Formal vs Informal English

Informal English

Informal English is common in:

• conversations
• text messages
• social media
• personal emails
• communication with friends

Features may include:

• contractions
• slang
• phrasal verbs
• shorter sentences
• conversational expressions

Example:

I can't come because I've got loads of stuff to do.

This may sound perfectly natural in conversation.

Formal English

Formal English is more common in:

• academic essays
• reports
• formal presentations
• professional communication

Example:

I am unable to attend because I have several other commitments.

This version is more appropriate in a formal context.

Contractions

Informal:

• don't
• can't
• won't

Formal writing often prefers:

• do not
• cannot
• will not

However, contractions are not automatically wrong. The appropriate level of formality depends on the task.

Phrasal verbs

English contains many phrasal verbs.

Informal or neutral:

• find out
• put off
• look into

More formal alternatives:

• discover
• postpone
• investigate

Again, phrasal verbs are not inherently incorrect. Choose according to context.

Slang and conversational expressions

Expressions such as:

• loads of
• kind of
• stuff
• awesome
• guys
• gonna
• wanna

are often unsuitable in formal academic writing.

Personal language

Formal writing sometimes reduces direct personal language.

Informal:

I think this policy is a bad idea.

More formal:

This policy may have several negative consequences.

But first-person language can still be appropriate depending on the assignment.

Informal:

A lot of kids don't really care about politics because they think politicians don't listen to them.

More formal:

Many young people may feel disengaged from politics because they believe that politicians do not represent their concerns.

The meaning is similar, but the register changes.

1. Identify your audience.
2. Consider the purpose of the text or speech.
3. Decide how formal the situation requires you to be.
4. Remove slang where it does not fit.
5. Replace vague conversational expressions with precise wording.
6. Keep the language natural rather than artificially formal.

Mistake: Assuming formal writing must contain difficult words.

Formal:

The results were significant.

Unnecessarily complicated:

The outcomes constituted an exceedingly consequential phenomenon.

Formal language should still be readable.

Mistake: Using text-message language in essays.

Avoid:

gonna

wanna

u

btw

Mistake: Believing all phrasal verbs are informal.

Many phrasal verbs are completely normal in standard English. The question is whether they fit the context.

Mistake: Mixing registers randomly.

Example:

The researchers identified several significant factors, and the results were kinda weird.

The sudden shift to kinda weird sounds inappropriate.

Which sentence is most appropriate in a formal essay?

• A. Lots of people are super worried about climate change.
• B. People are freaking out about climate change.
• C. Climate change has become a major concern for many people.
• D. Climate change is kind of a big issue.

Answer: C. It communicates the same basic idea in a clear and appropriately formal register.

• Language should match audience and purpose.
• Informal English is not incorrect; it is appropriate in different situations.
• Formal English usually avoids slang and very conversational expressions.
• Do not make formal writing unnecessarily complicated.
• Consistency of register is important.