enhances black achievement, aspirations, self-esteem, race relations, and opportunities for higher education. The programs reviewed here have two important characteristics that may limit ability to their being generalized: they are examples of induced integration, and all use varying amounts of busing to accomplish integration. Five reports on integration programs in Northern cities throughout the country are cited: (1) Project METCO, Boston, Massachusetts; (2) White Plains, New York; (3) Ann Arbor, Michigan; (4) Riverside, California; and, (5) Project Concern, Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut. To test the hypothesis, findings are grouped under five major headings–the effects of busing and integration on: (1) academic achievement; (2) aspirations; (3) self-concept; (4) race relations; and (5) educational opportunities. Program support is also examined. In each case, bused students are compared with the control groups to assess those changes that might be uniquely associated with the effects of induced integration. The implications of these findings for policy are then examined. Since the data do not support the hypothesis on most counts, the burden must fall upon those who support a given school integration program to demonstrate that it has the intended effects–with no unintended, negative side-effects.

Example of formal writing: resolution

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 8 September 2022

Reaffirming the request to the Secretary-General to inform Member States and to engage in broad and inclusive consultations with them, all parts of the United Nations system and other relevant partners on his proposals in the report as they relate to the Summit of the Future, including through providing concise, action-oriented recommendations for the consideration of Member States as an input into the intergovernmental preparations for the Summit, Taking note of the summaries of the informal thematic consultations held under the auspices of the President of the General Assembly in connection with the report of the Secretary-General entitled “Our Common Agenda”,

Affirming the importance of the modalities of the Summit of the Future being developed by Member States,

1. Decides that the Summit of the Future has an important role to play in  reaffirming the Charter of the United Nations, reinvigorating multilateralism, boosting implementation of existing commitments, agreeing on concrete solutions to challenges and restoring trust among Member States;

2. Also decides that the theme of the Summit shall be “Summit of the Future:  multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow”;

3. Further decides that the Summit will be held on 22 and 23 September 2024, in New York, preceded by a preparatory ministerial meeting to be held on 18 September 2023;

4. Decides that the Summit will adopt a concise, action-oriented outcome  document entitled “A Pact for the Future”, agreed in advance by consensus through intergovernmental negotiations; 

Examples of Informal Writing

Informal writing has a broad audience and the rules for the writing of any text will vary with different readers.

Examples of informal writing are journal articles, essays, letters, e-mails, notes to friends, posts in personal blogs, or literary works. 

Example of informal writing: post in personal blog.

Abstract from a blog post

Social listening metrics & KPIs: What (and how) to track

by Anna Bredava

Aesthetically pleasing socials are one thing. But aesthetically pleasing, pointedly written posts — that’s a whole other ball game. And anyway, how do you know when your posts are hitting a home run or whether they’re missing the base completely? The secret is in the results.  

Of course, your business should always be result-oriented, and this is especially true in difficult economic times or in times of unpredictability, when it’s crucial to avoiding wasting any resources you have (be it time, money, or people) and, instead, focus on something much more valuable. 

So, then how do you ensure your business strategies are not being implemented in vain? How can you be certain that the steps you take lead you to your business goals? By evaluating these steps, of course! That’s right—with key performance indicators (aka KPIs).

Example of informal writing in literature.

A novella “And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer” by Fredrik Backman  

There’s a hospital room at the end of a life where someone, right in the middle of the floor, has pitched a green tent. A person wakes up inside it, breathless and afraid, not knowing where he is. A young man sitting next to him whispers:  “Don’t be scared.” Isn’t that the best of all life’s ages, an old man thinks as he looks at his grandchild. When a boy is just big enough to know how the world works but still young enough to refuse to accept it. Noah’s feet don’t touch the ground when his legs dangle over the edge of the bench, but his head reaches all the way to space, because he hasn’t been alive long enough to allow anyone to keep his thoughts on Earth. His grandpa is next to him and is incredibly old, of course, so old now that people have given up and no longer nag him to start acting like an adult. So old that it’s too late to grow up. It’s not so bad either, that age.

Of course, our native language, just like foreign languages, is constantly changing: new words appear, and old unclaimed ones disappear.

The world is changing and this is reflected in our language, communication, and speech. Therefore, the choice of the right writing style and the right words must comply with the existing rules and norms at a given time.

