Formal English and informal English - BBC English Masterclass
BBC Learning English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdKYl8Tg_FQ

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0:00 Hi, Sian here for BBC Learning English. In this Masterclass we're going to look at some differences between formal and informal English.
0:12 Hey, how's it going? Good afternoon, how are you? Sometimes formal and informal can seem like two different languages. In the same
0:24 way you wouldn't normally wear shorts and a t-shirt to a job interview, if you use language that's too formal or too informal, you can give a bad impression. Let's look at some
0:36 differences between formal and informal English. Now, I received an email this morning. Have a look at this email - do you think the language is formal or informal - and why?
0:50 Dear Mrs Brown, I'm writing to find out whether you have any jobs in your company this summer.
0:55 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.
1:02 I am enthusiastic. I work hard. I pay attention to detail. Ok, so that email used informal language and it's too informal for this style of letter.
1:13 We're going to look at four features that make this informal and we're going to change it to make it more formal.
1:21 Number one: 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
1:34 to use a more formal equivalent like enquire. Same with jobs, this is quite informal, so instead let's use vacancies here. Instead we have "I'm writing to enquire whether you
1:49 have any vacancies." Number two. It's more common in informal language to use abbreviations, contractions, shortened
2:01 forms of verbs. Let's have a look. So, here we have at the mo, which is short for at the moment. This is OK when you're speaking, but not when you're writing. Here, we could use
2:13 currently which is even more formal. Same here, uni is short for university, so don't use this short form in a letter. "Currently, I am studying Economics at university."
2:28 Quite often in formal language we choose passive structures over active. Let's have a look here. The active sentences they promoted me is quite informal - it'd be much better to
2:40 use a passive form here to make it more formal: I was promoted. So, "Recently I was promoted to the role of manager." This doesn't mean don't use active structures in a formal letter,
2:57 but have a think about whether a passive one is more appropriate. Finally, in informal English, short, simple sentences are much more common. Whereas in
3:09 formal English, we use more complex structures. Take a look at this one. Here we have three short, simple sentences and this is fine in informal English, but in formal
3:21 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.
3:45 So, would you kindly visit our website... ah, we're friends, that's too formal. Go to our website bbclearningenglish.com for more information about this and to practise formal
3:58 and informal English. See you soon - goodbye!