Oh, hey, didn't see you there. I was, uh, just texting Mia. And guess what? Mia is on vacation
in London, England! You think we should do a video call and see what Mia's up to right now? Okay. Hi,
Mia! How's it going over there in London? Oh wow, you're visiting the famous London
Eye Ferris wheel. I bet you can see the whole city from up there. Where are you headed next?
The Royal Palace to meet the King and Queen of England? How cool! Oh, don't be worried, Mia. I'm
sure you'll make a great impression. Alright, bye, Mia. Can't wait to hear how it goes at the palace!
Well, friends, looks like Mia is headed to the palace to meet and greet royalty. What an
experience that'll be. Huh... Do you think Mia is going to wear that silly hat to the palace? Oh no,
that could be embarrassing! People tend to dress very formally when they meet royalty.
There are also many different rules and customs that must be followed. Gosh,
I hope Mia understands how to be more formal while visiting the palace.
You know, this has me thinking about the difference between formal and informal
styles. Mia was definitely dressed informally and having lots of fun in London. At the palace,
though, Mia needs to dress in formal clothing and behave according to customs and structures.
Did you know there are similarities when it comes to informal and formal writing too? While
we wait to hear back from Mia about the visit to the palace, let's get into today's lesson.
Before we begin, make sure you have your PDF ready to take notes. Do you have it? Righto,
let's get started! In this lesson, we'll identify features of informal and formal
writing styles and determine which style is best for different contexts and purposes. As we learn,
I will be adding to my chart on the screen, and you can do the same in your PDF.
Informal writing is a lot like having a casual conversation with a friend. It's okay to use
words like "gonna," as in "I'm gonna go to London for a vacation." You might use abbreviations such
as "IDK" instead of "I don't know," as in "IDK what to wear to the palace." You can even use
slang words like "fave" instead of "favorite," as in "My fave robot is Mia." This informal language
sounds just right when you're speaking or writing in a casual and personal tone.
Think about all of the rules for sentences,
grammar, and punctuation you've learned about in English class. Well, with informal writing,
there are no specific rules to follow. You can express ideas in a natural way that works for you.
What are some informal words or phrases you often use? An informal word I use with my friends is
"BRB" to mean "be right back," and often I'll say "stuff" instead of specifically describing
what the "stuff" is that I'm talking about. You know, like saying, "Mia is doing some fun stuff
in London." Okay, like what stuff? Mia could be up to anything. "Stuff" just isn't very specific,
but still, it does feel natural to use in an informal conversation with friends.
Mia just sent us a text message! I'll read what it says: "I am very pleased to make you
aware that my visit with the King and Queen is proving to be quite an exceptional experience.
I will send additional reports to inform you of my whereabouts as the day progresses." Whoa,
Mia sounds so formal all of a sudden. That is not the type of language in
Mia's usual text messages, and it sounds so weird for a conversation with a friend.
Do those formal vibes at the palace rub off on Mia today or what? Hearing Mia's sudden use of
such formal writing has me thinking about the informal words or phrases you thought
up a moment ago. They may make sense to you, but not everyone will understand
what they mean. Think about how you could change those words to sound more formal.
Let's think about my words together. I want to make sure they sound formal and can be
understood by anyone. So, instead of "BRB," I would use "I will be right back." And instead
of just saying "Mia did stuff," I would use specific words to describe exactly what she did,
like "visited the palace." That language is sounding a lot more formal to me.
But what exactly is it that makes our writing formal? With formal writing,
the language needs to be more academic. Look at this sentence:
"I'm gonna go to London for vacation." Think about what we need to change to make it formal.
To make sure this is clearly written, we should say, "I am going to go to London for vacation."
Let's try another. How could we change the sentence "IDK what to wear to the palace"?
That's right, we need to say, "I do not know what to wear to the palace." Certain people
may not know what "IDK" means, and the goal of formal writing is to clearly communicate ideas.
How about one more? How can we change "My fave robot is Mia" to make it more formal? You've got
it! We need to use a more formal word and say, "My favorite robot is Mia" instead.
Let's add these examples of formal language to our chart.
So that's "going to" instead of "gonna," "I do not
know" instead of "IDK," and "favorite" instead of "fave."
With formal writing, the tone is professional and objective. It's about presenting information in
a clear manner that can be easily understood. To help with that, it is important for formal writing
to feature complete sentences that follow all of the rules for grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Think back to the informal words and phrases you updated to more formal language. Write
a formal sentence that includes one of your updated words. Pause the video to give yourself
time to write. Here's what I came up with to revise "stuff" to more formal language and
sentence structure. "In London, Mia visited the London Eye ferris wheel and the royal palace."
How did you do? Is your sentence complete? Did you use academic language that could
be clearly understood by others? I bet your sentence sounds great!
So, we know about both types of writing styles now. But how do we know when to use
formal or informal writing? The style of writing we choose depends on the
context and purpose for our writing. Let's take a look at some examples.
Text messages: Do you think these are better suited for an informal or formal writing
style? Text messages are typically sent to people we know, and we're communicating on
a personal level, so we can use casual language and an informal writing style.
What about academic essays? Informal or formal writing style? Essays are
written for an academic audience, like teachers or peers who are studying a
topic. The goal of this formal writing is to clearly communicate and develop an idea.
Now let's think about some other contexts where informal and formal writing are appropriate.
In your PDF, use the vacation scrapbook page to match contexts to the appropriate
writing style. Pause the video while you work, and I'll be here when you get back.
So, how'd you do? Let's take a look at the examples together.
The examples that work best with informal writing are text messages,
social media posts, journal entries, and brainstorming. These are more casual and
personal types of writing that help us reflect and connect to one another.
Now, the examples that work best with formal writing are essays; professional correspondence,
like a memo to a business partner or a letter to a college adviser;
or legal documents, like contracts. This writing is professional and objective,
helping to connect people to ideas and information.
Is that a new message from Mia? Oh no, it's a reminder notification. I almost forgot I
have to write an essay that's due tomorrow, and guess what my topic is about? Historical
sites of London. Maybe Mia can give us some ideas for what I can write about. Let's ask.
Oh, wow, that was fast. Mia says, "did u know the Tower of London was a prison
back in the day 😲 mad kings and queens vibes! 🏰👑 #ancientdrama" Well, that sounds more like
Mia's usual texting style. But I wonder how I could make this sound more formal. Do you
have any ideas for how to transform this text message to a formal writing style?
Hmm, how about this: "Long ago, the famous Tower of London was actually a prison. Its
history connects to the different kings and queens who ruled England over time." Let's see,
I used formal language, a professional tone, and complete sentences. That wasn't so hard!
Mia says my sentence sounds so formal now,
it may just be ready to meet the King and Queen. Thanks, Mia.
You know what I think? I think you have done a great job joining Mia
and me on this London adventure today. Now you're ready to check
out the activities in your PDF to help you practice identifying informal and formal
writing features and put them to use in your own writing. See you next time, travelers!