Used sources of information:

• Writing for Publication in Nursing, Fourth Edition. By Marilyn H. Oermann, Judith C. Hays. 
• Essay Writing: Teaching the Basics from the Ground Up. By Jock Mackenzie. 
• ATI TEAS Strategies, Practice & Review with 2 Practice Tests: Online + Book. By Kaplan (COR), Kaplan Nursing. 
• Editing for the Digital Age. By Thom Lieb.
• The Keys to Academic Success. By Arthur L. Ellis. 
• Images: freepik.com .

P. S.: If this article was interesting to you, please, share the link! Thank you!

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How to Write an Informal Essay

An informal essay can be about a wide range of topics, from the deeply personal to the outwardly political. “Informal” doesn’t mean that it can’t also be informative or persuasive. It merely refers to the style in which the essay is written: in first-person and without necessarily having to adhere to the traditional five-paragraph structure.

Your writing style in your informal essay should also be “informal”. Using slang and colloquialisms is generally permitted in this type of essay (though make sure you use good judgement and refrain from offensive or explicit language). A conversational tone, as though you were explaining something to a friend, is about the right tone for an informal essay. In fact, in this type of essay, it’s generally best to steer clear of overly academic writing. You want to make the subject as accessible to the average person as possible.

If your teacher has assigned you to write an informal essay, they may not give you very many guidelines besides a word count. In case you’re lost on how to write this type of essay, here are some tips on how to choose a topic, how to structure your essay and other ways to write your informal essay successfully.

Buy Informal essay

Think about subjects that are important to you or that you generally have a lot to say about. Are you always getting into arguments about politics? Do you constantly chastise your younger sister for putting the toilet roll on “the wrong way”? Think about anything you have a relatively strong opinion about and make a list:

• Why There Is a RIGHT Way to Hang the Toilet Roll
• Why I’m a Vegan
• What Happened When I Started Going to Church
• How I Learned to Respect My Step-Mother
• Why I Love Soccer (or any other sport or activity)
• What I Learned From Traveling Abroad
• Why I Voted for X Candidate
• Lessons From My Grandmother
• Why I Abstain From Drinking
• Why I Believe in Reincarnation
• What I Learned From My First Job
• How I Plan to Save the Planet

You should also make a list of reasons why you are vegan and think about certain things that you face as a vegan such as difficulty finding vegan options in restaurants or supermarkets, stigma from your family and/or friends, etc.

• Introduction – Share some of the difficulties of being a vegan but that you still choose to be one.
• First Supporting Paragraph – Strongest reason why you’re a vegan (health reasons) and some statistics or research on it.
• Second Supporting Paragraph – Second strongest reasons why you’re a vegan (against animal cruelty)- and how that extends to things beyond just not eating animal products but also not using cosmetics tested on animals and not wearing clothing made from animal products
• Third Supporting Paragraph – How being a vegan affects your lifestyle, your relationships with friends, family and significant others. What are the challenges you face?
• Conclusion – Why you still choose to be vegan and how you see more and more people opting for a vegan lifestyle (quote some statistics) making it easier for vegans to choose veganism.

This above is merely a suggested outline. Your informal essay might have more or less paragraphs, depending on how you choose to structure it.

Writing an informal essay still requires the reader to follow the logic of your thoughts, so help them along by using transition words. Transition words are like sign posts that tell the reader what to expect next. Word like “similarly”, “additionally” and “furthermore” signal that you’re about to present more evidence to support an idea. Words like “on the other hand”, “unlike…” and “conversely” signal that you’re about to present evidence to the contrary. Words like “first”, “second” or “next” give order to your thoughts.

Too formal The digestive peptides required to process meat can cause free radicals to reproduce in the human body, a phenomena that fails to occur when digesting vegetables.

• Peer edit – It would be great if you could show your essay to a friend and ask them how easy your essay was to understand, if it sounds conversational or if it’s too academic.
• Be flexible – Think about if you need to add something or take something away. Remember that informal essays don’t need to follow the five-paragraph essay structure so if your essay would be made better by adding another paragraph or taking one away, then by all means, do it.

Anyone can write a successful informal essay. Things like reading other informal essays, making lists for possible topics, choosing the best topic for you, making an outline, writing using informal language and the occasional transition word and editing for tone and structure can help earn you a top score on your informal essay. Good luck and Happy Writing!

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Formal and Informal Language

What is the difference between formal and informal language?

Formal and informal language serve different purposes in written communications depending on the reader (Audience) and reason for writing (Purpose). The tone, the choice of words and the way the words are put together vary between the two different styles.

