Writing has very specific and standard rules for people to follow all around the world, belonging to any nation. When you begin writing, you always have a certain audience set in your head, according to which you modify your content. Based on that intended audience the tone and the style of your writing vary accordingly. That means when you begin writing by stating, “Dear Sir” you have a different set of people to address to as compared to the people when you begin writing a piece of literature with, “Hi Sweetheart”. Writing based on style, audience, and certain other factors have been divided into two categories, Formal and Informal.

As the name already suggests, formal writing works its way out for formal purposes whereas Informal writing suggests the informal way of communication has been done which was the demand of the situation. When we begin writing at an academic level, especially as an essay writer, we usually believe it is the highest form of formal writing, that must never divert from its tone and structure at all. Well, you might be true but not always.

Although almost all of the cases demand formal writing to be the core of an essay in certain situations, some certain topics often allow you to use an informal tone within certain limits to grab the attention of the audience and keep them connected. Not always but sometimes, a very sleek line maintains a relationship between formal and informal writing such as choice of words, tone, and arrangement of words. With a very minimal change, the whole structure of sentence and tone can make the reader understand the piece of writing in a different sense as it was expected to be.

The discussion might get more confusing if I am not going to tell you the specific features each of these categories holds so that you must categorize your different fields of writing accordingly.

Specific features of Formal Writing

proper grammar, spelling, and sentence structure
No slangs
Professional tone
Cliché, colloquial and contradictory language is not allowed
Be very formal and particular in your way of communication
Polite tone and authentic word choice
No expression of emotions is appreciable
Support your claim through proper evidence
First and second-person pronouns must not be used unnecessarily
Jargons are not appreciable
Overgeneralization and vague sentence structure is unacceptable
Discussion must have a proper introduction, discussion and conclusion as well

Specific features of Informal Writing

The informal and friendly tone of writing
You can use lose sentence structure
Colloquial language is permitted
Slangs and cliché also come under this category
Imperative sentences along with expressive tone are also welcomed
Abbreviations along with first- and second-person narratives could also be used depending upon the type of the text.
Simple sentences

Parameters to differentiate between formal and informal writing

Purpose

Formal writing often attempts to converse with higher authorities, especially used in offices, workplace areas, schools, etc. However, informal writing is often adopted for personal purposes especially when you are communicating with friends or family. However, rules are different in the case of an informal piece of writing. For example, if I were in your place and was asked to write my essay based on my experience so far in my present school or college.

Language

Formal writing adopts a very professional and formal language with a proper official tone. No or least emotional relationship is shown between the recipient and the writer. Passive voice is used in the formal writing process. However, no significant formality is shown while an informal piece of literature is written. It is obvious even in any casual language. For example, if I am going to write a letter to my family, I would not be writing remotely about my life activity or my concerns regarding any issues that I might be facing. The informal tone, slang, and emotions will help me better communicate with my family at a personal level.

Sentence Structure

Sentence structure holds the basic skeleton of a piece of literature. If you are going to mess with the sentence structure, regardless of the fact whether you are being formal or informal, you are going to disturb the whole document and might no longer let your reader stay with you for long. If you are writing a formal essay, you are supposed to maintain the complex yet smooth sentence structure throughout the essay. The word choice must be formal but not that difficult.

I would be using an informal tone with conversational language and simple sentence structure to convey my emotions and ideas in a better yet informal way. These are the factors that vary according to the type of text you are producing. If any of you still find it difficult to distinguish your informal piece of writing from a formal piece of writing, you can get some help from any online custom essay writing service to resolve this issue. These services perform multiple tasks and I am sure they can get you your desired solution as well.

Writing is a very basic source of communication after speaking but it is very important to maintain when and where you are using which type of language, tone, and structure of writing to convey your ideas. Otherwise, it might be difficult for people to understand you and deal with you accordingly!

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The Key Difference Between Formal and Informal Writing – Guide 2022