Formal VS Informal Writing

A teacher once told me that good writers can easily distinguish the difference between formal and informal writing. Till this day, I still remembered the two examples she used to explain the two concepts to me. She said, a perfect example of a formal writing would be writer a letter to one of your favorite authors or professors who offered helpful instructions toward my education. Meanwhile, an informal writing could be writing a letter to your friend. The reason we consider it informal is because we know our friend will not judge us on our word choices as well as when we make certain errors (Ex. spelling or grammar mistakes) when we write. However, a formal writing requires carefully proofread in order to show other we know what we are talking about. As educators, we should always keep in mind who are audiences are and use the language that are appropriate for that particular audience. We may have teachers who act like our friends but just remember when we write to them we still need to use formal speech to show our respects. Overall, formal writing shows more respects, informal writing is less strict.