Formal language is less personal than informal language. It is used when writing for professional or academic purposes like graduate school assignments. Formal language does not use colloquialisms, contractions or first-person pronouns such as “I” or “We.”

Informal language is more casual and spontaneous. It is used when communicating with friends or family either in writing or in conversation. It is used when writing personal emails, text messages and in some business correspondence. The tone of informal language is more personal than formal language.

Examples of formal and informal language are shown below:

Contractions

• Informal :The improvements can’t be made due to budget cuts.
• Formal : Improvements cannot be made due to budget restrictions.

Phrasal Verbs

• The balloon was blown up for the experiment.
• The balloon was inflated for the experiment

Slang/Colloquialism

• Professors still count on students to use correct grammar and punctuation in essays.
• Professors expect students to use correct grammar and punctuation in essays.

First Person Pronouns

• I considered various research methods for the study.
• Various research methods were considered for the study.
• During the interview we asked the applicants for a personal reference.
• During the interview applicants were asked to provide a personal reference.

How to Write an Informal Essay With a Perfect Plan

Today, we are going to talk about the type of essay that differs greatly from other types of papers. It may be a surprise for you, but an informal essay is written usually for enjoyment. This doesn’t mean that this type of essay cannot be informative or persuasive, but it is less formal than a relaxed expression of the opinion, observation, or research. A good informal essay may have a relaxed style, but it has a strong structure, though this structure can be less strict than a formal essay has. An informal essay has a tendency to be more personal than a formal one, though both can express subjective opinions. In a formal essay, a writer is silently presenting his or her thoughts behind the words; at the same time, in an informal essay, the author is connected with the reader in a conversational style.

How to Write an Informal Essay to Interest Readers

Before we are talking about how to write this type of paper, we should understand what is informal writing. Don’t worry if you are not sure what is an informal essay, as many students try to find the answer to this question. Informal writing is writing where you should reveal your ability to write informally and express your own point of view on an issue. If you write informally, try to express your own personality in the essay. Don’t worry about writing in academic style, but avoid sloppiness. Find an example of informal essay below and look through it to get a more detailed understanding of the requirements this assignment has. Our experienced team of writers is ready to assist you with academic tasks – just say, “ write my college essays “, and we’ll deliver exceptional results.

Many students may ask, “what is the difference between formal and informal essay?” The difference is in the style of writing or in how we use words to say what we want to say. Different situations require different ways of using words. The way we write in the academic or scientific purposes differs a lot from the way we write to a friend or a close person. Proper writing of the informal essay is to understand the features of the genre. Observance of the basic principles and recommendations on writing will create an interesting essay.

Get to know how to start an informal essay and what are the main stages of writing.

Steps for Writing an Informal Essay

• Select the topic. You have a great opportunity to select any topic for your paper. An informal way of writing provides a great chance to write about whatever you want. Choose a topic that will be really interesting to you. The presence of a certain narrow topic that contains the problem and prompts the reader to thinking is a great choice. If there is no list of informal writing topics among which you can choose one, and only a general direction is given, then you need to take into account which audience the essay is written for. Variants can be different: your classmates and a teacher, the commission, the literary community, the employer. If the essay is written for handing in to the teacher, then it is necessary to consider what qualities will be evaluated. Proceeding from this, the topic should be chosen in such a way that it would be possible to show those abilities that the examiner is waiting for from the author: originality, the ability to logically construct sentences, literacy, professional qualities, etc. When choosing the topic for writing an essay from the proposed list, you should choose one which you have particular knowledge in.
• Write an informal outline for essay. This part of a paper is important, because with an informal essay outline, your writing will be much easier. An outline is like a plan with which you will not forget to include all main points in your paper. It often happens that a person who has enough eloquence and the ability to express his/her thoughts on paper, has difficulty in starting the essay. Thinking about the introduction can take quite a long time, which greatly darkens the process of creative work. If you don’t know how to start an informal essay, ensure that you know what idea you want to communicate. Before you start writing an introduction, you need to formulate an idea, define a goal, and find sources of information for the work. It is important not to focus on the introductory part too long. Write an introduction including a thesis statement. Remember that the essay is distinguished precisely by the presence of the author’s view of the existing problem, his or her relation to the world, speech , and thinking.
• Write the main body of your essay using cliches, colloquialisms, and even jargon, as the format of this paper allows you to write in this way. It is necessary to avoid complicated formulations or too long sentences. It is important to follow a laid-back style to establish contact with the reader. It is important not to overdo it, however, turning the essay into a substandard text full of slang. The correct emotional color of the text will be given by short, simple, understandable sentences, and the use of different intonations in sentences. Include a detailed analysis of the problem. Your own point of view needs to be argued on the basis of factual material.
• Write a conclusion. Summarize everything that you have said before in your paper.
• Remember relative brevity of writing. There are no restrictions on the number of pages, but the informal essay is usually small in volume. An informal paper has a free construction. The informal essay has a way of presentation that does not fit into any definite framework. The construction obeys its own logic, which the author adheres to, trying to consider the problem from different angles.
• Proofread and edit your paper. Ask your friend to do it in order to find and correct more mistakes.

