Which sentence is more formal?
Key Notes :
Formal writing is used for essays, business letters, and reports. The following types of informal language should be avoided in formal writing:
Contractions are not as informal as the other types, but they should be used sparingly in formal writing.
Compare the following sentences. The first is informal. The second is formal.
Informal: Yeah, ostriches can’t fly, but they’re amazing runners.
Formal: Though ostriches are flightless, they are remarkably adept runners.
Learn with an example
🔔 Which sentence is more formal?
- Rice is mega important for billions of people around the world.
- Rice is the staple food for billions of people around the world.
The first sentence is less formal. You can tell because it uses conversational language (mega).
The second sentence uses formal language in place of the conversational language, so it is more formal overall.
🔔 Which sentence is more formal?
- Tomorrow’s lunar eclipse is going to knock your socks off.
- Tomorrow’s lunar eclipse promises to be an impressive sight.
The first sentence is less formal. You can tell because it uses an idiom (knock your socks off).
The second sentence uses formal language in place of the idiom, so it is more formal overall.
🔔 Which sentence is more formal?
- It takes courage to stand up for people who are being bullied.
- It takes guts to stand up for people who are being bullied.
The second sentence is less formal. You can tell because it uses slang (takes guts).
The first sentence uses formal language in place of the slang, so it is more formal overall.
let’s practice!
