Formal and Informal Essays

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. Characteristics Informal Essay Formal Essay
Usually first person, directly Usually uses third person
(Ljithor’s Viewpoint addresses the reader

Frequently drawn from life of the
Subject/Content writer and everyday events
Sources of Evidence
Frequently more personal and
subjective; may be ironic, amusing,
Tone thoughtful, angry or serious
Appears to be more loosely
structured
Structure
May appear anywhere in the essay;
Location of Thesis may not be explicitly stated
A number of stylistic devices widely
used to engage the reader;
Style vocabulary tends to be drawn from
everyday usage
Entertainment / gentle reflection
(JurPose
— More commonly drawn from shared
historical events, or literature, or
other forms of knowledge
Tends to be removed from the
subject and appears objective; tends
to hold emotions in check and
expresses concerns though strong
arguments
Follows a fairly rigid structure that
focuses on the development of one
clear argument at a time, to support a
clearly stated thesis
Usually stated explicitly and generally
located in the first or second
paragraph.
A number of stylistic devices widely
used to engage the reader;
vocabulary tends to be more
academic and may contain unfamiliar
words
Provokes thought and sometimes
action

The Four Types of Essays

Whether they are formal or informal, essays can be divided into four basic types, depending on the writer’s purpose: to
explain, to recount a story, to argue for a position, or to persuade.

1. The expository essay describes or explains a topic. For example, an essay entitled “The Care and Maintenance
of a Bicycle” or “How to Tame a Dragon” would be an expository essay.

2. The narrative essay (recounting) uses a single, well-told story as the basis for drawing a conclusion, or making a
statement of opinion: “My Most Exciting Bicycle Adventure” or “Adventures in Training Dragons”.

3. The argumentative essay presents a reasoned series of arguments in support of a position and can either be a
literary or a research essay. “Is Lady Macbeth to Blame for Macbeth’s Downfall?” would be an example of the
literary essay, while “The Influence of Norse Mythology in Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings” would be an example of a
research essay.

4. The persuasive essay combines reasoned arguments with the emotion required to persuade the reader to take

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action. They may also include extensive research. “Save the Ozone: Leave Your Cars at Home” would be a
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