informal essay heading

Crafting the Perfect Headline: 50+ Examples of Proper Heading for Essay

Master the art of crafting a proper heading for essay with our tips and examples to engage readers and enhance your writing.

Writing an essay can be a daunting task, but nailing the perfect headline, or proper heading for an essay , can set the tone for success. Think of your essay’s heading as a first impression. It’s what grabs the reader's attention and gives them a hint of what to expect. In this article, we’ll dive deep into how to craft an effective heading, why it’s crucial, and some tips and tricks to make your heading stand out. Let's embark on this journey to mastering the art of the proper heading for essay writing!

Why is a Proper Heading for an Essay Important?

A proper heading for an essay isn't just a title; it's a snapshot of your entire paper. It serves several critical functions:

• Engages the Reader: A well-crafted heading draws readers in, making them want to read more.
• Provides Clarity: It gives a clear idea of the essay's topic and scope.
• Sets the Tone: The heading sets the mood for the essay, whether it's serious, humorous, analytical, or persuasive.

According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, essays with clear and engaging headings were 60% more likely to be read from start to finish than those with vague or boring titles. This stat underscores the importance of investing time in creating a proper heading for an essay.

Key Components of a Proper Heading for Essay

Crafting a proper heading for an essay involves a few key components:

• Clarity: Ensure your heading is straightforward and easy to understand.
• Relevance: The heading should accurately reflect the content of your essay.
• Brevity: Keep it concise. A long, convoluted heading can be off-putting.
• Keywords: Incorporate relevant keywords to help with search engine optimization (SEO) if your essay is going online.

Types of Essay Headings

Different types of essays require different approaches to headings. Let’s explore some common types:

Analytical Essay

For an analytical essay, your heading should indicate the specific aspect or theme you’re analyzing.

• Example: "The Role of Symbolism in 'The Great Gatsby'"

Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay heading should present the central argument or question.

• Example: "Is Capital Punishment Justifiable in Modern Society?"

Descriptive Essay

For a descriptive essay, your heading should hint at what you’re describing.

• Example: "A Serene Evening by the Beach"

Narrative Essay

A narrative essay heading should introduce the story or experience you're sharing.

• Example: "My Unforgettable Trip to the Amazon Rainforest"

Expository Essay

An expository essay heading should clearly state what you’re explaining or informing.

• Example: "Understanding the Basics of Blockchain Technology"

Compare and Contrast Essay

For this type, your heading should mention the subjects being compared.

• Example: "Online Learning vs. Traditional Classroom Education"

Persuasive Essay

A persuasive essay heading should present the stance you’re taking.

• Example: "Why Organic Farming is the Future of Agriculture"

Tips for Crafting a Proper Heading for Essay

Creating the perfect heading isn’t always easy, but here are some tips to help:

• Start with a Working Title: Don’t stress about the final title initially. Start with a working title and refine it as you go.
• Use Action Words: Action words can make your heading more dynamic and engaging.
• Be Specific: Vague headings can be confusing. Be as specific as possible about what your essay covers.
• Avoid Jargon: Unless your audience is familiar with specific jargon, keep your language simple and accessible.
• Get Feedback: Don’t hesitate to ask peers or mentors for feedback on your heading.

50 Examples of Proper Headings for Different Types of Essays

• "Analyzing the Use of Irony in 'The Catcher in the Rye'"
• "The Symbolism of the Green Light in 'The Great Gatsby'"
• "Examining the Theme of Isolation in 'Frankenstein'"
• "The Role of Social Class in 'Pride and Prejudice'"
• "The Impact of Colonialism in 'Heart of Darkness'"
• "Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished?"
• "The Benefits of Universal Healthcare"
• "The Case for Renewable Energy"
• "Why School Uniforms Should Be Mandatory"
• "The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence"
• "A Walk Through Central Park in Autumn"
• "The Bustling Streets of Tokyo at Night"
• "The Serene Beauty of the Swiss Alps"
• "A Day in the Life of a Farmer"
• "The Vibrant Culture of Rio de Janeiro"
• "My Journey to Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking"
• "A Memorable Summer Vacation in Greece"
• "The Day I Met My Best Friend"
• "An Unexpected Adventure in the Wilderness"
• "The Night I Learned the True Meaning of Family"
• "The History and Evolution of the Internet"
• "How Solar Panels Work"
• "The Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet"
• "The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health"
• "Understanding the Basics of Quantum Computing"
• "Traditional vs. Online Education: Which is Better?"
• "The Differences Between Urban and Rural Living"
• "Comparing the French and American Revolutions"
• "Electric Cars vs. Gasoline Cars: Pros and Cons"
• "Public Transportation vs. Private Cars"
• "Why Everyone Should Practice Meditation Daily"
• "The Importance of Voting in Local Elections"
• "Why Recycling Should Be Mandatory"
• "The Benefits of Learning a Second Language"
• "Why We Should Reduce Our Carbon Footprint"

Cause and Effect Essay

• "The Effects of Climate Change on Polar Bears"
• "How Technology Has Changed the Workplace"
• "The Causes and Consequences of World War II"
• "The Impact of Fast Food on Health"
• "The Effects of Social Media on Communication Skills"

Definition Essay

• "What Does It Mean to Be Happy?"
• "The True Definition of Success"
• "What Is Feminism?"
• "Defining the Concept of Freedom"
• "The Meaning of Courage"

Process Essay

• "How to Bake a Perfect Chocolate Cake"
• "The Process of Applying for College"
• "Steps to Start Your Own Business"
• "How to Create a Budget"
• "The Process of Writing a Research Paper"

FAQs About Proper Heading for Essay

What is a proper heading for essay.

A proper heading for essay is a concise, engaging title that accurately reflects the content and tone of the essay. It serves to grab the reader’s attention and provide a snapshot of what the essay is about.

How long should a proper heading for essay be?

Ideally, a proper heading for essay should be between 5 to 10 words. It should be long enough to convey the main idea but short enough to be easily readable and memorable.

Can I use a question as a heading for my essay?

Yes, using a question can be an effective way to engage readers and pique their interest. Just ensure the question is relevant to your essay’s content.

Should I include keywords in my essay heading?

Absolutely! Including keywords can improve the SEO of your essay if it’s published online, making it easier for readers to find.

Can the heading for my essay be creative or humorous?

Yes, as long as it fits the tone and content of your essay. A creative or humorous heading can make your essay stand out and engage readers.

Examples of Effective Headings

To further illustrate the point, here are some examples of effective headings for various types of essays:

• "Deconstructing the Hero’s Journey in 'Star Wars'"
• "The Case Against Single-Use Plastics: An Urgent Call for Change"
• "The Enchanting Beauty of Kyoto’s Cherry Blossoms"
• "From Lost to Found: My Journey Through Italy"
• "The Rise of Renewable Energy: A Path to a Greener Future"
• "Public Schools vs. Private Schools: Which is Better for Students?"
• "Why We Should Embrace Remote Work as the New Normal"

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Conclusion: The Art of the Proper Heading for Essay

In conclusion, a proper heading for essay is more than just a title. It’s a powerful tool that can set the stage for your writing, engage your audience, and convey the essence of your essay. By following the tips and guidelines provided in this article, you can master the art of crafting effective and compelling headings for any type of essay.

Remember, the heading is the first thing your readers see, so make it count. With a bit of creativity and careful thought, you can create headings that not only attract readers but also give them a clear idea of what to expect from your essay. Happy writing!

How to Write an Informal Essay

During their college years, students write dozens of papers, which, when stacked together, can occupy an entire room. These pieces, including articles, reports, or just final papers for the specific course in their nature, are formal writings. So, this guide is devoted to introducing you to the formal side of informal essays.

By this time, you may catch yourself being happy about the chance to say whatever you like about anything that concerns you in the most suitable form. However, this is still an academic assignment, and there is a list of distinctive features of an informal essay you should follow.

What is an informal essay?

● The characteristics of an informal writing style allow the covering of controversial topics. ● Another peculiar feature of informal essays, which also flows out of a personalized writing style, is a similarity with conversation. ● In the end, your personality is the first aspect that the reader should see.

