Varieties of English

1. Standard spoken and written by the majority of educated speakers; more uniform than the nonstandard; either
formal or informal
Formal English
the language of schools and universities, of government, in legal documents, and of most businesses
uses traditional standards of correctness
characterized by complex sentences and an extensive vocabulary
Informal English
conversational in tone
uses a smaller vocabulary than formal English and generally shorter sentences
includes contractions and casual expressions
Sample Informal
Hi there.
Well, I think that teenagers have just as much
right to vote in an election as someone who's as
old as the hills! They live in the country too, you
know! And they're the future! So they're bound
to care about what's going to happen to the
country they live in when they're grown-up. But
some people think that teenagers are away with
the fairies when it comes to important things like
voting. But not all of us are. And anyway you
know some grown-ups are like that too. So I think
teenagers should be given a chance.
Cheers,
Andrew
Its Version in Formal English
Dear Sir:
Teenagers have just as much right to vote in the
election as adults. As citizens of this country,
many of us care deeply about what happens to
it. Some people think teenagers are too
irresponsible to make the important decisions
involved in voting but many of us are far more
mature than most adults. In conclusion, we
should be given a chance to prove ourselves as
the mature and responsible young people we
are.
Yours faithfully,
Andrew

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/english/writing/formal_informal/revision/6/

2. Nonstandard mainly spoken language used in certain social, regional, or ethnic groups; includes grammatical
constructions, vocabulary, and pronunciations that differ from the accepted rules of Standard English; two kinds are
dialect and slang
Dialect
any distinctive pattern of speech whose use is restricted to a specific geographical location or to a specific
social or ethnic group
considered nonstandard whenever it differs from the standard usage of educated speakers

Example: A stanza from the poem To a Mouse by Robert Burns. It uses the Scottish dialect of English.
Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!

Slang
a nonstandard form of English that is colourful and expressive but short-lived
generally originates among groups sharing a common social bond or activity
made up of words and phrases that enjoy a usually short-term popularity
Example: Bosie and Jan left Sams pad in a real hurry once he began to spill his gut. It seems Sam needed a C-
note to bribe some prof into changing a flunking grade into an ace. Rosemary Frost
pad slang for house or room
C-note slang for one hundred dollar
ace slang for high/ very good/ excellent