Look at sample email text below:
Dear Mrs Brown,
I’m writing to find out whether you have any jobs in your company this summer.
At the mo I’m studying Economics at uni.
I have been working part-time in a shop and recently they promoted me to the role of manager.
I am enthusiastic. I work hard. I pay attention to detail.
sample_informal_text
This email used informal language and it’s too informal for this style of letter.
We are going to look at four (04) features that make this informal and we are going to change it to more formal.
First Step: Choice of vocabulary
In informal English we use more common words and more phrasal verbs. For example, here we have a phrasal verb: find out. It would be better to use a more formal equivalent like “enquire”. Same with jobs, this is quite informal, so, instead, let’s use “vacancies” here.
Second Step: Abbreviations
It’s more common in informal language to use abbreviations, contractions, shortened forms of verbs. Here in our sample text, we have “at the mo”, which is short form for at the moment. This is OK when you’re speaking, but not when you’re writing. Here, we could use “currently” which is more formal. Similarly, “uni” is short form for “university”, so don’t use this short form in a letter. Use this instead “Currently, I am studying Economics at university.”
Third Step: Passive structures
Quite often in formal language we choose passive structures over active. Let’s have a look: the active sentence is “they promoted me” is quite informal. It would be much better to use a passive form here to make it more formal as “I was promoted”. This doesn’t mean don’t use active structures in a formal letter but, have a think about whether a passive one is more appropriate.
Fourth Step: Complex sentences
Finally, in informal English, short, simple sentences are much more common. Whereas in formal English, we use more complex structures. Look at this one. Here, we have three short simple sentences as “I am enthusiastic. I work hard. I pay attention to detail.” This is fine in informal English, but in formal English it’s better to use a complex structure. We can do this by adding relative pronouns or linkers. For example, “I am an enthusiastic person who works hard and pays attention to detail.”
| Informal English Features | Formal English Features |
|---|---|
|
|
Finally, the above sample text will be converted from informal to more formal as below.
Dear Mrs Brown,
I’m writing to enquire whether you have any vacancies in your company this summer.
Currently, I am studying Economics at university. I have been working part-time in a shop and recently I was promoted to the role of manager.
I am an enthusiastic person who works hard and pays attention to detail.
Sample_formal_text
