How do I write formally?
Answer
Most assignments at the college level expect you to write with a certain level of formality. If you have never had to write this way before, it can be difficult to know exactly what that means. Here are some tips to keep your writing formal and appropriately academic.
- Don't use personal pronouns
- Most academic writing avoids the use of 1st person pronouns (I, me, my, we, us, our, etc.) and 2nd person pronouns (you, your, yours, etc.). Using these words creates a personal connection between you and the reader. In some types of writing that can be useful, but in formal/academic writing it usually makes you look too casual or biased, so it's better to avoid it.
- Instead, use 3rd person pronouns (he, she, they, it, etc.), or rephrase things to be less personal. For example, instead of saying a detail "made me sad", I could say it "made the audience feel sad".
- Write out words in full
- Avoid shortening words to save space. For example, write out "information" instead of "info".
- Consider avoiding contractions like "don't", "can't", etc. It isn't wrong to use these, but the full forms of "do not", "can not", etc. often sound better.
- Avoid slang or overly casual words
- In a formal paper, you should not be writing the same way you would normally speak to your friends. Avoid all slang.
- Avoid using shorthand like "gonna", "wanna", etc. The correct way to write is "going to", "want to", etc.
- Don't state what you are going to do, just do it.
- Instead of writing "In this paper, I will analyze arguments for mandatory school uniforms.", say "School uniforms should be mandatory because..."
- It is better to get right to the point.
- Don't be vague
- Using words like "stuff" or "things" will not get your meaning across clearly. Be specific about whatever you are discussing.