Informal/Formal Writing

Informal versus Formal Writing

Know your audience!

Multiple Choice

Bell Work:

Is the following letter informal or formal?

Dear, Great Aunt Terri,

I hope that you have been well. I am sorry to have missed your birthday, but I was glad to hear that you spent it with so many family members! I look forward to seeing you at the next family reunion.

Much love,

Your great niece

• Formal

• Informal

Open Ended

What words or style of writing in the letter show its formal or informal tone?

Dear, Great Aunt Terri,

I hope that you have been well. I am sorry to have missed your birthday and I was glad to hear that you spent it with so many great family members! I look forward to seeing you at the next family reunion.

Much love,

Your great niece

Multiple Choice

Is the following letter formal or informal?

Hey, dude,

Headed to the store, need anything?

• Formal

• Informal

Open Ended

What words or style of writing in the letter show its formal or informal tone?

Hey, dude,

Headed to the store, need anything?

Objetivos de aprendizaje

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.

What your tone says about formality.

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)

Consider your audience...

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)

So, what's informal language?

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)

Formal language is...

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)

Poll

Class Work:

Is the following formal or informal?

Notwithstanding nightmarish images of out-of-control flatware, livestock run amok, and colliding tubas disturbing the peace and quiet of Tecumseh, the great majority of students the School District seeks to test in truth are engaged in activities that are not safety sensitive to an unusual degree.

• Formal

• Informal

Open Ended

I am sending the following letter to my boss; what needs to be fixed to make it formal?

Hey, Josh,

Imma head out early 2day, got some stuff to do for my dad

Later days,

Your employee

Open Ended

I'm sending the following letter to my best friend; how could I rewrite this as an informal note?

Kathy!

It was great to hear from you, yesterday. Thanks for the note. Would you be ready to leave from yours at 8AM? Let me know!

Your friend

Open Ended

Your turn:

Please write a letter to your boss asking for time off next month.

Open Ended

Please write a short letter to your local newspaper asking for a spotlight on your store.

Open Ended

Please write a text message to a friend asking them to return your bike they borrowed.