In the case of informal essay writing, you can pretty much ignore strict requirements.

While writing an informal essay, you are supposed to put great emphasis on creating a connection with your audience rather than just proving your opinion or telling a story.

How to write an informal essay: video guide

We know that some people understand information better in video format. That’s why we invite you to watch and hear informal essay writing instructions on YouTube below.

Difference between formal vs informal essay

What are the major differences between a formal and informal essay? There are several peculiarities about the structure of informal essays you should know before you start writing:

1) Informal types of papers do not have a specific format and can be determined by the author personally. You can now forget the “introduction, body, and conclusion” structure. When it comes to an informal essay, you are even allowed to use fiction to interest your readers. 2) There is no conventional way of organizing the thoughts, judgments, and presentation to readers, as well as there is no agreement about the length of informal essays. Of course, your writing should follow general writing rules, such as being logical and concise. Still, you don’t need to place the topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph and follow other strict rules of academic writing. 3) There are no requirements for informal essays to contain strong theses or even thesis statements as such. The desire to create friendly relationships between the writer and future readers together with the primary objective (the pleasure from the reading process), dictates the situation when structure gives way to a more exciting presentation of thoughts.

How to write an informal essay in 5 steps

The good thing about informal essay writing is that you don’t have a strict plan to follow. We will provide you with the main guidelines on topic choice and completing your essay to help you lead your creativeness in the right direction:

1. Determine the purpose of the future essay. 2. List as many subjects in the focus of your interest as possible. 3. Evaluate each of the topics in the list. 4. Develop a topic of choice using any paper structure you like. 5. Double-check and proofread the completed paper.

How to choose informal essay topics

The key to a well-written essay is choosing a good topic to write about. Writing about something you are sincerely interested in will drive your creativity and writing process.

For example, a teacher has asked you to write about a person or event that has determined your decision to pursue a degree in a particular sphere. How to understand that moment? You will need to dig into your memories. Maybe it was a specific moment in a movie, or your aunt has become a role model you wish to follow. Think about what you have felt and the touching points.

Another case is when your teacher didn’t give you a research question, so you must pick a topic yourself. Then the best way is to brainstorm about the topics that interest you the most or look through the news to discuss the most topical issues.

If you suffer with finding a good topic for your informal essay, you can always ask us to write my essay anytime. Our writers will find a good topic and explore reliable sources to write a unique informal essay for you.

Informal essay topics list

Here is a list of various topi ideas you can use as a basis for your paper. Pick one and use brainstorming techniques to find the ideal topic for the informal essay.

• Traditions in my family and their importance.
• Why I choose religion as my life path.
• How celebrities and influencers affect our choices.
• My view on femininity and feminism.
• The moments of my life that I wish I could have changed.
• Best location in your hometown or elsewhere.
• How advertising uses sexuality for more attraction.
• The best memories from my childhood.
• What is wrong with sex education in schools?
• The worst disappointment I ever had.
• Event or person that influenced your academic interests.
• Describe the event when you have experienced discrimination personally or witnessed discrimination against other people.
• Why do people procrastinate?

How to create an informal essay outline

Use Mind Map to develop your topic and make your structure clear. Write the issue in the center, then start adding new boxes around it with ideas you wish to include in your paper. The more boxes you create, the better. Subsequently, you will choose the best ideas and readily see the structure of your future writing. Add details near boxes to expand your thoughts. You can use just paper and pencil, use online services like Canva, or create a mind map in Word.

While informal essays don’t have strict recommendations for the structure, you can follow a typical three-part outline:

• Introduction
• Conclusions

Introduction. You may be seriously puzzled by a question on how to start an informal essay. The answer is: imagination. Informal writing gives you an unlimited version to create your text.

For example, you can use the following starting points:

• Highlight the topic you are going to discuss.
• Tell why the subject matters.
• Ask a question.
• Take a confident position to cause tension.
• Start with a quote.

Main body. While there is no need to follow an ordinary essay structure, the text of your essay should still be logical. If you are writing on a topic that specifically relates to your personal experience or thoughts, don’t be shy to add a vivid description of what you feel and think. Make your readers feel the scene or how you feel about the subject. You can choose several points of the issue and cover them with descriptions, your personal experience, and facts.

Conclusion. You can’t just leave the text without closing words. Write a brief summary in one or two sentences to point out the main ideas you have covered in the essay.

Tips to write a good informal essay

Before you start writing, check out these short but valuable tips, and check the list of free essay writing tools from EssayShark to create a fantastic informal essay that will leave your readers in speechless awe:

● End the whole paper with a sentence that stimulates the readers to think further about the raised issues, or at least to think outside the box. ● Use more lyrics! It is well-known that lyrics capture the reader, so do not forget to use as many epithets, metaphors, and comparisons as possible. ● The bigger the introductory part, the better the reaction presented by readers. Remember that you are writing to tell a story, not to prove a point. ● Do not give any concrete ideas about the central issue of the essay because you need to stimulate your readers to think and form their own opinions and feelings.

Informal essay writing checklist

When you complete your essay, follow this list of questions to help you improve your writing.

– Does the whole essay reveal the topic that was carefully chosen for your informal essay writing task? – Is the essay’s style in a less formal tone than traditional academic papers? – Did you use everyday words, slang, and colloquialisms, and “you” and “I”? – Did you check whether you used the first-person perspective to address the reader directly? – Does the essay stimulate readers to raise questions in their minds with the information you have provided? – Does the essay fit into the framework of the standard five-paragraph type of structure? – Is the subject described in an entertaining manner? – Did you use examples, quotes, diagrams, anecdotes, narratives, and other types of testimony?

Example of informal essay

Below, you can read an informal essay example written by one of the EssayShark writers. Read it carefully to understand the structure and tone of this type of essay. Also, notice how the author addresses the topic of the most embarrassing memory and uses touching points to describe the situation better.

The Most Embarrassing Memory

Each summer as a child, my parents would surprise the family with a week-long trip. Many summers we would be surprised with a beautiful beach trip or tent camping in a remote forest. I can remember one summer more prominently than others because of how memorable the vacation was. Not because it was one of our best trips, nor because we went on our first long road trip. This trip is burned into my memory primarily due to the fact I had never been more embarrassed as a kid than what happened on this family vacation.

Like most children, I experienced embarrassing moments. I would not say I was more sensitive to experiencing them, but even when I try to forget, my parents still bring it up to this day. The morning of our trip started early. I stared out the window for what seemed like hours. After I finished listening to a few CDs and drank my entire water bottle, I was thrilled to find that we were pulling into a rest stop. The rest stop was full of vehicles and visitors looking at the different historic maps and pictures that had decorated the place. My mom said to be quick, and without skipping a beat, cd player in hand, I headed to the restroom. It was nice to finally stretch out, use the restroom, and get away from the vehicle for a few moments.

Once I was finished, I ran back to the car, got in my seat, and buckled up. As I was staring out the window, I could see my mother off in the distance. She seemed to be worried, but I didn’t pay any mind, as it always felt like she was worried or in a hurry. The car was getting hot and I wondered when my family would make it back to the car, especially since they said to be quick. Seconds turned into minutes, and I was getting bored of waiting. I then heard my mother and father calling my name. I had suspected they knew I was in the car, but from that moment, I knew they hadn’t seen me.

I opened the car door, and with a puzzled look, an older lady was staring at me. She stated, “Are you lost, dear?” I was puzzled, thinking, no, I am just getting out of the car. It was then my mother came running up to me, yelling, “What are you doing!?” As I turned to point to the car, I realized I had gotten into someone else’s car. My father laughed, my mother shook her head, and the older lady joined in, and the laughter seemed to rumble to my core. I felt so embarrassed to not have only climbed into the wrong vehicle, but people I didn’t even know were laughing at my poor decision and lack of awareness.

