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Lesson planC155 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Getting the Tone Right: Formal and informal register
Students learn to switch between informal and formal register in complaints and emails, then write a formal complaint about a faulty product.
Register · Formal writing · Complaints · Shopping
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Practise formal and informal register
- Learn and use 21 words and phrases in 3 sets: Formal words and their everyday equivalents, Formal phrases for letters and emails, Informal phrases to avoid in formal writing
- Read for detail: getting the tone right
- Writing task: a formal complaint
Stages · 55 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about formal writing and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 5 minControlled practice: Ex. 1
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 2
- 5 minControlled practice: Ex. 3
- 10 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 4–5
- 5 minReading: Ex. 6
- 15 minWriting: Ex. 7
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 4 PDFs)Grammar notes
Formal register: what changes
- Choose more formal words: get → obtain, ask → enquire, start → commence, help → assistance.
- Use full forms, not contractions: I am, I would, do not.
- Use polite, indirect requests: I would be grateful if you could… rather than Can you…?
- Avoid slang, exclamation marks and emoji.
Useful formal phrases
- Opening: I am writing regarding / with regard to…
- Requests: I would be grateful if you could… · I would appreciate it if…
- Closing: I look forward to hearing from you. · Please do not hesitate to contact me.
Study tips
- Keep a two-column list of everyday words and their formal partners, and add to it whenever you read an official letter.
- Formal does not mean complicated: one clear formal sentence is better than three long ones.
Glossary
- Formal words and their everyday equivalents8 items
- Formal phrases for letters and emails7 items
- Informal phrases to avoid in formal writing6 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Formal or informal?
Read the phrases from emails. Put each one in the right group.
- a
I would be grateful if you could send me a copy.
- b
Can't wait to hear from you!
- c
Please do not hesitate to contact me.
- d
Thanks a million for sorting this out so fast.
- e
Further to our telephone conversation, I attach the form.
- f
Just a quick note to ask about your evening courses.
- g
I look forward to hearing from you.
- h
Could you do me a favour and send me a copy?
- i
Drop me a line if you need anything.
- j
I am writing to enquire about your evening courses.
2
Everyday word, formal word
Match each everyday word with the more formal word that means the same in this context. There is one extra word.
Tap an item…
…then its match
3
A formal complaint
Complete the sentences from a complaint email with the words in the box. There is one extra word.
Word box
Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.
- a
I am writing the laptop I ordered from your website on 3 March.
- b
I would also like to whether a replacement model is available.
- c
Despite several phone calls, I have been unable to a refund.
- d
Your engineer informed me that the repair would on 12 May.
- e
The explanation I was given was not to resolve the problem.
- f
I would appreciate your in this matter.
- g
Your manager has apologised for the caused by the delay.
- h
I would ask you to receipt of this email within seven days.
4
Make it formal
Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first but sounds formal. Use the word given and between two and five words.
- a
Can you tell me when my parcel will arrive?
GRATEFUL
I would tell me when my parcel will arrive.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- b
Sorry I took so long to get back to you.
APOLOGISE
I the delay in replying.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- c
Get in touch if you have any questions.
HESITATE
Please do contact me if you have any questions.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- d
Thanks for your email of 4 June.
RECEIPT
We acknowledge email of 4 June.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- e
I want all my money back.
REFUND
I would like in full.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- f
The problem still hasn't been fixed.
RESOLVED
The problem .
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
5
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence from a formal email has one mistake. Write the correction: the corrected word(s) or the whole sentence.
- a
I am writing with regard of my recent order.
- b
I look forward to hear from you.
- c
Please find attach a copy of my receipt.
- d
I would appreciate if you could reply by Friday.
- e
Should you require any further informations, please contact me.
- f
I am writing to complain for the service I received in your shop.
- g
We apologise for the inconvenient caused by the delay.
6
Read: getting the tone right
Read the text and choose the correct answer.
Ruth Adeyemi has trained customer-service teams for nearly twenty years, and she has noticed that most complaints go wrong long before anyone reads them. 'People think a complaint is about facts,' she says. 'In my experience, it is just as much about tone.' Her favourite example is an email she received from a trainee called Marcus. His parcel had arrived damaged, and he wrote to the company in the same way he would text a friend: no greeting, three exclamation marks and the phrase 'sort it out ASAP'. The company replied politely but slowly, and Marcus waited almost a month for his money. When he sent a second, formal email, which set out the dates, the order number and exactly what he expected, a refund was arranged within a week. Ruth is careful not to claim that formality always works. A message that is too stiff, she warns, can sound cold or even sarcastic, particularly when it is sent to someone the writer already knows well. What matters is matching the register to the reader. A first email to a company or an official should be formal; a quick reply to a colleague who has helped you for years probably should not be. She also points out that formal does not mean complicated. Long, unusual words are not a sign of good writing, and readers who have to work hard to understand a message are less likely to act on it. Her advice is to keep sentences clear, to choose a few formal phrases that fit naturally, such as 'I would be grateful if…' or 'I look forward to hearing from you', and to avoid slang, contractions and emoji. Above all, she says, a complaint should make it easy for the reader to say yes.
- a
According to Ruth, many complaints fail because
- b
Marcus's first email
- c
After Marcus sent a formal email,
- d
Ruth warns that a very formal message
- e
Ruth believes that good formal writing
7
Write: a formal complaint
Write a formal email.
You bought a coffee machine online. It arrived late, it doesn't work properly, and the customer-service team has not answered your messages. Write a formal email of complaint (220–260 words). Explain what happened, say what you have already done and say clearly what you expect the company to do. Use at least five words from the box and no contractions. Word box: regarding · enquire · obtain · commence · sufficient · assistance · inconvenience · acknowledge Example: I am writing regarding order number 4417, which I placed on 2 April. Despite three phone calls, I have been unable to obtain a refund.
Suggested minimum: 220 words
0 words · aim for at least 220
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 21 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 3 sets.
Formal words and their everyday equivalents
- obtain
- (formal) to get something, especially by making an effort
- enquire
- (formal) to ask for information
- commence
- (formal) to begin
- sufficient
- (formal) enough for a particular purpose
- assistance
- (formal) help or support
- regarding
- (formal) about; concerning
- acknowledge
- to accept that something is true, or to say that you have received something
- inconvenience
- trouble or problems that something causes
Formal phrases for letters and emails
- I am writing to
- a formal way to give the reason for your letter or email
- Further to
- a formal way to refer to an earlier conversation or letter
- I would be grateful if
- a polite, formal way to make a request
- Please do not hesitate to
- a formal way to invite someone to contact you
- I look forward to hearing from you
- a formal way to end a letter when you expect a reply
- with regard to
- formal: about; used to name the subject: with regard to my recent order
- apologise for
- formal: say sorry for: We apologise for the delay.
Informal phrases to avoid in formal writing
- Just a quick note
- an informal way to start a short message
- Drop me a line
- an informal way to say 'write to me'
- Thanks a million
- an informal way to say 'thank you very much'
- Do me a favour
- an informal way to ask someone for help
- Can't wait to hear from you
- informal, enthusiastic closing; the formal version is I look forward to hearing from you
- Get in touch
- informal for contact us; formal: Please do not hesitate to contact me
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