<p>which one is more appropriate to use in a college essay? “dad” seems a bit too informal, but then “father” sounds a bit awkward. and if i use “dad”, should it be “Dad” or “dad”? lol any help would be appreciated !!</p>
<p>As a general rule, I’d go with ‘father’, unless it’s a very informal essay (or if your style allows it).</p>
<p>Don’t capitalise ‘dad’.</p>
<p>any. one. will. do.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>How do you call the male person that made your birth possible? However you call it, use that word…assuming it’s a word virtually everyone in the English speaking world can understand. </p>
<p>Point: IT DOES NOT MATTER. It’s more important is conveying your voice in your essay.</p>
<p>It depends on the context and the feel of the essay in total. If the sentence is about the guy who raised you, use “father”, as in “My father is a truck driver.” If it’s about his relationship to you, or it’s a quote, you can use “dad”, as in “My dad came to all my baseball games” or " ‘Dad, when do we eat?’ ".</p>
<p>Remember, though, that throwing “dad” into a formal essay will sound awkward, more so than using “father” in an informal essay. Read the essay in its entirety, and you’ll see which word sounds better.</p>
<p>I don’t know… maybe you could use dad later on in your essay, when the ad people have somewhat warmed to your personality, that way they get more of a perception of you being a human rather than an essay writer.</p>
<p>Concerning capitalization, if you use dad (or father) as a name, capitalize it.</p>
<p>“Ask your dad if you can go.”</p>
<p>“Ask Dad if you can go.”</p>
<p>I’ve always said father, so I just write it like that.</p>
<p>maybe papa?</p>
<p>…</p>