The road trip to the big red tree forest that year was a great one, though the drive couldn’t have felt longer due to the constant chatter of what I had done. This trip was not memorable for the mountain high trees, the flowing rivers, or even the cave exploration. No, this trip was memorable because a young kid couldn’t look up and notice that he hopped into the wrong car, and everyone, including strangers, laughed.

FAQ about writing informal essays

Q: What is the first stage in writing a short informal essay?

A: First of all, you need to read the assignment carefully, as teachers frequently ask you to do something in the essay or consider several important points. Only then can you start brainstorming about the topic and start writing the text.

Q: How to end an informal essay?

A: An informal essay is an exceptional academic paper, since it allows you to end it as you wish. Think about how books usually end or how authors conclude a long blog post. You can use a question to finish the essay, restate the idea you have covered in the text, call for action, or create a vivid image.

Q: How to identify an informal essay?

A: The main things that distinguish an informal essay are a highly personal tone and the absence of specific structure. Blogs, personal reflections, and magazine articles are great examples of informal texts.

Q: Is an expository essay formal or informal?

A: Usually, this kind of essay explains or describes something. It is typically written with formal language in the third person perspective, but it may be informal depending on your assignment requirements.

Q: Is an argumentative essay formal or informal?

A: It’s mostly an academic type of writing that should follow a formal writing style. In certain cases, the teacher may ask you to write an informal essay on an arguable topic. We also recommend checking teachers’ recommendations.

Order an informal essay from EssayShark

If you still can’t get how to write this type of essay, you can use our informal essay help . We know all the peculiarities of informative writing and can assist you with any essay type. We know that picking a really impressive topic and following an informal tone may be particularly challenging, especially when you face such an essay type for the first time. That’s why we are here to cover your back! Please submit an order on our webpage, and our experts will start working on it promptly.

Except writing, you can count on us with calculations and lab reports. For example, you can request do my math homework for me help and our experts will meet your expectations.

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How to Write an Informal Essay: A Beginners' Guide

A typical academic essay is serious writing. It is serious because it is often well-researched and written formally. The typical informal essay is the exact opposite of this.

It is often not researched at all and is written in a casual tone. Furthermore, it is commonly written for enjoyment rather than serious discourse. And for that reason, it is a non-fiction essay that does not follow the writing conventions and is purely based on the author's reasons, reflections, and ideas.

In this guide, you will discover everything crucial you need to know to write a brilliant informal essay.

What is an informal essay?

An informal essay is an essay that is written for enjoyment rather than to argue or support a thesis with scholarly evidence. The essay is usually personal in nature and based on memory. A good example of an informal essay is – The happiest day of my life.

To write this essay, you simply need to recall the happiest day of your life and then write about it chronologically. As you can see, you don’t have to do much research to write an informal essay.

The fact that an informal essay is written for enjoyment does not mean that it does not have a set structure. The typical informal essay is a five-paragraph essay with three key parts – introduction, body, and conclusion. In terms of word count, the essay is often between 700 and 1,000 words long. The only thing informal about it is the fact that it does not need serious research. Moreover, unlike most essays, the informal can be written in a casual or conversational tone. This means that it can be written in the first and second person.

In most cases, informal essays are written for consumption by the author – to show their creativity, journal an experience, or release emotions through writing pieces.

Structure of an Informal Essay

Like most college students, you are probably used to following the five-paragraph essay structure that most professors recommend for formal essays . While using this structure to write your informal essay is okay, it is not necessary. The rationale for this is that the informal essay is informal and doesn’t follow any rigid structure.

Informal essays involve subjective opinions or ideas through prose. Some common examples of informal essays include impromptu speeches, diary entries, journals, social media posts, personal essays, and personal notes.

While the informal essay does not have a rigid structure or format, it must include four elements – topic, introduction, body, and conclusion.

The informal essay must have a title. It might be informal and without a structure, but it must have a title, and the title must be specific. By giving your informal essay a title, you are basically creating a compass that you can always refer to when writing your essay to ensure you are in the right direction. If, for example, you want to argue a point but are unsure whether it deserves to be in your essay, you can refer to your title to evaluate its importance. If the point helps to contribute to your title, you should include it in your essay. If it doesn’t, you should quickly ignore it.

2. Introduction

The informal essay must have an introduction . In other words, it must simply have a paragraph presenting what you will discuss in the body section. When writing the introduction of an informal essay, there is no specific formula to follow. The only thing that you must do is to make the introduction as interesting as possible. You can do this using a relevant quote, an interesting fact, or a related statistic.

In the body of your informal essay, you must go all out to tell the story you set out to tell in the introduction. You must do the title justice; you must make sure that anyone who reads your essay will agree that what you discuss or talk about in the body section is exactly what they expected. While there is no specific structure to follow when writing the body paragraphs of your informal essay, the best way to write them is chronological. This is because chronologically written paragraphs are easy to follow.

4. Conclusion

After writing your essay, you must write the conclusion part of your essay. The conclusion is usually the easiest part to write when writing an essay. This is because all you need to do is to summarize what you have written in the body section or body paragraphs. After doing this, you simply need to end your essay with a powerful closing sentence to complete it.

The Steps to Take to Write an Informal Essay

An informal essay is written in a conversational tone, which is laid-back, entails breaking academic writing rules, and sounds like everyday communication. You can use informal transition words, short sentences, contractions, common and cliché words, adages, expressions, and personal examples.

Here are the steps to take if assigned to write an informal essay.

1. Choose a topic

When you are asked to write an informal essay, you are normally allowed to choose your own topic. If this is the case, you should choose a topic that is very interesting to you. Because by doing so, the fact that the topic is interesting to you will result in you naturally writing an interesting essay. And interesting is what you want your informal essay to be to get a top grade.

Below the informal essay sample that follows this guide is a list of exciting informal essay topics. This list should inspire you to develop your own exciting informal essay topic; a topic that will make your essay interesting.

2. Create an outline for your informal essay

After choosing an interesting or exciting topic, you should create an outline for your informal essay . An essay outline is an essay writing plan. It highlights what you will include in the introduction section, the body section, and the conclusion section of your essay. To create an outline, provide a short summary of what you will include in your introduction paragraph, your three body paragraphs, and your conclusion paragraph.

But how do you know what you will include in your informal essay paragraphs? Well, it depends. If you are writing an informal essay based on a personal experience topic, you must recall as many details as possible about the experience to plan your essay. If you are writing an informal essay based on an academic topic, you will need thorough research to find as many details as possible about the topic to plan your essay.

3. Write the first draft of your essay

After creating a comprehensive outline for your informal essay, you should write the first draft of your essay. Do this by first writing your essay introduction. After writing your essay introduction, you should write its body paragraphs and the conclusion.

Writing the first draft of your informal essay after creating an outline for it should be a relatively straightforward job. You need to follow the outline like a map and use information from it to begin and structure your paragraphs.

The body paragraphs of an informal essay should each express your main message, perspective, or point of view. You can use persuasive writing skills to convince your readers. It would help to think of the topic as a forum thread where you defend your personal views against opposing opinions. Therefore, you must develop resilient supportive facts to defend your stance.

When developing the body paragraphs, you are allowed to use informal language. You should write short, clear, concise sentences, as long formulations are boring and misleading. You should center your discussions around some emotional vibe, express your personality, and write with vigor and respect.

Following your outline will make your informal essay well-organized and structured. However, it won’t guarantee flow in your essay. You will have to create a flow with your writing and transition words. Also, it won’t automatically give your essay a conversational and laid-back tone. You have to do this on your own using conversational words and writing.

Related Articles:

• Using I in an essay.
• How to format paragraphs for better readership.
• Steps to come up with a great thesis statement.

4. Edit your essay

After writing the first draft of your essay, you should edit it thoroughly. Do this by reading it to eliminate ambiguous and unclear words and statements. After reading it to eliminate unclear words, you should read it to remove all types of grammatical and punctuation errors.

The next thing you need to do with regard to editing your essay is to review it one more time using Grammarly.com or similar software. This will help you to catch the errors you may have missed and to correct them.

After proofreading your essay using Grammarly.com, it will be ready for submission.