Informal Essay Sample

The following example of informal essay writing was created by dissertation writing services to help you handle your own paper. As this type of paper is not formal, you can find personal observations, opinions, or points of view. Use this informal essay sample as a collection of guidelines. The main thing is that this example is written in a relaxed manner, but it adheres to a particular structure. Short informal essay examples usually include the personal contact, and not the academic writing flow. You can find a subjective opinion in this type of paper, so you should write in this way as well. Our example of informal essay will help you understand how to write your own informal paper in order to get a high grade.

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Useful Tips for Informal Essay Writing

• Keep in mind that informal essays can be written in the first person, so using “I think that…” “In my opinion…” and “I believe…” are welcome.
• Sentences of your essay should not be too long, especially in the case of run-on sentences. At the same time – they should not be too short. Varying your sentence lengths is a good practice.
• Reread your essay at the end of your writing process. Ask yourself whether the tone is too formal or too informal. Make all necessary changes if needed.
• Add personality to your essay! Don’t know what it means? Well, an informal essay gives you a chance to personalize your writing, using words and phrases which are used only by you. In this way, you will have a unique piece of writing on a particular topic. Be creative!
• All statements that you include in your paper should be clear and realistic.
• Despite the free composition, the informal essay must have internal unity, with consistency of the author’s statements expressing his or her opinion.
• The author does not insist on his/her point of view, but uses a method as if inviting the reader to think about and discuss it.

Typical Mistakes for Writing an Informal Essay

• The absence of links between the substantive parts of the essay: introduction and conclusion, and the main part of the essay with the conclusion.
• Having proportionality of parts of the essay which should not be equal in length. The introduction and conclusion in the aggregate should be no more than one-third of the entire work. The main part is two-thirds.
• Inability to strictly follow the theme of writing in the course of reasoning.
• Inability to compositionally structure an essay in accordance with the theme and the main idea.
• Vast amounts of unnecessary information in the introduction and conclusion. However, too short and too unreasonable a conclusion is also inappropriate. It must really summarize and sum up all the work. The absence of a conclusion is a serious logical mistake. The conclusion must be meaningful in accordance with the introduction, topic, and main body of the essay.
• Absence of a problem in the introduction (this is the topic itself) and the formulation of a key thesis, which will be proved there.
• Indistinct formulation of theses, making it difficult to integrate them into the logical structure of the work. If there are several theses, then there should not be a contradiction between the theses formulated in different parts of the paper.
• Weak arguments. They are such if they do not prove or confirm, unconvincingly or superficially, the thesis.
• Unreasonable repetitions of the same thoughts.
• Errors in the division of the text into paragraphs and even the complete absence of paragraphs.
• Inability to operate with abstract concepts.
• The non-distinction between the concepts “example” and “argument,” and inability to formulate a micro-output, on the basis of an example, correlated with the thesis put forward.

Now you know what is an informative essay and how to write it correctly. You may also be interested in our guide about gender-sensitive language or informal report topics to complete your perfect paper.

You will also find more informative essay samples below.

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Formal and Informal Writing Definition and Examples

You’ve probably heard about formal and informal writing styles. There is actually a huge debate over “formal vs informal writing”. And when it comes to the informal vs formal writing, people can’t seem to agree on what they mean and when to use them. In this blog article, we will do our best to shed some light on this matter. We will explain both styles and show you when to use each. We’ll also talk about contractions from the perspective of formal writing. If you are looking for the best formal vs. informal writing examples, you can find some at the bottom of the page, of course.

