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How to Use Formal Tone in Writing

In many cases, the overall tone of your writing is just as important as the information you share. How you present your content directly impacts how readers perceive your authority, reliability, and branding.

While some situations may call for a more conversational and casual approach, many types of writing require a professional, formal tone.

An elevated, formal style can benefit academic work, business materials, and professional communications. By learning to write in a formal tone consistently, you can produce focused work that demonstrates a high level of understanding and professionalism.

What Is Formal Tone?

Formal tone in writing involves using clear, direct, and respectful communication to convey an idea. When writing in a formal tone, you should focus primarily on sharing an idea precisely, grammatically correct, and objectively.

Instead of infusing your writing with personality through colorful descriptions, shorthand and contractions, and casual phrases, you can create a formal tone by using an advanced, specific vocabulary and straightforwardly discussing ideas.

The Benefits of Formal Writing

Formal writing is designed to hone in on the specifics of the idea being communicated instead of emphasizing the writer’s personality and attitude. As a result, it’s ideal for establishing brand expertise, building trust, and accurately sharing information.

Because formal writing often involves using precise vocabulary and phrasing, it can also help you prevent your audience from misinterpreting your words or taking your writing out of context.

Formal vs. Informal Tones

A formal, professional tone is the opposite of an informal, casual tone. Understanding both styles is essential to becoming a better content writer.

So what is the difference between formal and informal tone? Formal tone is focused, specific, and elevated, while informal tone is laid-back, conversational, and personal.

It’s important to note that tone is a spectrum; a piece of writing can be highly informal, professional, or blend styles. For example, “We totally crushed that project!” has multiple instances of casual language, including the “totally” interjection and the slang word “crushed.”

Meanwhile, “Oliver and I did a great job with the presentation” is a bit less laid-back but still has a somewhat casual tone because of the first-person perspective and the subjective description of doing a “great job.”

If you wanted to convey the idea formally, you could use phrasing like “The team exceeded all performance metrics for the Johnson presentation.” This sentence uses an impersonal, third-person perspective and objectively describes the specifics of the situation to maximize professionalism and achieve an elevated, formal tone.

Informal vs. Formal Tone Examples

If you want to master writing in a formal tone, you can start by exploring examples of formal and informal in different situations. Here are several informal tone examples that you can transform into formal statements with a few fundamental changes:

  • Informal: I don’t think the meeting is until noon.
  • Formal: The meeting is expected to start at 12 pm.
  • Informal: She’s not feeling up to hanging out later.
  • Formal: Allison is not feeling well enough to meet this evening.
  • Informal: Get those reports to me ASAP.
  • Formal: Email me the Fleming report as soon as possible.

How to Identify Tone?

Tone can be identified through a combination of vocabulary, phrasing, and perspective. Therefore, it is essential to assess each aspect.

  • Review word choice: The context for your vocabulary is important, so simply using a particular word doesn’t necessarily mean you have a formal tone. However, precise, objective, and descriptive words signify formal writing. Examples of formal tone words could include “assessed,” “according to,” and “significant.” Meanwhile, slang terms are almost always informal and casual.
  • Consider the perspective: Typically, formal writing aims to be objective and impersonal. If the author has a lot of “I” statements where they share personal opinions and feelings, the writing is likely informal.
  • Check punctuation and grammar: Grammatical structure and punctuation can significantly impact tone. Frequent exclamation points, for example, often indicate an informal tone because of their emotional connotations. Formal writing typically uses basic punctuation, such as periods, commas, and semi-colons, which focus on creating structure instead of shifting the work’s voice.

How to Maintain a Formal Tone In Your Writing

Writing with a formal, academic tone involves balancing your word choice, sentence structure, and writing content to remain straightforward and professional. Below are a few tips to keep in mind as you write.

Use Third-Person

Writing in the first person often adds a personal, relatable voice to your work, which you should avoid in formal writing. Third-person writing separates the author from the work, creating a more objective, neutral tone.

The first step to setting your piece in a formal tone is to avoid using “I,” “me,” and “you.”

Avoid Contractions

Contractions are often a form of casual language, so you should avoid them when producing formal writing. If you need to use any abbreviations, it’s crucial to spell the first instance, following that with the abbreviation in parenthesis.

The first instance of the word will give your reader context for any following uses of the abbreviation.

Focus and Be Concise

Staying focused without getting lost in tangents is critical to ensure your writing is clear and articulate. If you ramble or jump to other topics frequently, you may confuse or distract your readers.

Concise writing shows that you have a firm grasp of the topic and can confidently discuss it. Focusing on one thing at a time helps you direct the reader’s attention exactly where you want it.

Develop a Consistent Style

It is extremely important to maintain brand consistency. All content should follow the same style guidelines and personality. If you’ve chosen a more formal tone, let that tone resonate in all aspects of your marketing.

For example, if you use the Oxford comma in your work, use it throughout your writing.

Consider the Context

When writing formally, keep the specific context of your project. In many cases, active voice is more formal because it is engaged, concise, and direct.

However, in academic and scientific writing, the passive voice is often more appropriate because it can be more objective and less personal. Use your best judgment to pick a voice, vocabulary, and sentence structure that makes sense for your work.

Where To Use Formal Tone

If you’re not sure a formal writing style is right for your work, remember that it is often used when addressing academic or professional audiences. Here are some examples of where it’s commonly used in content marketing:

  • White Papers. Similar to a blog post but often used for more informational purposes, white papers are the right place to show off your professional, formal writing skills.
  • Case Studies. A formal study that exhibits a brand or agency’s success with strategies, services, or marketing practices, case studies relay business information and should, therefore, be in a formal tone.
  • eBooks. This type will depend on your audience. eBooks designed for educational purposes will be most effective when written formally.
  • University Blogs. These content types often adopt an educational tone and highlight the school’s commitment to academic learning through formal writing.
  • Academic Writing. A formal tone in academic writing is fundamental, as academic and scientific papers are meant to convey authority and share precise knowledge.
  • Corporation & Nonprofit Websites. Many larger companies and nonprofits prefer a formal writing tone, making their website copy the perfect place to use your professional writing skills.

Where Not to Use Formal Tone

While formal tone is ideal for professional and academic communication, there is a time and a place for an informal tone. Using slang, abbreviating phrases, and relaying subjective experiences can actually be helpful in many situations. This can include casual texts and emails, social media captions, and marketing materials for brands that want to portray a relatable personality.

Elevate Your Writing By Mastering Tone

Once you understand the basics of formal tone, you can communicate more clearly and showcase your professionalism, whether writing instructional blog posts or contributing to an academic journal.

Learning to write in different tones and styles will enable you to work on a wider variety of projects and help you achieve the exact voice your clients want to portray.

At ContentWriters, you can find a wide variety of resources to help you become an expert in tone, voice, and beyond. Explore more writing tips from our blog to elevate your writing today.

An earlier version of this post was published in January, 2016 by the CW Team.

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