Informal Essay Example

Title: Benefits of living in a remote location They say no man is an island. While living in a community surrounded by friends and neighbors is a good thing with many benefits, living alone in a remote location also has its benefits. I have been living alone in a remote Pacific island for the last eight months, and the experience has been bliss. The island has a single cabin research station with basic amenities and a satellite connection. The nearest settled island is over 500 kilometers away. I had doubts when I first stepped on the island. I thought I wouldn’t last long. However, this has obviously not been the case. My stay on this island has been quite amazing. I have enjoyed many benefits, including improved mental health, improved safety, and a low cost of living. When I was living in Sydney, Australia, I was in a bad place mentally because I felt a lot of pressure to succeed. I also felt depressed and was frequently on depression medication. Living in a remote location has changed all this. I no longer feel any pressure. I no longer feel depressed or miserable. Just about every day is a good day nowadays. I wake up, check equipment, spend hours on the beach, and eat fresh food I grow in the station’s garden. I feel amazing mentally. I feel like a new person because life is so slow-paced on this island and devoid of the pressures of city life. Regarding safety, I believe living alone on a remote island is much safer than living in a big town or city. I feel safer on this island because there is literally no one around to cause me harm. I do not have to look over my shoulder when walking, sleeping, or doing anything on this isolated island. I also have no reason to watch the news, so I am not exposed to the constant reports of insecurity that city dwellers are exposed to. Not being exposed to constant reports of insecurity makes me feel even safer. Furthermore, in case of any emergency, there is an emergency number I can call at any time of the day to request urgent help. Lastly, regarding the cost of living, living isolated on a remote island is much cheaper than city or town living. I literally do not pay any rent on this island. I also grow much of my own food, and supplies are brought to me biweekly. Furthermore, I do not pay taxes and am not exposed to constant adverts that force city dwellers to make impulse purchases. And even if I want to purchase something, I wouldn’t because it probably wouldn’t have much use on a remote, isolated island. In conclusion, living in a remote location is very beneficial. If you choose to do this, you will be happier, safer, and less stressed financially. I can only equate it to living in paradise.

Informal Essay Topics

Below are some informal essay topics you can use as inspiration to come up with your own informal essay topic if asked to choose your own topic by your professor.

• The best meals in our college cafeteria
• Celebrities who are excellent role models
• My religion and why I love it
• My thoughts on marriage and divorce
• The best day in my college life
• The most embarrassing incident in my life
• How parents can understand their children better
• Why my mother is the most important person to me
• The most famous African American inventors
• Entrepreneurs who changed the world
• Alcoholism among teenagers
• Why home education is bad
• Elon Musk and life on Mars
• The Illuminati and other conspiracy theories
• Legal migration and its benefits
• Mental health in the USA
• Communism and its benefits
• The United Nations and its failures
• Gender violence in California
• Freedom of speech around the world
• The effects of sanctions on Cuba
• Education during the peak of the pandemic
• East African culture
• Why the death penalty should be abolished everywhere
• Abortion and the right to life
• What would I do if I became a millionaire overnight?
• Why soccer is the most popular sport in the world
• The pros and cons of video gaming
• The Second Amendment and its protections
• Why I would like to become a doctor
• Why I love intermittent fasting
• How I won a half marathon when undergoing chemotherapy
• Lessons from my close friend who betrayed me
• How I plan to win the next marathon
• The car I love most
• My dream job
• Places I would like to visit
• Why I love my step-dad
• The last day at my first job

Dos and don’ts when writing an informal essay

• Do write your essay in the first person. This will make it clearly informal and casual. It will also make it read much better.
• Do write short sentences. Long sentences will make your essay difficult to read. In contrast, short sentences will make your writing easier to read and more casual (which is something you want when writing an informal essay).
• Do rewrite your essay. After writing your informal essay, you should read through it to make it flawless. Do this by editing or rewriting anything that appears out of place in your essay.
• Do proofread your essay. After you are done improving the flow of your essay, you should read it one more time to ensure it has zero grammar, punctuation, and formatting errors.
• Do ensure your essay is chronological. While it is unnecessary to make your informal essay chronological, making it chronological will make it easy to read and understand.
• Do use humor. It is okay to use humor in an informal essay. But you should only do it sparingly to avoid making your essay sound like a comedy script.
• Do use conversational language. Using conversational language will make your article to read like a blog, which is a good thing when writing an informal essay. But do not go overboard with conversational language. It could make your essay difficult to understand.
• Do read any informal essay examples. Before you write your informal essay, you should try to find and read informal essay examples online. This will help to make it easy for you to write your essay because it shows you the pattern you need to follow.
• Do let your personality show. If you have a way of expressing your ideas, arguments, and so on, you should let your personality show in your writing. Let your writing be as unique as it can be. Do not try to make your essay look or even feel academic. Just write it as you would write a blog to be read by a friend. This will help make your essay delightfully informal.                                                                                                                     
• Don’t forget to ensure a good flow throughout. While an informal essay doesn’t have a set structure, it must have a good flow. Therefore, you should ensure your essay is understandable throughout.
• Don’t forget to edit your essay. The best informal essays are flawless ones. So after writing your essay, you should read it severally to edit it and ensure it is flawless.
• Don’t make it formal. When writing informal essays, many students usually use the conventional academic language they use in formal essays. This is not right. You should try hard to make your essay as flawless as possible.
• Don’t forget to include a thesis . At the end of your introduction, you should have a thesis statement, and your entire essay should be centered on this statement. A thesis is what distinguishes an informal essay from a blog article.
• Don’t include weak arguments. It is important to ensure that your essay only contains strong arguments. Doing this will ensure you get a top grade. If you include weak arguments, you risk getting an average grade.

Parting Words!

Writing a good informal essay is not an easy job. It will require you to know the structure and style you must follow when writing an informal essay. Fortunately, you now know these two things. You also know exactly how to go about writing an informal essay. So go ahead and write yours. If you get stuck at any point, hire us to help you.

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How to Write an Informal Essay

An informal essay can be about a wide range of topics, from the deeply personal to the outwardly political. “Informal” doesn’t mean that it can’t also be informative or persuasive. It merely refers to the style in which the essay is written: in first-person and without necessarily having to adhere to the traditional five-paragraph structure.

Your writing style in your informal essay should also be “informal”. Using slang and colloquialisms is generally permitted in this type of essay (though make sure you use good judgement and refrain from offensive or explicit language). A conversational tone, as though you were explaining something to a friend, is about the right tone for an informal essay. In fact, in this type of essay, it’s generally best to steer clear of overly academic writing. You want to make the subject as accessible to the average person as possible.

If your teacher has assigned you to write an informal essay, they may not give you very many guidelines besides a word count. In case you’re lost on how to write this type of essay, here are some tips on how to choose a topic, how to structure your essay and other ways to write your informal essay successfully.

Buy Informal essay

Think about subjects that are important to you or that you generally have a lot to say about. Are you always getting into arguments about politics? Do you constantly chastise your younger sister for putting the toilet roll on “the wrong way”? Think about anything you have a relatively strong opinion about and make a list:

• Why There Is a RIGHT Way to Hang the Toilet Roll
• Why I’m a Vegan
• What Happened When I Started Going to Church
• How I Learned to Respect My Step-Mother
• Why I Love Soccer (or any other sport or activity)
• What I Learned From Traveling Abroad
• Why I Voted for X Candidate
• Lessons From My Grandmother
• Why I Abstain From Drinking
• Why I Believe in Reincarnation
• What I Learned From My First Job
• How I Plan to Save the Planet

You should also make a list of reasons why you are vegan and think about certain things that you face as a vegan such as difficulty finding vegan options in restaurants or supermarkets, stigma from your family and/or friends, etc.

