MOST FORMAL WRITING



A. FORMAL WRITING: The Prom Dress and the Tuxedo

Example: academic papers in high school and college, scientific writing, legal documents

In formal writing, your writing should be elegant, should use sophisticated vocabulary, and should avoid sounding chatty. This is a writing style more common in high school and college. We are working towards formal writing in 8th grade.

- No contractions

EXAMPLE: Instead of “won’t,” use “will not”

- No first or second person (I/me and you)

EXAMPLE: Instead of “you might try this,” say “one might try this.”

- Few, if any, emotional punctuation (exclamation points, capital letters)

- No chatty words – “well,” “okay,” “a lot,” etc.

- Vocabulary that goes beyond our everyday speaking vocabulary

B. INFORMAL WRITING for SCHOOL or PUBLIC: The Casual Outfit You Wear Out With Friends

Example: personal essays for admission to private schools or college, most essay contests, many papers for middle school

In 8th grade and beyond you will still be asked to write informally for school. This means it’s okay to use first or second person and some contractions, and you can take a chattier tone. However, it’s not the same as how you write informally for yourself and your friends.

- Contractions are okay, but not overdone.

- Some first / second person is all right, but you are speaking to a general audience, not an individual

- No abbreviations common to texting (LOL, J/K, smiley faces, etc.)

- You may occasionally use sentence fragments. This must be done purposefully and should be rare. Example: “When I entered the room, I was surprised by what I saw. Jelly beans. A ton.”

- Occasional chatty words are okay, but avoid starting sentences with “well.”

- When you want to emphasize a word, use italics instead of all capital letters. “You may occasionally use sentence fragments” instead of “you may OCCASIONALLY use sentence fragments.”

C. INFORMAL WRITING for YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS: Your Pajamas

Example: texts, tweets, long notes you write your best friend or girl/boyfriend, Facebook posts, journal entries

- Use contractions all you want

- Use abbreviations and text language

- Feel free to make inside jokes. Your audience is small and knows you well.

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