Too informal, or perfectly casual?

[HHS310]

<p>I'm kinda torn when writing my essays because I've been told to be casual, and in certain instances I want to use "I've", "don't", etc., but it seems that this might be too flippant or informal. Is it ok to use such (whatever the grammatical term for these things is)?</p>

[absent]

<p>I use contractions in my essays and find no problem with it. If contractions allow your language to flow naturally, then by all means use them. I also like the following explanation from On Writing Well:</p>

<p>

CONTRACTIONS.
Your style will be warmer and truer to your personality if you use contractions like “I’ll” and “won’t” and “can’t” when they fit comfortably into what you’re writing. “I’ll be glad to see them if they don’t get mad” is less stiff than “I will be glad to see them if they do not get mad.” (Read that aloud and hear how stilted it sounds.) There’s no rule against such informality—trust your ear and your instincts. I only suggest avoiding one form—"I’d," “he’d,” “we’d,” etc.—because “I’d” can mean both “I had” and “I would,” and readers can get well into a sentence before learning which meaning it is. Often it’s not the one they thought it was. Also, don’t invent contractions, like “could’ve.” They cheapen your style. Stick with the ones you can find in the dictionary.

</p>

[HHS310]

<p>thanks a lot</p>