Formal and Informal Language

Non-fiction writing involves two styles—formal and informal—determined by word choice and language construction.
The pictures below show the difference between formal and informal situations.

Informal Language


Believe it or not, the speaking, listening, reading and writing you do outside school will have a big effect on your ability to communicate well. Communication is relevant in everyday life with family and friends through conversation and social media.

  • Informal writing uses conversational language and sentence constructions.

  • It is intended primarily for pleasure or entertainment.

  • This relaxed type of writing, which uses casual language such as slang, clichĂ©s, and contractions (isn’t instead of ‘is not’), is used among peers in casual blogs and on social networking sites.

  • Informal language contains emotions (subjective feelings).

  • To determine if a piece of writing is informal, check for contractions, clichĂ©s, or slang.

Formal Language


The ability to use formal language might help you achieve a career.

  • Formal writing follows grammar rules closely and uses exact language.  For instance, a formal report on reptiles likely will include language specific to reptiles such as words referring to their species, anatomy, habitat, or breed.

  • Formal writing has no slang, clichĂ©s, or contractions.

  • Formal writing is polished and professional and is used in news, rĂ©sumĂ©s, business letters, permission slips, reports, analysis, research projects, technical writing, and job-related writing. 

  • To determine if a piece of writing is formal, check for precise vocabulary and absence of contractions, clichĂ©s, and slang.
To write objectively means to write without bias or personal opinion. No “sides” are taken in an objective piece of news—the writing is based entirely on fact only.

The opposite of objective is subjective. Subjective writing has bias and can be written to include opinion, emotional language, or exaggeration.
Writing that suits a purpose is not much different from clothing styles.  Style dictates that certain arrangements of pieces are used to enhance specific purposes or situations.


A wet suit is intended to be worn for water sports.  Wearing one to work in a bank—a dry business environment—would be an inappropriate choice in clothing.

Similarly, a news article is intended to present objective information about daily events. A newspaper that contains slang or inappropriate references is inappropriate for a large, varied audience.


Identifying the style (informal or formal) of communication will help you determine the purpose of the author.