• Introduction – Share some of the difficulties of being a vegan but that you still choose to be one.
• First Supporting Paragraph – Strongest reason why you’re a vegan (health reasons) and some statistics or research on it.
• Second Supporting Paragraph – Second strongest reasons why you’re a vegan (against animal cruelty)- and how that extends to things beyond just not eating animal products but also not using cosmetics tested on animals and not wearing clothing made from animal products
• Third Supporting Paragraph – How being a vegan affects your lifestyle, your relationships with friends, family and significant others. What are the challenges you face?
• Conclusion – Why you still choose to be vegan and how you see more and more people opting for a vegan lifestyle (quote some statistics) making it easier for vegans to choose veganism.

This above is merely a suggested outline. Your informal essay might have more or less paragraphs, depending on how you choose to structure it.

Writing an informal essay still requires the reader to follow the logic of your thoughts, so help them along by using transition words. Transition words are like sign posts that tell the reader what to expect next. Word like “similarly”, “additionally” and “furthermore” signal that you’re about to present more evidence to support an idea. Words like “on the other hand”, “unlike…” and “conversely” signal that you’re about to present evidence to the contrary. Words like “first”, “second” or “next” give order to your thoughts.

Too formal The digestive peptides required to process meat can cause free radicals to reproduce in the human body, a phenomena that fails to occur when digesting vegetables.

• Peer edit – It would be great if you could show your essay to a friend and ask them how easy your essay was to understand, if it sounds conversational or if it’s too academic.
• Be flexible – Think about if you need to add something or take something away. Remember that informal essays don’t need to follow the five-paragraph essay structure so if your essay would be made better by adding another paragraph or taking one away, then by all means, do it.

Anyone can write a successful informal essay. Things like reading other informal essays, making lists for possible topics, choosing the best topic for you, making an outline, writing using informal language and the occasional transition word and editing for tone and structure can help earn you a top score on your informal essay. Good luck and Happy Writing!

•    
• Informal Essay

The informal essay is written mainly for enjoyment. This is not to say that it cannot be informative or persuasive; however, it is less a formal statement than a relaxed expression of opinion, observation, humor or pleasure. A good informal essay has a relaxed style but retains a strong structure, though that structure may be less rigid than in a formal paper.

The informal essay tends to be more personal than the formal, even though both may express subjective opinions. In a formal essay the writer is a silent presence behind the words, while in an informal essay the writer is speaking directly to the reader in a conversational style. If you are writing informally, try to maintain a sense of your own personality. Do not worry about sounding academic, but avoid sloppiness.

The essay, which follows is an opinion piece that was written for The Globe and Mail. The style is therefore journalistic but aimed at a fairly sophisticated readership. Paragraphs are short, as is normal in a newspaper with its narrow columns, and the tone is more conversational than would be appropriate for a formal essay. Notice the clear statement of the thesis, the concrete illustrations in the body of the essay, and the way the conclusion leads to a more general statement of what is perhaps to come in the future. It is included here both because it is a good example of the essay form and because it explores the kind of problem you will come up against as you try to punctuate your essays correctly.

The essay topics of the informal essay type are not limited to any specific subject, you can write your informal essay on any topic. For example, here are some popular essay topics to give you an idea:

• The Best Journey of My Life
• The Point in My Life Where I Would Start Over
• The Perfect Woman, Marriage and Divorce
• My Religion
• The Celebrities Give Us Bad Examples
• Reincarnation
• The “Delights” of Our School Cafeteria

You should be well familiar with the informal essay topic you choose. Also, you have to consider the interests of your readers. You should show your personality and the attitude in your informal essay.

Useful links

• 5-paragraph Essay
• Admission Essay
• Argumentative Essay
• Cause and Effect Essay
• Classification Essay
• Comparison Essay
• Critical Essay
• Deductive Essay
• Definition Essay
• Exploratory Essay
• Expository Essay
• Literature Essay
• Narrative Essay
• Personal Essay
• Persuasive Essay
• Research Essay
• Response Essay
• Scholarship Essay

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Extended Essay: Formal vs. Informal Writing

• Extended Essay- The Basics
• Step 1. Choose a Subject
• Step 2. Educate yourself!
• Using Brainstorming and Mind Maps
• Identify Keywords
• Do Background Reading
• Define Your Topic
• Conduct Research in a Specific Discipline
• Step 5. Draft a Research Question
• Step 6. Create a Timeline
• Find Articles
• Find Primary Sources
• Get Help from Experts
• Search Engines, Repositories, & Directories
• Databases and Websites by Subject Area
• Create an Annotated Bibliography
• Advice (and Warnings) from the IB
• Chicago Citation Syle
• MLA Works Cited & In-Text Citations
• Step 9. Set Deadlines for Yourself
• Step 10. Plan a structure for your essay
• Evaluate & Select: the CRAAP Test
• Conducting Secondary Research
• Conducting Primary Research
• Formal vs. Informal Writing
• Presentation Requirements
• Evaluating Your Work

Differences Between Informal and Formal Essays

When writing your extended essay you should use language that is formal and academic in tone.  The chart below gives you some idea of the differences between informal and formal essays. See the box below for examples of the differences in tone in informal and formal essays written on identical topics. A PDF of this chart, and the examples below, is in the box to the right , along with a list of tips for avoiding colloquial writing.

Examples of Informal and Formal Tone in Essay Writing

The following examples highlight the differences between formal and informal tone.

Language B - English

• Formal vs. Informal Writing A chart giving the differences between informal and formal essays in seven areas (author's viewpoint; subject/content (sources of evidence); tone; structure; location of the research question; vocabulary; and purpose. Also included are examples comparing informal and formal writing for essays in English, biology, and psychology.
• How to Avoid Colloquial (Informal) Writing While it may be acceptable in friendly e-mails and chat rooms, excessive colloquialism is a major pitfall that lowers the quality of formal written text. Here are some steps/tips that you can follow to help improve your overall writing.
• ~[123]~: May 8, 2024 3:48 PM
• ~[124]~: https://libguides.westsoundacademy.org/ee

How to Write an Informal Essay With a Perfect Plan

Today, we are going to talk about the type of essay that differs greatly from other types of papers. It may be a surprise for you, but an informal essay is written usually for enjoyment. This doesn’t mean that this type of essay cannot be informative or persuasive, but it is less formal than a relaxed expression of the opinion, observation, or research. A good informal essay may have a relaxed style, but it has a strong structure, though this structure can be less strict than a formal essay has. An informal essay has a tendency to be more personal than a formal one, though both can express subjective opinions. In a formal essay, a writer is silently presenting his or her thoughts behind the words; at the same time, in an informal essay, the author is connected with the reader in a conversational style.

How to Write an Informal Essay to Interest Readers

Before we are talking about how to write this type of paper, we should understand what is informal writing. Don’t worry if you are not sure what is an informal essay, as many students try to find the answer to this question. Informal writing is writing where you should reveal your ability to write informally and express your own point of view on an issue. If you write informally, try to express your own personality in the essay. Don’t worry about writing in academic style, but avoid sloppiness. Find an example of informal essay below and look through it to get a more detailed understanding of the requirements this assignment has. Our experienced team of writers is ready to assist you with academic tasks – just say, “ write my college essays “, and we’ll deliver exceptional results.

Many students may ask, “what is the difference between formal and informal essay?” The difference is in the style of writing or in how we use words to say what we want to say. Different situations require different ways of using words. The way we write in the academic or scientific purposes differs a lot from the way we write to a friend or a close person. Proper writing of the informal essay is to understand the features of the genre. Observance of the basic principles and recommendations on writing will create an interesting essay.

Get to know how to start an informal essay and what are the main stages of writing.

