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.
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 Guideis available on SharePoint (requires login).