Good Learning Co.
SavannahYear 8
← English
EnglishCrafting and controlling writing22 min★★ difficulty

Choosing the right level of formality

You wouldn't text a friend the way you'd write to a headteacher — knowing when to switch registers is a real writing skill.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Writing: Consciously control levels of formality, including through the use of Standard English, and know when it is appropriate to use

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Consciously control levels of formality, including through the use of Standard English, and know when it is appropriate to use

Key learning points

  • • What is register?
  • • When formal is right
  • • When informal is right

This lesson at a glance

  • 22 minutes
  • 14 parts to scroll through
  • 3 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

consciouslycontrollevelsformalitystandard

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 14 · Discover7%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 14

Watch first

Choosing the right level of formality

An English teaching video on this topic from Jeddle. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Consciously control levels of formality, including through the use of Standard English, and know when it is appropriate to use

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 14

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · What is register?

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 14

Learn

What is register?

Register is the level of formality in language. 'Gonna check it out later' is informal; 'I intend to examine this further' is formal Standard English. Both are correct — the question is whether they suit the audience and purpose.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 14

Learn

When formal is right

A witness statement for the police must use precise, formal Standard English: 'I observed the suspect leave the premises at approximately 9pm,' not 'I saw the guy leg it.' Formality signals seriousness and precision.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 14

Quick check

Which sentence uses formal Standard English?

6

Reset break

Part 6 of 14

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
7

Quick check

Part 7 of 14

Quick check

Why might a police statement need formal language?

8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 14

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · When informal is right

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 14

Learn

When informal is right

Dialogue in a story can be deliberately informal to show character and realism — a teenage character saying 'I ain't got a clue' sounds authentic, whereas Standard English there might sound stilted.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 14

Quick check

Why might a writer use informal dialogue for a character?

11

Challenge round

Part 11 of 14

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

12

Challenge round

Part 12 of 14

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

Register is the level of ____ in language.

'Gonna check it out later' is informal; 'I intend to examine this further' is formal ____ English.

13

Mastery quiz

Part 13 of 14

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Choosing the right level of formality

3 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. Which sentence uses formal Standard English?

  2. 2. Why might a police statement need formal language?

  3. 3. Why might a writer use informal dialogue for a character?

14

Lesson round-up

Part 14 of 14

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Extract

The last bus

The bus shelter smelled of wet coats. Mira pressed her timetable flat against the glass, as though staring at the numbers might make the 9:42 appear. Rain tapped the roof in small, impatient fingers. Somewhere behind her, a shop shutter came down with a sound like a full stop.

She had been brave all day. She had been brave in the corridor, brave at lunch, brave when the register reached her name and nobody looked up. Being brave, she decided, was mostly a matter of keeping your face still.

Headlights swung around the corner and lit the puddles gold. Mira picked up her bag. Tomorrow she would say something. Tonight she would simply go home.

Original extract written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. Find two words or phrases that show how Mira is feeling, and explain what each one suggests.
  2. How does the writer use the weather and the sounds to build the mood? Use a short quotation.
  3. Write the next paragraph in the same style, keeping the writer's short sentences at the moments that matter.

  • Reading response

    Reading

    Read the extract again, then write about how the writer makes you feel that way. Use a short quotation and explain your choice of words.

    2 paragraphs (PEE)

  • Extended writing

    Writing

    Write your piece in full, then redraft the opening so it hooks the reader.

    250–350 words

  • Reading log

    Reading

    Note the book, the pages you read and one thing you noticed about the writing.

    20 minutes' reading

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 14 · Watch & discover

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    Consciously control levels of formality, including through the use of Standard English, and know when it is appropriate to use

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