Steps for Writing an Informal Essay

• Select the topic. You have a great opportunity to select any topic for your paper. An informal way of writing provides a great chance to write about whatever you want. Choose a topic that will be really interesting to you. The presence of a certain narrow topic that contains the problem and prompts the reader to thinking is a great choice. If there is no list of informal writing topics among which you can choose one, and only a general direction is given, then you need to take into account which audience the essay is written for. Variants can be different: your classmates and a teacher, the commission, the literary community, the employer. If the essay is written for handing in to the teacher, then it is necessary to consider what qualities will be evaluated. Proceeding from this, the topic should be chosen in such a way that it would be possible to show those abilities that the examiner is waiting for from the author: originality, the ability to logically construct sentences, literacy, professional qualities, etc. When choosing the topic for writing an essay from the proposed list, you should choose one which you have particular knowledge in.
• Write an informal outline for essay. This part of a paper is important, because with an informal essay outline, your writing will be much easier. An outline is like a plan with which you will not forget to include all main points in your paper. It often happens that a person who has enough eloquence and the ability to express his/her thoughts on paper, has difficulty in starting the essay. Thinking about the introduction can take quite a long time, which greatly darkens the process of creative work. If you don’t know how to start an informal essay, ensure that you know what idea you want to communicate. Before you start writing an introduction, you need to formulate an idea, define a goal, and find sources of information for the work. It is important not to focus on the introductory part too long. Write an introduction including a thesis statement. Remember that the essay is distinguished precisely by the presence of the author’s view of the existing problem, his or her relation to the world, speech , and thinking.
• Write the main body of your essay using cliches, colloquialisms, and even jargon, as the format of this paper allows you to write in this way. It is necessary to avoid complicated formulations or too long sentences. It is important to follow a laid-back style to establish contact with the reader. It is important not to overdo it, however, turning the essay into a substandard text full of slang. The correct emotional color of the text will be given by short, simple, understandable sentences, and the use of different intonations in sentences. Include a detailed analysis of the problem. Your own point of view needs to be argued on the basis of factual material.
• Write a conclusion. Summarize everything that you have said before in your paper.
• Remember relative brevity of writing. There are no restrictions on the number of pages, but the informal essay is usually small in volume. An informal paper has a free construction. The informal essay has a way of presentation that does not fit into any definite framework. The construction obeys its own logic, which the author adheres to, trying to consider the problem from different angles.
• Proofread and edit your paper. Ask your friend to do it in order to find and correct more mistakes.

Informal Essay Sample

The following example of informal essay writing was created by dissertation writing services to help you handle your own paper. As this type of paper is not formal, you can find personal observations, opinions, or points of view. Use this informal essay sample as a collection of guidelines. The main thing is that this example is written in a relaxed manner, but it adheres to a particular structure. Short informal essay examples usually include the personal contact, and not the academic writing flow. You can find a subjective opinion in this type of paper, so you should write in this way as well. Our example of informal essay will help you understand how to write your own informal paper in order to get a high grade.

Click the images to see their full size.

Useful Tips for Informal Essay Writing

• Keep in mind that informal essays can be written in the first person, so using “I think that…” “In my opinion…” and “I believe…” are welcome.
• Sentences of your essay should not be too long, especially in the case of run-on sentences. At the same time – they should not be too short. Varying your sentence lengths is a good practice.
• Reread your essay at the end of your writing process. Ask yourself whether the tone is too formal or too informal. Make all necessary changes if needed.
• Add personality to your essay! Don’t know what it means? Well, an informal essay gives you a chance to personalize your writing, using words and phrases which are used only by you. In this way, you will have a unique piece of writing on a particular topic. Be creative!
• All statements that you include in your paper should be clear and realistic.
• Despite the free composition, the informal essay must have internal unity, with consistency of the author’s statements expressing his or her opinion.
• The author does not insist on his/her point of view, but uses a method as if inviting the reader to think about and discuss it.

Typical Mistakes for Writing an Informal Essay

• The absence of links between the substantive parts of the essay: introduction and conclusion, and the main part of the essay with the conclusion.
• Having proportionality of parts of the essay which should not be equal in length. The introduction and conclusion in the aggregate should be no more than one-third of the entire work. The main part is two-thirds.
• Inability to strictly follow the theme of writing in the course of reasoning.
• Inability to compositionally structure an essay in accordance with the theme and the main idea.
• Vast amounts of unnecessary information in the introduction and conclusion. However, too short and too unreasonable a conclusion is also inappropriate. It must really summarize and sum up all the work. The absence of a conclusion is a serious logical mistake. The conclusion must be meaningful in accordance with the introduction, topic, and main body of the essay.
• Absence of a problem in the introduction (this is the topic itself) and the formulation of a key thesis, which will be proved there.
• Indistinct formulation of theses, making it difficult to integrate them into the logical structure of the work. If there are several theses, then there should not be a contradiction between the theses formulated in different parts of the paper.
• Weak arguments. They are such if they do not prove or confirm, unconvincingly or superficially, the thesis.
• Unreasonable repetitions of the same thoughts.
• Errors in the division of the text into paragraphs and even the complete absence of paragraphs.
• Inability to operate with abstract concepts.
• The non-distinction between the concepts “example” and “argument,” and inability to formulate a micro-output, on the basis of an example, correlated with the thesis put forward.

Now you know what is an informative essay and how to write it correctly. You may also be interested in our guide about gender-sensitive language or informal report topics to complete your perfect paper.

You will also find more informative essay samples below.

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• The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples

The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

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Table of contents

Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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Does APA style have a simplified short-paper format?

I teach a course in college writing. My students must learn to write papers for college following APA format.

I recall that, as a student, my instructors were never very consistent in their requirements for the format. For example, some instructors required a cover page if the paper exceeded 5 pages or so, but otherwise preferred a heading like this, even if they said they requested APA format:

I encountered other instructors who required a complete cover page, abstract, introduction, and conclusion, in 500 word essays.

Does APA have any special specification for shorter essays? If so, at what point is the paper short enough to do away with these extra parts?

From an on-line search of APA style guides it appears that the APA style-guide is set up for research papers that would include a title page and abstract.

It appears though that most universities that I searched either had a defined page count before an abstract page was needed or said to check with the course instructor.

These are just a sample of some;

At this private college the exceptions from an abstract are where,

Smaller essays (3 pages or less) Informal writings (in almost all instances, the paper will be 3 pages or less). Papers over 3 pages in length that are formatted in APA style but do not contain a citation or reference.

At Western Oregon University they have two sample papers, one for a short paper (without abstract) and one for a formal paper (with abstract)

Lastly ,as an example, these two colleges Capital Community College and Empire State College state that the student should check if an abstract is needed.

Connecticut

Check with your instructor to see if an abstract and/or keywords are required elements of your paper.

Empire State

Be sure to ask your mentor whether or not s/he requires an abstract.

So while it appears that APA does not have any special short paper format it appears , from samples above, that institutions either have a formal policy or leave it to the discretion of the instructor.

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Headings identify the content within sections of a paper.

Make your headings descriptive and concise. Headings that are well formatted and clearly worded aid both visual and nonvisual readers of all abilities.

Levels of heading

There are five levels of heading in APA Style. Level 1 is the highest or main level of heading, Level 2 is a subheading of Level 1, Level 3 is a subheading of Level 2, and so on through Levels 4 and 5.

The number of headings to use in a paper depends on the length and complexity of the work.

• If only one level of heading is needed, use Level 1.
• If two levels of heading are needed, use Levels 1 and 2.
• If three levels of heading are needed, use Levels 1, 2, and 3 (and so on).

Use only the number of headings necessary to differentiate distinct sections in your paper; short student papers may not require any headings. Furthermore, avoid these common errors related to headings:

• Avoid having only one subsection heading within a section, just like in an outline.
• Do not label headings with numbers or letters.
• Double-space headings; do not switch to single spacing within headings.
• Do not add blank lines above or below headings, even if a heading falls at the end of a page.

Headings are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Sections 2.26 and 2.27 and the Concise Guide Sections 1.25 and 1.26

Related handouts

• Heading Levels Template: Student Paper (PDF, 257KB)
• Heading Levels Template: Professional Paper (PDF, 213KB)

Format of headings

The following table demonstrates how to format headings in APA Style.

Note. In title case, most words are capitalized .

Headings in the introduction

Because the first paragraphs of a paper are understood to be introductory, the heading “Introduction” is not needed. Do not begin a paper with an “Introduction” heading; the paper title at the top of the first page of text acts as a de facto Level 1 heading.