The Simple Formal Language Definition

Why the formal vs informal writing debate? It’s not so difficult to define these two styles. Let’s start with the formal language definition. What is formal writing? To put it simply, formal writing is the style you use when you write in a professional manner. In other words, you will use this style when you write a cover letter, a white paper, an essay, a legal brief, and even an email. It depends on who the email is addressed to, of course. When writing your professors, for instance, writing a formal letter is mandatory. Here are some of the main characteristics of the formal writing style:

• Abbreviations are used only after the thing they stand for is spelled. For example: “The Internal Revenue Service is changing its policy. According to the IRS, the sales tax…”
• Remember that you should never use colloquialisms in formal writing.
• You should avoid using first and second person, if possible. Here is an informal sentence, as an example: “I asked the mayor about the new bill and he said he’ll look into it.” Here is the same sentence in formal style: “When asked about the new bill, mayor Roland Keyes said that the appropriate committee will analyze it.”
• Another difference between formal and informal writing is that you are prohibited from using slang and contractions.

What Is Informal Writing?

It’s now time to talk about informal writing, also called colloquial writing, for a bit. What is informal writing? It is very easy to define informal writing. It is the style you use when you talk to your friends or with people in an informal setting. It is the style you use on instant messaging systems, for example. You are free to include broken syntax, slang, figures of speech, contractions, and asides. Informal writing takes a personal tone, just like the one you would use when you are addressing your audience directly. And yes, there is also such a thing as informal letter writing. If you are writing a letter to a loved one or a friend, there is no need to use formal language. In this case, the informal writing style is perfectly acceptable.

Formal vs Informal Writing: Which to Use and When

We hope we’ve answered the “what is formal and informal writing” question. But what is the difference between formal and informal writing? The truth is that we’ve already discussed some of the differences already – if you’ve been paying attention. Formal writing bans the use of slang, colloquialisms and contractions. The use of first and second person is not prohibited, but you should avoid it when possible. However, there is a much more important difference between informal and formal writing: your audience. Formal writing should be used whenever you are dealing with a serious situation or with people you don’t know. It is also used in academic papers, press releases, emails to clients, and so on.

Here are some examples of informal writing:

• He’s decided to refuse the job.
• Went to Spain last weekend. Tell you all about it soon.
• I’ve started to talk about the car.
• I think we’ll end this contract.
• Can I suggest you give the S600 a try?

And here are the same examples in informal style:

• He has decided to refuse the job proposal.
• We went to Spain last weekend. We have a lot to tell you.
• I have commenced discussing the vehicle.
• Unfortunately, we are forced to terminate this contract.
• Might I suggest you try the S600 model?

These formal and informal writing examples should help you understand the main difference between the two styles. Of course, there are cases when you need to use an even more formal language. If you’ve written academic papers, you know what we’re talking about. However, you will not be required to use such a formal style in many other situations.

A Word on Contractions in Formal Writing

As you’ve probably noticed, you can use first and second person when necessary in both formal and informal writing (even though you should avoid it in the formal style). When it comes to contractions, things are different. You should never use contractions in formal writing, period. Using contractions in formal writing demonstrates instantly that you don’t know how to use the style. It is a sign of unprofessionalism. Keep in mind that some people are very strict about formal writing rules. In case of an essay, you are required to use formal language from start to finish. Any contractions or colloquialisms will be punished harshly by your professor.

Is Formal Writing Difficult to Master?

When we see a debate about formal versus informal writing, the difficulty of writing in formal style is often brought up. However, don’t worry too much about it. People who say that formal writing is too complex and difficult to understand have probably never written in this style. Not correctly, at least. If you need to write an email and don’t know how to do it, just take a look at some formal writing examples. These examples are also extremely helpful if you need to write an essay, of course.

There are several formal writing styles you can use: neutral, slightly formal, very formal. There aren’t many differences between them. The neutral form is closer to the informal style and doesn’t use complex words and lengthy phrasing. Very formal style, on the other hand, requires you to use a professional, official tone. You also need to make sure you write in passive voice and using formulaic language. The sentences are long and complex. Usually, very formal style is used in business and legal writing.

It is up to you to decide whether you need to use formal or informal language. Depending on your audience, you may choose one or the other. There is no such thing as “formal informal writing”. It is either formal or informal, period. Mixing the two will result in very awkward phrasing, as you can imagine.

The informal style is easy to master. You’ve been using it since you began to write. Formal writing is much more difficult though, especially when we’re talking about an academic paper. The good news is that you can easily get help with your essays online. All you have to do is find a reliable, trustworthy academic writing company . And did you know that their professional writers can help you write an exceptional formal email or even a resume? It’s not a bad idea to get a bit of help when you need it!

