Formal or informal style?

One of the most difficult things about writing English is knowing how to adapt your writing for formal or informal situations. Some situations (such as applying for a job, communicating with an important client, requesting action from a boss, etc) are likely to be formal, whereas others (such as emailing a friend or colleague) are more likely to be informal. The real problem in writing English is knowing what words or phrases to use. Certain words and phrases can sound either formal or informal, and if you choose the wrong word, your reader may think you are being either too friendly or too formal.

There are many different factors that affect formality, such as sentence length, use of pronouns and passives, and even choice of punctuation. But vocabulary choice is perhaps the biggest style marker. Generally speaking, longer words and Latin origin verbs are formal, while phrasal verbs and idioms are informal. There are also many formal - informal style equivalents that you can use in your writing.

Here is a selection of common informal / formal equivalents. See our business English writing course and ebook for an entire section dedicated to writing style, with a handy list of over 100 common formal and informal word alternatives.

(Informal / formal)

a bit / a little
a lot / a great deal
about / approximately
about / concerning
ask about / enquire
ask for / request
big / major
bigger / greater
but / however
buy / purchase
choose / select
earlier / previous
find / locate
get / obtain (or acquire)
get smaller / decrease
help / assist
keep / retain
let / permit
make sure / ensure
many / numerous
need / require
promise / assure
send back / return
so / consequently
thing / matter (or issue)
unhappy / dissatisfied
want / wish

See also our article on the difference between letters and emails for standard phrases to use in letters and emails.