Formal  and  Informal  Language  
 

What  is  formal  and  informal  register  and  when  

do  we  use  it?  
 
How  do  contrac3ons  and  ques3on  tags  affect  
the  register  of  our  language?  
 
 Register    
Register  is  created  by  the  way  that  language  and  grammar  are  used.    

I  just  wish  he’d  lay  off  me.

I  wish  he  would  not  disturb  me.

Please  refrain  from  conversing  with  me.
Will  you  shut  up!

Register  can  be  formal  or  informal.  

 Audience  and  Context  
The  register  depends  on  situa,on  and  audience.  
The  same  person  will  use  different  registers  in  different  contexts.  
At  home  with   In  school  with  the  
In  official  wri;ng  
family   headteacher    

You’re  going  to   When  will  we  be  

I  wish  to  register  
wear  that,  are   going  on  the  
my  interest…
you? museum  trip?

Informal   More  Formal   Very  Formal  

 Formal  language  is  oBen  used  for:  
Situa;on   Audience  
Official  or  formal  situa3ons   People  you  don’t  know  
Generalised  or  impersonal  wri3ng   People  in  official/important  roles  
WriJen  communica3on  more  than  spoken   People  as  a  group  

e s t  y o ur   We  reg
ret
 like  to  requ m ark   aGenda  to  inform  you
uld   to  
We  wo  at  the  dinner ear. nc  th
termina e  at  the  schoo at  your  
ce l  y
presen t  of  the  schoo ted  at  t l
he  end  will  be  
r
the  sta  of  term
.
The  Ancient  Greeks  worshipped  
Please  remain  in  cabins  aFer  dark. many  gods  and  goddesses.
 Informal  language  is  oBen  used  for:  
Situa;on   Audience  
Everyday  conversa3on   Family,  friends  and  people  you  know  well  
Social  media  and  texts   People  similar  to  you  
Most  spoken  communica3on   People  you  meet  in  day-­‐to-­‐day  life  

g. Eeew!  
r   tr yin T hat ’s  di
n.   T hanks  fo sgusMn
g  -­‐  that
y,  ma  is.    
It ’s  oka

We’re  having  lunch.  Coming?

 Formal  and  Informal  Vocabulary  
Formal  and  informal  registers  tend  to  use  different  vocabulary.  
Could  you  assist  me?
Give  me  a  hand?
Informal   Who  is  the  champion? Formal  
Who’s  the  champ?
He  was  excluded  from  school.
He  was  kicked  out  of  school.

With  formal  vocabulary,  words  are  oBen  longer.  

 I’d   what’s   we’re   you’re  
Contrac;ons  
mustn't   Contrac3ons  appear  in  informal  language.   haven’t  

Spoken  language  oBen  contains  contrac3ons…  

but  wriJen  formal  language  uses  the  longer  versions  of  the  word/s.  

We  might  write:   but  we  are  more  likely  to  say:  

Do  not  say  that  I  did  not  warn  you. Don’t  say  I  didn’t  warn  you.  

What  are  the  formal  versions  of  the  contrac+ons  above?  

 Ques;on  Tags  can  be  used  in  informal  language.  
 
Tags  are  ques3ons  added  to  a  clause  to   Tags  can  be  used  to  soBen  a  command.  
encourage  a  listener  to  respond.  
main  clause   Tag    

main  clause   Tag    

The  tag  
changes  a   Pass  me  a  pen ,  will  you?
statement  into  
You’re  joking ,  aren’t  you? a  ques;on.  
In  very  informal  speech  right  and  
yeah  can  be  used  as  tags.  
main  clause   Tag     main  clause   Tag    

He  is  from  London ,  isn’t  he? You’re  ready ,  yeah?

 Breaking  Grammar  Rules!  
Informal  language  some3mes  breaks  grammar  rules.  
This  is  effec3ve  when  used  sparingly  for  wri3ng  realis3c  dialogue...  
(or  in  text  messages  and  on  social  media).    

Can’t  keep  going  –  too  Mred.  

Unfortunately  I  cannot  keep  going  as  I  find  myself  too  Mred  to  conMnue.

Look  mate  -­‐    I  was  worried,  see?  I  mean:  weight-­‐gain!  Hope  you’re  on  top  of  that!
Focus  on  my  words.  I  was  experiencing  concern  for  your  welfare.  In  parMcular,  the  addiMonal  
weight  you  have  gained  during  lockdown.  Have  you  a  strategy  to  manage  that  now?

Ellipsis  (omiXng  words)  has  not  changed  the   Slang  can  be  used  to  write  realis3c  dialogue.    
meaning  but  the  grammar  is  now  incorrect.   In  historical  stories,  old-­‐fashioned  slang  can  
This  is  common  in  informal  spoken  language.   help  to  make  the  speech  sound  authen3c.  
 IDEAS  

Formal  and  Informal  Vocabulary  

 
Can  you  try  rewri3ng  these  examples  in  more  formal  language?  
That’s  cool. I’m  sure  it’ll  be  okay.
That  is  acceptable. I  am  sure  it  will  be  okay.

Weird,  huh? Hey,  you  going  to  be  ready  for  the  test?
Is  it  strange? Listen  to  my  quesMon.  Are  you  going  to  be  
ready  for  the  test?
Explore  more  Hamilton  Trust  Learning  Materials  
at  hJps://wrht.org.uk/hamilton/  .