Informal/Formal Writing

Meta - Today, I will be able to describe the formal and informal tones in writing.

¿Por qué? - So that I can determine to whom a piece was written.

¡Éxito! - I am successful when I write sentences that show the correct formality based on the scenario.

A key part of clear communication is considering your audience. How well you know them, and how casual it’s appropriate to be with them, will affect every word from your salutation to your sign-off, so let’s unpack the difference between formal and informal language. (Grammarly.com)

Deciding how formal your writing needs to be is a bit like choosing an outfit. You need to know whether you’re headed to a backyard barbecue or a red carpet gala. A poor choice will make you stick out, and not in a pleasing way. We’ll start with some definitions and examples of formal vs. informal writing style, then elaborate on where each can serve you best. (Grammarly.com)

Informal language is how you communicate with people you know well and can relax around. It tends to resemble the way people converse out loud more than formal writing does, and it may feature more contractions (“they’re” instead of “they are”) as well as slang, abbreviations, and expressions of emotion—even exclamations! (Grammarly.com)

You might think of formal language as the snappy blazer to informal writing’s t-shirt. It’s more serious, and features more buttoned-up construction, longer words, and little to no slang.

Formal writing tends to use abbreviations only after first spelling out what they stand for. And where exclamations are fine in informal settings, they’re frowned upon for formal writing. (Grammarly.com)