Choosing Standard or Informal Language

Lesson 7 Choosing Standard or Informal Language

   Essential Question

How do we know when we need to use formal language in our spoken and written communication?

 Grammar in the World

 What Do I Know?

Use the interactive below to find out how much you already know about choosing standard or informal language:

 Building Blocks

Grammar is a complex system and structure of language. Mizzou Academy Grammar Lab spotlights one skill (or block) at a time, but it’s often helpful to see how a skill works together with other, related blocks to build the language structure as a whole. You may find the following resource topics helpful as context for this lesson:

• Editing for Clarity
• Using Idioms

 Learn About Choosing Standard or Informal Language

Sometimes it’s hard to know what type of language to use when we are writing and speaking. We use standard language for important, formal conversations, and we use informal language for everyday conversations. For example, it’s probably not the best idea to show up at a job interview and say something like, “Hey, dude! I’m gonna rock this interview and after we’re done you’re gonna beg me to work here!” There’s a really good chance that the interviewer might promptly propel you right back out that door. Before thinking about when we should use standard language and when it’s okay to use informal language, let’s define these terms.

Standard language is language that follows correct grammar and is often used in more formal settings. 

Informal language is language that does not need to follow correct grammar to be understood. Another name for informal language is slang. 

The most important thing to consider when deciding whether to use standard or informal language is audience. Who is your audience? If your audience is someone to whom you need to show respect or someone you don’t know well, standard language is best. When you are communicating with peers, close friends, and family members, using informal language is likely okay. In writing, standard language is usually preferred. However, if you are writing a story and using dialogue, you may want to use informal language to help develop your character and the plot. 

Below are some examples of when you would use standard language and when you could use informal language. 

 Do I Get It?

Use the interactive below to test how much you have learned about choosing standard or informal language: