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In the following video, we’ll check in on our student as she reflects on the tone of voice she’ll use in her essay. You’ll notice her struggles as she considers how she’ll keep a formal tone for an essay that requires some examples of informal language.
Just as I did when thinking about audience, I wrote down my thoughts to help me make a good plan when it comes to choosing an appropriate tone of voice for my essay. Since I am writing for an academic audience, I will need to be sure to use a formal tone and should avoid language that is really just too informal.
However, as I noted in my writing here, I will need to use slang in my analysis of the culture and the way people speak. I just need to be sure it is clear that I am quoting slang and not using slang as a part of my voice as a writer in my essay.
I will need to keep a formal tone in order to meet the expectations of my academic audience.