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Contributor: Suzanne Riordan. Lesson ID: 13928
Ladies, pull out your long gowns. Gentlemen, brush off your tuxedos. It's time to get formal! No, we're not going to a fancy ball or a wedding. We're just going to write in our most formal style!
A formal style is usually easy to recognize.
Well, the same goes for writing in a formal style.
There are just a few simple rules to remember. Read on to learn more!
Just as you can easily recognize a formal style in clothes, table settings, gardens, and other areas, it's fairly easy to recognize a formal writing style, too.
Click below to read a longer example of formal writing taken from Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals by Mrs. R. Lee.
Formal writing:
| √ | avoids contractions | |||
| Examples: |
it will instead of it'll |
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| √ | avoids abbreviations | |||
| Examples: |
television instead of TV |
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| √ | avoids cliches (overused phrases) | |||
| Example: | It would be a waste of time. Change to: It would not be an efficient use of time. |
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| √ | avoids using the first-person or second-person point of view | |||
| Example: | You should follow your dreams if you want to be an inventor. Change to: Inventors are those who have followed their own dreams. |
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| √ | uses more formal words | |||
| Examples: | children instead of kids fifty dollars instead of fifty bucks |
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| √ | uses more precise language | |||
| Example: | Henry Ford had an awesome idea about creating cars. Change to: Henry Ford discovered he could use machines to put automobile parts together and created the first affordable cars. |
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| √ | uses longer, more complex sentences | |||
| Example: | The return of the birds in spring makes people happy. Change to: When the birds return in springtime, and their happy songs fill the air, it brings joy to many hearts. |
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It's important to learn a formal writing style because that's the style you will use in most of your school writing from now through high school and college. You may even use it in your work career as an adult.
Formal writing is used in business when writing reports and letters. It's used in academics when writing research papers and essays.
It's important to know when to use a formal style and when you can use a more casual style. It all depends on your audience or who you are writing for.
Watch the video below to understand better.
Now you know a formal writing style and when to use it.
Move to the Got It? section to review what you learned!
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