It is possible (but not required) to use headings within the introduction. For subsections within the introduction, use Level 2 headings for the first level of subsection, Level 3 for subsections of any Level 2 headings, and so on. After the introduction (regardless of whether it includes headings), use a Level 1 heading for the next main section of the paper (e.g., Method).

Creating accessible headings

Writers who use APA Style may use the automatic headings function of their word-processing program to create headings. This not only simplifies the task of formatting headings but also ensures that headings are coded appropriately in any electronic version of the paper, which aids readers who use navigation tools and assistive technologies such as screen readers. 

Here are some tips on how to create headings in some common word-processing programs:

• If you use Academic Writer to write your APA Style papers, the headings menu in the Writing Center will format headings for you in 7th edition APA Style.
• Follow these headings directions from Microsoft to customize the heading formats for your future use.
• To apply Level 4 and 5 headings (which are inline headings, meaning the heading appears on the same line as paragraph text), first type the heading and a few words of the text that follows. Then highlight the text that you want to be your heading and select the appropriate heading level from the Styles menu. Only the highlighted text will be formatted as the Level 4 or 5 heading.

How to Write a Formal Essay: Format, Rules, & Example

If you’re a student, you’ve heard about a formal essay: a factual, research-based paper written in 3rd person. Most students have to produce dozens of them during their educational career. 

Writing a formal essay may not be the easiest task. But fear not: our custom-writing team is here to guide you through the process. This article will:

• explain what a formal essay is;
• show how to write it step by step;
• provide you with an essay sample. 

👔 Formal Essay Definition

• ✅ How to Write
• ✍️ Writing Rules
• 🖥️ Essay Format
• 📑 Sample Paper

🔍 References

A formal essay is a well-structured piece of writing with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. This type of essay often includes cited research, uses an academic tone, and is written in 3rd person. While writing a formal essay, it’s necessary to back up your arguments with factual evidence.

What Is an Informal Essay vs. Formal Essay?

Essays come in two formats: formal and informal (also known as personal .) They differ in terms of style and context. You can choose one of the formats depending on the situation and the type of paper you need to write.

Don’t know how to tell the difference between them? Well, here are some key characteristics of these essay types:

As you can see, these types of writing are almost total opposites. Informal essays are only reserved for creative assignments, which means that most of the papers you write need to be formal.

Our article on creative essays can help you write an informal paper. But how do you craft a perfect formal essay? Keep reading to find out.

✅ How to Write a Formal Essay

Traditionally, a formal essay it’s composed of 3 sections: an introduction, 3 or more body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Let’s examine each part in detail.

Formal Essay Introduction

The introduction is what your essay starts with. Its primary goal is to catch the reader’s attention with a hook, briefly introduce the topic, and lead toward the thesis statement located at the end of the first paragraph.

Here is what you might want to keep in mind while writing the introduction:

If you want some more inspiration for your introduction, check out our article on hooks in writing .

Now on to the thesis statement : the key idea of your essay. When working on it, keep in mind that it should answer the central question in your topic and reflect your essay’s overall structure. your essay’s overall structure.

Suppose your topic is related to the teaching methods involving poetry. In that case, the thesis statement can be like this:

Teaching methods that involve reading and writing poetry in elementary school are beneficial for children as they enhance their capacity for empathy, develop creativity, and help with self-realization.

Formal Essay Body

The next part of an essay is the main body paragraphs. They support the thesis statement with well-developed arguments and explore the topic in-depth. Each body paragraph starts with a topic sentence stating its main point. The length of a paragraph can vary, but the best option is to have between 4 and 7 sentences.

To make the text flow easily, you may use transitional words. Here are some examples:

• after all, 
• for instance, 
• on the one/other hand, 
• initially, 
• as a result.

How to Write a Formal Essay Conclusion

Lastly, every essay needs closure. A good conclusion summarizes the essay’s main ideas, includes a paraphrased thesis, and encourages the readers to think more about the topic.

The structure of a conclusion may change slightly depending on the subject. For instance, it can suggest some solutions to a problem, express an opinion, or give a recommendation. It’s important to remember that the conclusion is a part that emphasizes your essay’s most important points and doesn’t introduce new information.

If you’re curious about writing each essay part, check out our article on 5-paragraph essays .

✍️ Formal Writing Rules

Just like choosing the proper attire to wear to a formal event, we need to use the right words while writing a formal essay. Here are some suggestions that can help you maintain a formal tone in your paper:  

Dos of formal writing

• Pay attention to your vocabulary. The words you will use in a formal essay will likely have a nuanced meaning. Make sure you know exactly what the terms mean, and do your best to sound precise.
• Use punctuation correctly. Here are some of the things to watch out for: Avoid exclamation marks; Use dashes for insertions; Use colons with enumerations; If you’re unsure of whether to use a punctuation mark or not, rewrite the sentence in a way that doesn’t require it.
• Use varied sentence structure. In formal writing, there is always a danger of sounding monotonous. Avoid repeating sentence structures to make your essay more readable.
• Provide references. It’s essential to cite every idea that you borrow. Try to paraphrase quotations from your sources: it will help you avoid plagiarism.

Don’ts of formal writing

• Avoid using pronouns.  With words such as “I,” “me,” “we,” or “us,” an essay becomes wordy. It also makes the author seem less sure of their ideas. If you want to use personal pronouns, try substituting them with words like “the reader,” “viewers,” or “one.”
• Avoid using slang expressions and nonstandard diction. Slang words in a formal essay will make it less appealing to the readers. If you want to be taken seriously, it’s best to avoid those expressions and use proper Standard English.
• Avoid informal tone.  When you write a formal essay, incorporate the language and the expressions you would use while delivering a speech, not the words you use when you casually talk to friends. A formal tone suggests that the author is serious about the topic and respects the audience.
• Avoid passive voice. Passive verbs are hard to read, and they are wordy. Use active voice to sound more straightforward and concise.

Contractions in Formal Writing

A contraction is usually a combination of two words into one, such as “don’t,” “isn’t,” “can’t,” and “wouldn’t.” When you work on a formal essay, it’s essential to be careful about contractions. It’s inappropriate to use them in academic writing, so it’s best to stick to the full variant.

However, there are exceptions to this rule. For instance, when working with direct quotations, it’s essential to reproduce words exactly as they are used in the original. To learn more about it, be sure to check out the University of North Florida’s article on in-text citations .

What to Use Instead of “You” in an Essay

Another common mistake students make is using the “you” and “yours” pronouns to address the readers. This mistake can make the essay overly informal and lead to misinterpretations of the text.

How do you fix it? Our advice is to replace 2nd-person pronouns with the following words:

• individuals,

You can find more formal writing tips in this informative video from Smrt English:

🖥️ Formal Essay Format

Now that we’ve discussed formal essay writing in detail, it’s time to look at the formatting. A formal essay is usually written in MLA or APA formats. If you’re asked to write a paper in one of these formats, you may find the guidelines below helpful:

📑 Formal Essay Example

Here is an excellent sample of a formal essay that uses all the guidelines mentioned in this article. It will help you to produce a perfect paper of your own:

For more information, check out Purdue OWL’s resources on various formatting styles .

