Introduction to Writing

We are confronted with writing something every day. It could just be a short message to a friend or a letter to your grandma (or, considering the times, an E-mail). But you also need to write reports or essay in school or at university. A lot of people also write diaries. 

Concerning English, writing and speaking are very different. And also when you write something in English, you need to be careful who you are writing to or what are you writing about.

But first things first. 

What is the difference of written and spoken language?

We all know (or should know) that the difference between written and spoken language is the permanence of written texts. When we write something, we need to be careful not to make mistakes. We also have more time to think about our writing as well as the organisation and structure. When we chat, we usually use emoticons to express our emotions. And, once our text is written and sent, there is not turning back.

When we talk, everything is a bit more relaxed. We are allowed to make mistakes because this also happens when we speak in our mother tongues. While talking, we usually forget most of the information, which is not necessary for us, after a couple of seconds. So, if we do make severe mistakes, they might be forgotten after a minute. The best part of spoken language is our non-verbal communication. This often helps us out, if we do not know a word or want to emphasis something. Our conversation partner can also read emotions which we send while talking.

What is the difference between a formal and informal text?

An informal text is for example a text you send to friend. It usually does not contain a greeting formula, but goes straight to the point. Sometimes we also do not use a verb or subject, but the other person understands us anyway.

I will give you an example (just imagine two teenagers texting):

A: “What’s up? :)  ”

B: “Notting much. U?”

A: “Bored. Wanna watch a film?”

B: “Yeah sure, Ill drop by later. C U!”

As you can see, while using informal language we can also use abbreviations to express ourselves. “C U” stands for “See you”. So, in conclusion, when we write an informal letter or text, we are allowed to neglect the rules of grammar and orthography. 

If you write a formal text though, you need to be very careful. Your text should be well-structured, well formulated and should contain clear points. You always need to start with a greeting and a complimentary close at the end of your text, if you write a formal letter. You need to know to structure your text in several passages and to structure these paragraphs. Do not use emoticons and abbreviated words. Check your orthography and grammar!

In my following posts I will give you more tips about formal writing!