English grammar lessons › Level B2 › Idioms

Hi Sam / Dear Mr Silva: formal and informal English

Choose the right register for emails and messages: greetings, closings, vocabulary and tone

What you'll be able to do

Write to colleagues, clients, institutions and friends in a tone that fits, without sounding rude or stiff.

Openings and closings

Formal	Neutral	Informal
Dear Mr Silva / Dear Sir or Madam	Hello Ana / Dear Ana	Hi Sam / Hey Sam
Yours sincerely / Yours faithfully / Kind regards	Best wishes / Kind regards	Cheers / See you soon / Love

Vocabulary

Formal English often uses longer, Latin-based words where informal English uses phrasal verbs or short words:

Informal	Formal
get	receive / obtain
ask for	request
find out	discover
help	assist
sorry	we apologise / we regret
Can you…?	Could you…? / Would you be able to…?

Could you please send me the invoice by Friday?polite and formal
Can you send me the invoice?neutral to informal
I am writing to request further information.formal opening line
Just wanted to check you got my message.informal

Tone

Formal writing avoids contractions (I am, not I'm), slang, and very direct commands. Informal writing uses contractions, short sentences and friendly phrases.

Common mistakes

~~Hey Mr Silva, I want the invoice.~~ A formal email: Dear Mr Silva, Could you please send me the invoice?
~~Dear Sam, I would be grateful if you could come to my party.~~ Too formal for a friend: Hi Sam, fancy coming to my party?
Mixing registers: ~~Dear Sir, thanks a lot, cheers.~~

Practice

Choose the best opening for a formal complaint to a company:
Options: Dear Sir or Madam, · Hey there, · Hi guys,
Show the answer
Dear Sir or Madam, — Dear Sir or Madam: formal, name unknown.
Choose the most formal way to ask:
Options: Would you be able to send the documents by Friday? · Send the documents by Friday. · Can you send the documents by Friday?
Show the answer
Would you be able to send the documents by Friday? — Would you be able to…? is polite and formal.
Which word is the formal version of 'get' in 'We got your letter'?
Options: received · grabbed · picked
Show the answer
received — Receive is formal for get a letter.
Which closing suits an informal message to a friend?
Options: See you soon, · Yours faithfully, · Yours sincerely,
Show the answer
See you soon, — See you soon: informal.
I am writing to _____ (ask for, formally) further information about the course.
Show the answer
request — Request: the formal equivalent of ask for.

In the app, this lesson is taught one idea at a time with the examples read aloud, then practised with questions you answer by choosing or typing. It comes back for review on later days, until you can use it without help.

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More on this topic: Formal, professional and academic English