There are two basic questions we ask ourselves before we write:
- Who am I writing to?
- Why am I writing?
The answer to these questions will give the appropriate register and style to use.
Register means using the correct vocabulary according to who you are writing to and the situation you are referring to. Style has come to mean the degree of formality used.
Here are some examples of the differences between informal and formal writing:
| Feature | Informal | formal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Choice of Vocabulary | colloquial and slang expressions, phrasal verbs | formal expressions, one-word verbs of Latin origin, abstract nouns |
| 2. | Tone | personal tone with use of first person | impersonal tone, avoidance of first person |
| 3. | Personal / impersonal structures | use of active structures | use of passive and impersonal constructions |
| 4. | Contractions / full forms | contractions used | full forms used |
| 5. | Sentence patterns | short sentences or long sentences with several main clauses joined by and | complex sentences with subordinating conjunctions e.g. although, use of participle clauses |
| 6. | Emphatic structures | some limited use of inversion e.g. Not only did we lose our way, we got soaked too! | use of inversion for emphasis e.g. Should you need further information... |
| 7. | Punctuation | use of dashes and exclamation marks for emphasis, use of commas to link clauses where conjunctions are needed | correct use of commas, use of semi-colons, use of parentheses or dashes for explanatory insertions |
| 8. | Coherence and cohesion | may not be clearly or logically organized | clear organization sign-posted by linking words, repetition of or rephrasing of vocabulary items throughout a text (lexical cohesion) |
| 9. | Stylistic devices | deliberate repetition of a structure; rhetorical questions |