• To understand how time and place (context) impact language use
• To appreciate how texts are constructed and that they are constructed differently for different purposes, audiences and contexts.
• To understand why texts are different because of the audience, purpose and contexts they are created for.

Informal Writing Style

Colloquial – Informal writing is similar to a spoken conversation.  Informal writing may include slang, figures of speech, incomplete sentences, brackets and so on.  Informal writing takes a personal tone as if you were speaking directly to your audience. You can use the first or third person point of view (I and we), and you are likely to address the reader using second person (you and your).

Simple – Short sentences are acceptable and sometimes essential to making a point in informal writing. There may be incomplete sentences or ellipsis (…) to make points.

Contractions and Abbreviations – Words are likely to be simplified using contractions (for example, I’m, doesn’t, couldn’t, it’s) and abbreviations (e.g. TV, photos) whenever possible.

Empathy and Emotion – The author can show empathy towards the reader regarding the complexity of a thought and help them through that complexity.

Formal Writing Style

Complex – Longer sentences are likely to be more prevalent in formal writing. You need to be as thorough as possible with your approach to each topic when you are using a formal style. Each main point needs to be introduced, elaborated and concluded.

Objective – State main points confidently and offer full support arguments. A formal writing style shows a limited range of emotions and avoids emotive punctuation such as exclamation points, ellipsis, etc., unless they are being cited from another source.

Full Words – No contractions should be used to simplify words (in other words use "It is" rather than "It's").  Abbreviations must be spelt out in full when first used, the only exceptions being when the acronym is better known than the full name (ABC or NATO for example).

Third Person – Formal writing is not a personal writing style.  The formal writer is disconnected from the topic and does not use the first person point of view (I or we) or second person (you).