Formal and informal language · Grade 6
We choose our words for the reader. Informal language is relaxed and chatty, for friends and family: contractions, slang and phrasal verbs. Formal language is careful and polite, for people we don't know, schools, companies and exams: full forms, precise words and longer sentences.
Key facts
- Contractions are informal; full forms are formal: can't → cannot, we're → we are.
- Formal words often replace phrasal verbs: put off → postpone, find out → discover, fill in → complete.
- Slang and chatty phrases (gonna, awesome, grab your stuff) never go in formal writing.
- Formal phrases: I am writing to…, Please do not hesitate to contact us., I look forward to hearing from you.
- The subjunctive is formal: If I were you…, I wish I were…, It is essential that he be on time.