The difference between formal and informal language

What tone should I strike with my audience?

Academic papers, news reports, and five-paragraph essays are commonly written with formal language. It is used when you are less familiar with your audience: your readers may be in your same field or industry, but they may not know you on a personal level. If you are applying to an academic program or writing a cover letter, you’re using formal language to appeal yourself to the world of higher education or business.

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By contrast, many blog posts, newsletters, and forms of persuasive essays use informal language. Anytime you’re writing to friends and loved ones will usually lean into informal language: this can encompass emails, text messages, social media, journaling, or snippets of everyday conversation. Telling a story can rely on informal language, as it relies heavily on the use of personal pronouns. And many types of essays also rely on less formal language, though still within certain grammatical confines: it all relies on knowing who might be your readers.

Examples of formal language

• Formal language uses proper grammar. Since it incorporates grammatical rules, the sentence, “Do you have a lighter?” is more formal than, “Got a light?”
• Formal language relies on a different set of vocabulary. “The comptroller passed the budget” instead of, “The comptroller ok’d the budget” is a difference between passed or ok’d.
• Politeness also goes a long way when speaking and writing formally. “Excuse me, could you please tell me where the library is?” is more formal than merely saying, “Where’s the library?”
• Formal language also spells out abbreviations, because it assumes that your audience won’t immediately know what an abbreviation is. Spelling out MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) the first time it is used is frequently found in formal writing.

Examples of informal language

• Contractions are a prime example of informal language. “I can’t do that” is an example of informal language, while “I am unable to complete that task” is formal language.
• The use of slang is a major indicator of informal language. If you’re watching a sports game and you’re excited to text your friend about a great play, you might say: “That goal was sick!” But if you’re writing a postgame report for a newspaper, you would use more formal language: “Near the end of the second quarter, the Blues scored an incredible goal with 35 seconds to go.”
• Lastly, inserting pronouns can be considered informal language. Many nonfiction pieces insert the reporter into the story, but an academic paper would use a more neutral tone: “I witnessed the Democrats take the House during the 2012 election” is an example of informal language, while “In 2012 the Democratic party secured a victory in the House of Representatives” is much more formal, as there is no interjection from the observer within the text.

No matter what audience you’re writing for, it helps to know the grammatical differences that separate formal and informal language—which can lead to distinctions between voices, adjectives, and homophones. Check out Microsoft 365 and hone your language to sharper writing.