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Using Informal Style in Prose Writing

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

In composition , informal style is a broad term for speech or writing marked by a casual, familiar, and generally colloquial use of language .

An informal writing style is often more direct than a formal style and may rely more heavily on contractions , abbreviations , short sentences , and ellipses .

In a recently published textbook ( The Rhetorical Act , 2015), Karlyn Kohrs Campbell et al. observe that, by comparison, formal prose is "strictly grammatical and uses complex sentence structure and precise, often technical vocabulary . Informal prose is less strictly grammatical and uses short, simple sentences and ordinary, familiar words. Informal style may include sentence fragments , such as the truncated style of text messaging ... and some colloquialisms or slang ."

But as Carolyne Lee reminds us, "[s]impler prose does not inevitably mean simpler ideas or simpler conceptualizing" ( Word Bytes: Writing in the Information Society , 2009).

Examples and Observations

• "An informal writing style is a relaxed and colloquial way of writing standard English . It is the style found in most personal e-mail and in some business correspondence, nonfiction books of general interest, and mass-circulation magazines. There is less distance between the writer and the reader because the tone is more personal than in a formal writing style. Contractions and elliptical constructions are common. . . . An informal style approximates the cadence and structure of spoken English while conforming to the grammatical conventions of written English ." (G. J. Alred, C. T. Brusaw, and W. E. Oliu, Handbook of Technical Writing , 9th ed. St. Martin's Press, 2008)
• "[T]he informal style , far from being merely a sloppy form of language, is governed by rules every bit as precise, logical, and rigorous as the rules governing formal language." (A. Akmajian, et al, Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and Communication . MIT Press, 2001)
• Informal Style in Electronic Communications "As e-mail messages, text messages and social network postings become nearly ubiquitous in the lives of teenagers, the informality of electronic communications is seeping into their schoolwork, a new study says. "Nearly two-thirds of 700 students surveyed said their e-communication style sometimes bled into school assignments, according to the study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, in partnership with the College Board’s National Commission on Writing. About half said they sometimes omitted proper punctuation and capitalization in schoolwork. A quarter said they had used emoticons like smiley faces. About a third said they had used text shortcuts like 'LOL' for 'laugh out loud.' "'I think this is not a worrying issue at all,' said Richard Sterling, emeritus executive director of the National Writing Project, which aims to improve the teaching of writing." (Tamar Lewin, "Informal Style of Electronic Messages Is Showing Up in Schoolwork, Study Finds." The New York Times , April 25, 2008)
• Standard English and Informal Style "[T]here is no necessary connection between Standard English and formal styles, or non-standard dialects and informal styles: My mate is bloody knackered. is informal style... but it is also Standard English. On the other hand, My friend be very tired. which is stylistically less informal, is not in Standard English but some other dialect." (Peter Trudgill, Dialects . Routledge, 1994)
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The Quiet Voice in R.F.K. Jr.’s Ear: A Former Aide to the Clintons

Jay Carson spent years as a Democratic insider. Disillusioned, he left politics for Hollywood and became friends with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — whose campaign he is now helping to steer.

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By Rebecca Davis O’Brien

Reporting from Los Angeles

In his outsider bid for the White House, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is flanked by a team of unlikely political characters: new age health gurus, anti-vaccine activists, social media influencers, veterans of fringe third-party campaigns, cryptocurrency evangelists and militant environmentalists.

Jay Carson may be the most unexpected.

Now a Hollywood screenwriter, Mr. Carson, 47, has the résumé of a Democratic insider. He was the press secretary for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. He worked for Bill Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Tom Daschle, Howard Dean and Michael Bloomberg. He describes Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to President Biden, as his political godmother and “one of my favorite people in the world.”

He left politics more than a decade ago for show business, becoming a producer on “House of Cards” and the creator of “The Morning Show.” He got divorced, got sober — he met Mr. Kennedy at one of his first 12-step meetings — remarried and settled into a new life in Topanga Canyon, Calif., with no plans to return to a campaign.

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As an informal adviser, Mr. Carson has offered Mr. Kennedy encouragement and guidance on campaign staffing, communications and field operations. He produced and appeared in a 30-minute advertisement about Mr. Kennedy, paid for by a super PAC backing him. He was involved in running-mate discussions. Mr. Kennedy often texts him, “Please call Bobby,” and he does.

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