Formal and Informal English

When you communicate in English, you choose between formal and informal language. The style you use depends on your relationship with the person you are talking to and the situation. For example, you use informal English with friends and formal English for job applications or business. Formal English is generally more polite and respectful. There are four main differences between formal and informal English: vocabulary, abbreviations, sentence structure, and the use of the passive voice.

Vocabulary differences

Formal and informal English often use different words to express the same idea. You have to learn these different words to adapt your language to the situation.

Here are some common word pairs:

• get in touch (informal) - contact (formal)
• Hey, I'm getting in touch! - I am contacting you.
• ask about (informal) - inquire (formal)
• I'm asking about... - I'm inquiring about...
• job (informal) - position, vacancy, role (formal)
• I want to apply for this job. - I want to apply for this position.
• need (informal) - require (formal)
• Do you need any help? - Do you require any help?
• let know (informal) - inform (formal)
• Let me know. - Inform me.
• You can also say give me a shout (informal) or reach out to me (informal).
• start (informal) - commence (formal)
• The meeting will start soon. - The meeting will commence soon.
• say sorry (informal) - apologize (formal)
• You can say I apologize.
• If you need to express regret about something you are about to say, use regret to inform you.
• Sorry to let you know, we've lost your delivery. - We regret to inform you that your delivery has been misplaced.
• push back (informal) - postpone (formal)
• We need to push back the meeting to Wednesday. - We need to postpone the meeting until Wednesday.
• help (informal) - assist (formal)
• Help can also be a noun. The noun for assist is assistance.
• Do you need any help? - Do you require any assistance?
• call off (informal) - cancel (formal)
• We must call off the event. - We must cancel the event.

It is important to understand the difference between call off and put off / push back.

• Call off means cancel.
• Put off or push back means postpone.

Now, let's make this informal sentence formal:

• Sorry, but we must call off the event. becomes We apologize, but we must cancel the event.

Abbreviations

Informal English often uses abbreviations, which are shortened forms of words or phrases. Formal English, on the other hand, uses the full words.

Here are some common informal abbreviations and their formal equivalents:

• FYI (for your information) - For your information
• uni (university) - university
• Feb (February) - February
• ASAP (as soon as possible) - As soon as possible
• FAQ (frequently asked questions) - Frequently asked questions
• info (information) - information
• ETA (estimated time of arrival) - Estimated time of arrival
• approx (approximately) - approximately
• Tues (Tuesday) - Tuesday
• e.g. (for example) - For example
• ad (advertisement) - advertisement

Let's make this informal sentence formal:

• Can you please send the info for the ad by Fri? becomes Could you please send the information for the advertisement by Friday?

Notice that "can" was changed to "could" to make it more formal, even though it wasn't an abbreviation. This is part of being more polite in formal language.

Sentence structure

Formal English tends to use more complex sentence structures, linking ideas together with conjunctions or relative clauses. Informal English often uses shorter, simpler sentences.

Here is an example:

• I graduated. Then I worked for a small company. The company manufactures toys. (Informal)
• After graduating, I worked for a small company which manufactures toys. (Formal)

In the formal version, the sentences are joined using after and a relative clause (which manufactures toys).

Let's make this informal sentence formal:

• I'm writing to apply for the job. I saw it advertised on Shan's jobs.co.uk. becomes I am writing to apply for the position which I saw advertised.

Here's another example:

• Sorry, your delivery will be late. There are strikes. becomes We regret to inform you that your delivery will be delayed due to strikes.

Use of the passive voice

Formal English often uses the passive voice to create a more objective and distant tone. The passive voice emphasizes the action rather than the person performing the action. Informal English typically uses the active voice.

Here is an example:

• They promoted me. (Active voice, informal)
• I was promoted. (Passive voice, formal)

Let's make this informal sentence formal:

• Someone will complete your order this week. becomes Your order will be completed this week.

Here, the passive voice allows you to focus on the order's completion without stating who will do it, which makes the statement more formal and polite.

Example: Formalizing an email

Let's apply these differences to transform an informal email into a formal one.

Informal Email Snippet:

Hey Sylvie, I'm getting in touch to put back the meeting on Fri. Somebody will set another meeting up ASAP. Sorry for any probs. Give us a shout if you need more info. Chat again soon, lots of love, Shan.

Formal Email Snippet:

Dear Mrs. Wang,

I am contacting you to postpone the meeting on Friday. The meeting will be rescheduled as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please inform us if you require any further information. Kindly, Shan.

Notice the changes:

• Hey Sylvie changed to Dear Mrs. Wang (more formal address).
• I'm getting in touch changed to I am contacting you (formal vocabulary).
• put back changed to postpone (formal vocabulary).
• Somebody will set another meeting up ASAP changed to The meeting will be rescheduled as soon as possible (passive voice, formal vocabulary, full abbreviation).
• Sorry for any probs changed to We apologize for any inconvenience caused (formal vocabulary, set phrase).
• Give us a shout if you need more info changed to Please inform us if you require any further information (formal vocabulary, polite request).
• Chat again soon, lots of love, Shan changed to Kindly, Shan (formal closing).