Formal and informal language differ in tone, word choice and sentence structure, each serving different purposes. Let's delve deeper into these differences.
Formal language:
- less personal than informal language
- used when writing for professional or academic purposes like university assignments
- no colloquialisms, contractions or first person pronouns such as ‘I’ or ‘we’.
Informal language:
- more casual and spontaneous
- used when communicating with friends or family either in writing or in conversation
- used when writing personal emails, text messages and in some business correspondence
- the tone is more personal than formal language.
Examples of formal and informal language
Click on the blue "V" symbol to access all the examples.
Contractions
| Formal | Informal |
|---|---|
Improvements cannot be introduced due to funding restrictions. | The improvements canʼt be introduced due to funding restrictions. |
| The results are not believed to be accurate. | I donʼt believe that the results are accurate. |
| The research project will not continue next year. | The research project wonʼt continue next year. |
Phrasal verbs
| Formal | Informal |
|---|---|
| The balloon was inflated for the experiment. | The balloon was blown up for the experiment. |
| The patient recovered from his illness. | The patient got over his illness. |
| The results of the study were confused. | The results of the study were mixed up. |
Slang/colloquialisms
| Formal | Informal |
|---|---|
| The crowd was very rowdy during the protest against the cuts to university funding. | The mob was very rowdy during the protest against cuts to university funding. |
| Lecturers expect students to use correct grammar and punctuation in essays. | Lecturers still count on students to use correct grammar and punctuation in essays. |
| It was raining very heavily. | It was raining cats and dogs. |
First person pronouns
| Formal | Informal |
|---|---|
| Various research methods were considered for the study. | I considered various research methods for the study. |
It is believed the practice is unsustainable. | We believe the practice is unsustainable. |
| During the interview, students were asked about their experiences. | During the interview, I asked students about their experiences. |
Acronyms
| TAFE | Technical and Further Education |
|---|---|
| ANZAC | Australian and New Zealand Army Corps |
| QANTAS | Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services |
Initialisms
| UTS | University of Technology Sydney |
|---|---|
| ISO | International Standards Organisation |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development |
Tips
- The first time an acronym or initialism is used in an essay, it is acceptable to write the name in full with the acronym or initialism in brackets after it. Every subsequent time it is used the acronym or initialism can be used on its own. Commonly known acronyms such as ANZAC and QANTAS do not need to be written in full. If an acronym or initialism needs to be made into a plural, add a small ‘s’ to it without an apostrophe.
- Do not use the acronyms 'ATSI' or 'TSI' to refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This must be written in full. Always capitalise the word 'Indigenous' when referring to Australia's Indigenous peoples.
Other academic style resources
- UTS Publications Style Guide is available on SharePoint (requires login).