Learn English: Formal and informal English - ABC

Formal English is formal language which can be used in a formal setting. Here's what you need to know about formal English: A serious tone is ... Skiptomaincontent Menu Home Articles VideoCourses ListeningResources AboutUs Search More... LearnEnglish:FormalandinformalEnglish ABCEducation Posted Thu3Nov2016,7:57pm Updated Tue19Dec2017,9:14am SkipYouTubeVideo FireFoxNVDAusers-Toaccessthefollowingcontent,press'M'toentertheiFrame. Share Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Mail Whatsapp It'snotonlyimportanttolearnhowtousetheEnglishlanguage,itisalsoimportanttolearnthedifferencesbetweenformalandinformalEnglishsoyousoundappropriate.Readontolearnmore.InformalEnglishisusedwhenwe'retalkingtofriends,familyorwhenwe'reataparty.Here'swhatyouneedtoknowaboutinformalEnglish:AveryrelaxedtoneusedContractions,idioms,slangandphrasalverbsareusedregularlyUsedwhenwe’reatapartyoronwhenwe'reusingsocialmediaMorecommonlyusedwhenwe'respeakingFormalEnglishisformallanguagewhichcanbeusedinaformalsetting.Here'swhatyouneedtoknowaboutformalEnglish:Aserioustoneisusedandwe'reextremelypoliteUsedwhenwe'reatworkorgivingapresentationMorecommonlyusedwhenwritingessays,coverlettersforjobsoremailsatworkHerearesomequestionsonthistopicfromtheLearnEnglishcommunity:NimcoRaagaJamacasks:Ineedtounderstanddifferencesbetweenthetwo.Pleaseclarify.FormalEnglishoftensoundsmoreseriousandformal: Formal:Goodmorning!Howareyou? Informal:Heyhow'sitgoing? Anotherdifferenceistheuseofcontractionswhichisbasicallyshorteningwords.WhenweuseformalEnglish,wetendtosayoutallthewordsbutweusecontractionsininformalEnglish: Formal:Theywillbeattendingthemeetingtomorrow. Informal:They’llattendthemeetingtomorrow. Wealsousedifferentwordstoconveythesamemeaning.Forexample,ifwe'resayingsorry: Formal:Iwouldliketoapologiseforanyinconveniencecaused. Informal:Sorry! AlokMishrasks:Wouldyoupleaseexplainthedifferencebetweenthewords‘wanna’and‘want’?‘Wanna’and‘want’aregoodexamplesofinformalandformalEnglish.’Want’istheformalwayofsayingyouwanttodosomething.’Wanna’isAmericanslangfor'wantto'.Ifyou’rewritingaformalletterit’sbesttouse‘want’butifyou’rewritingtoyourfriend,youcanuse‘wanna’. Formal:IwanttopassmyEnglishexamtomorrow. Informal:IwannapassmyEnglishexamtomorrow. RememberswitchingbetweenformalandinformalEnglishdoesnotchangethemeaningofsomething.Wearejustusingdifferentwordstosaythesamething.Ifyoudon'tusetherightkindofEnglishinthecorrectsituation,itcouldleadtoamisunderstandingoryoumaysoundrude.FordailyEnglishlanguagelessonsandtips,likeourLearnEnglishFacebookpage,followusonTwitter,orsubscribetoourYouTubechannel.UnsplashCC: JeremyBeadle Related HowI'mlearningEnglish MembersoftheLearnEnglishcommunityshareabouttheirlearningstrategiesandmotivations. LearnEnglish:Talkingabouthouseholdchores Herearesomephrasesyoucanusewhentalkingabouthouseholdchores. LearnEnglish:5socialmediawordsexplained Doyouknowwhat's trending online?Haveyoueverpostedsomethingthat's goneviral? TermsofUse PrivacyPolicy Accessibility ABCHelp ContacttheABC ©2021ABC