Formal or Friendly: Mastering Language Styles

Formal or Friendly: Mastering Language Styles

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson you will be able to differentiate between formal and informal language and use formal language in your non-fiction reports.

What do you already know about formal and informal language?

Formal Language

Formal language is used in professional or academic settings, and follows strict grammar and vocabulary rules.

Informal Language

Informal language is casual and conversational, often used in everyday communication among friends and family.

Differences in Tone

Formal language conveys a serious and respectful tone, while informal language reflects a relaxed and friendly tone.

Vocabulary and Contractions

Formal language uses sophisticated vocabulary and avoids contractions, while informal language may include slang and contractions.

Writing Practice

Students will participate in a guided activity to identify and categorize formal and informal language in provided sentences.

Applying Formal Language

Students will practice rewriting informal sentences from a non-fiction article in a formal style.

Non-Fiction Report

Discuss the significance of using formal language in non-fiction reports to convey credibility and professionalism.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.