Formal Essay Topics

• Stress management techniques
• The effects of coffee 
• Negative effects of technology on children
• Causes and outcomes of organizational conflicts in sports
• Different types of friends
• Same-sex marriages in the United States
• Are early marriages harmful or beneficial?
• How do nutrition and hydration improve athletes’ performance? 
• Is polygamy morally acceptable?
• Different features of sports business
• What characterizes friendship in the age of media?
• Positive and negative effects of tourism on environment in the Caribbean
• How does society treat single parents?
• How does the uninvolved parenting style affect child’s future well-being?
• The role of family relationships in Odyssey
• Financial concepts in sport finance
• Main features of a strong marriage
• The importance of media coverage for sport teams
• Reasons why students choose to get internship
• The role of stadiums in the sports industry
• The multiracial family: the Carters case analysis
• Characteristics of children’s sports
• Crucial factors affecting health fitness 
• How is technology used in hotel management?
• Structure and operational context of Four Seasons
• What are the main qualities of a true friend?
• Different websites that promote rental properties
• The imperative aspects of tourism
• Importance of hotel training 
• What factors determine adolescents’ adjustment after they experience parental divorce? 
• How does tobacco use affect the human body?
• The importance of language and world view for communication
• What makes a combination of reinforcement and punishment in parenting efficient?
• The scientific approach of sports economics
• How does divorce affect children?
• Living on-campus vs. living off-campus when attending university: a comparison
• How does the New Moves program promote a healthy lifestyle? 
• How to be an effective counselor
• Various types of restaurants in Ireland
• Carolina Dog’s characteristics
• Comparison of Monzameon’s The Love Suicides at Amijima and Tartuffe by Moliere
• Comparing homosexual and heterosexual families
• How is family presented in Everyday Use by Alice Walker ?
• In what ways can Anaerobic Threshold be assessed? 
• Is bad parenting a healthcare problem? 
• Why student-athletes should benefit from sports
• Mind-body awareness and its health benefits
• Can punishment boost academic performance?
• Techniques to teach students swimming
• Issues faced by the sports licensing field

Thanks for reading through this guide! We hope that you found it helpful and now have a better idea of how to write an excellent formal essay. Don’t hesitate to share our article with a friend who may need it. Good luck!

Further reading:

• How to Write a Critical Thinking Essay: Examples & Outline
• What Is a Discourse Analysis Essay: Example & Guide
• How to Write a Narrative Essay Outline: Template & Examples
• How to Write a Précis: Definition, Guide, & Examples 

❓ Formal Essay FAQs

It’s best not to use pronouns such as “I,” “my,” “we,” “our,” etc., in a formal essay since it give the paper an informal tone and the text becomes wordy. It also makes the writer seem less sure about their ideas.

It’s better to avoid using parentheses and dashes in formal academic writing. If the information you want to include in the essay is important enough, it should be a part of the sentence. Otherwise, you can simply omit it.

The formal and informal essays differ in style and context. While a formal essay is a piece of well-structured writing that tries to convince the reader by providing arguments, an informal essay has no set structure. It reflects the author’s personal thoughts or opinions.

Starting your sentence with “because” in formal writing is not the best idea. The word “because” is a subordinate conjunction, which means it’s used to join the main clause to a subordinate clause, not to start a sentence.

It’s best to avoid using 1st- and 2nd-person pronouns, slang expressions, nonstandard diction, and contractions in a formal essay. They are primarily used in daily speech and are considered inappropriate in academic writing. 

• Point of View in Academic Writing: St. Louis Community College
• Components of a Good Essay: University of Evansville
• Introductions & Conclusions: University of Arizona Global Campus
• How to Improve Your Academic Writing: University of York
• Nine Basic Ways to Improve Your Style in Academic Writing: University of California, Berkeley
• Academic Writing Style: Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: University of Southern California
• Formal and Informal Style: Northern Illinois University
• Formal Writing: Davenport University: LibGuides
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Jan 18, 2023

Writing an informal email with 5 sample emails

Need to know the difference between a formal and informal email? Read on to find out.

Lawrie Jones

Table of contents

What to know about writing an informal email

Need to know the difference between a formal and informal email? It's all about communication and context.

Informal emails are those sent to someone you have a relationship with, including a friend, family member, colleague, and even a trusted client. Sure, you'll need to stick to the established email format, but you can be more honest, open, and engaging.

In this guide to writing informal emails, we explain the difference between an informal and a formal email.

Then, once that's cleared up, we outline the informal email format and provide 5 suitable informal email samples.

When can you send an informal email?

It's not about whether you can send informal emails but whether you should. Email etiquette suggests that you should only send informal emails to people you have a relationship with.

TLDR: it's all about understanding your audience and the context of your communication

Let's put it this way. You're naturally comfortable talking to your family, friends, or trusted colleagues and will communicate informally. But, on the other hand, you'll communicate formally with your boss, director, CEO, or another professional.

Informal emails are those you send to someone you know and trust. Formal emails are sent to people you don't know, including those in positions of authority.

The difference between formal and informal emails

There's a huge difference between formal and informal emails.

Most formal emails follow a standard format (we're looking at you, Jeff !).

They're written by professionals, for professionals, and have a specific purpose. You start with a formal greeting, provide clear instructions about what you want, and finish with a suitable sign-off.

Formal emails are used extensively in business, and (if we're honest) they can be boring. It's no bad thing, though. Imagine the pressure of having to expertly craft hundreds of unique emails a day? When we're at work or messaging a professional, it's much easier to stick to the formal email format.

When writing informal emails, these rules don't apply. Because you're writing to someone you know, you can find the fun in functional.

You can enjoy greater freedom in how you greet people, convey your message, and sign off (something we explore below in our informal email examples).

Of course, there's usually a reason why you want to send any email, such as asking for something, requesting a favor, or inviting someone out for lunch.

In these situations (and thousands of others), you'll still want to follow the standard rules – even in your informal emails.

Informal email writing format samples

You can create informal emails any way you please, but it's a good idea to stick to some structure. Why?

Because even informal emails are about getting an outcome (a response, an appointment, or an agreement).

Thankfully, the informal email format is close to the formal email format. There are three parts: the subject line, an email greeting (and body), and a closing line.

1. Informal email subject lines

Subject lines for informal emails can include anything you want. But, in the real world, you'll still want to keep them simple and to the point.

So let's take an example of replying informally to a job offer.

• Thanks for your job offer (I'd love to accept)
• We'll be working together soon...
• I can't wait to join you at (company name)

You don't need to try and be too funny, but these subject lines will at least raise a smile. (If you're still thinking about the difference between an informal and formal email, can you imagine sending this to a recruiting manager at a top firm? We can't.)

2. Informal email greetings

Formal emails will often use traditional greetings, such as 'Dear,' but in informal emails, you can greet people how you want to. You can use the following:

• How are you doing?
• What's up? (Maybe leave this one, it's not the 80s)

Because you know the person, you can get personal – but as we explain above, you'll still want your informal emails to have some structure.

It's a good idea to explain what you're emailing about, or the recipient could think you're just being sociable.

• I've just opened your job offer email, and I'm 100% going to accept!

You'll want to follow this up with some information you may have been asked for or some extra details. (Check out the sample informal job offer email sample to see how this works.)

3. Informal email closing lines

Your closing lines and email endings are all about pushing for future contact. Forget 'yours faithfully' and use your imagination! Here are common phrases for ending informal emails:

• I look forward to hearing from you
• I can't wait for your reply
• I'm excited to hear from you

5 informal email examples

Informal emails are about sharing something of your personality, so these samples should fire off your inspiration. We've identified 5 everyday situations where an informal email may be suitable, including accepting a job, inviting someone for lunch, and contacting a client or customer.

You can use these informal email writing examples in your everyday.

1. Informal job acceptance email sample

Accepting a job by email is typically done formally, but if you're taking a promotion from a personal friend, this informal job acceptance email sample is fine.

Don't get too excited and forget to add the details (and confirm you're taking the role!).

2. Thank you email after an informal interview

Sometimes, you'll do an informal interview before entering the formal interview process. These are all about discovering who you are and your suitability for a role before you take the time to complete an application.

If you've completed an informal interview, feel free to send a casual 'thanks for interview' reply !

3. Informal lunch invitation email sample

This informal lunch invitation email to colleagues can be used for special occasions, such as celebrating your (or a colleague's) birthday, a leaving meal, or a workplace social.

If you're making the booking, be sure to get all the information you need.

4. Informal business email example

Who says business emails need to be boring? If you've developed a strong relationship with a customer, client, or supplier, you can write informal business emails (if you want to).

Relationships are vital to growing business, so these friendly emails can benefit your business.

5. Respond to informal job offer email sample

An informal job offer could be given verbally, by email (or even by shining a special light in the sky). Informal job offers are, by nature, non-committal, so you're not dealing with an HR team or senior management.

Here's how to respond to an informal job offer by email.

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