Once upon a time, there was a 6th grader named Alex. One day, his teacher asked him to write two letters. One was to his best friend, and the other to the school principal. Alex started with the letter to his friend. "Hey buddy!" he wrote. "What s up? Miss ya a lot. Can t wait to see you at the park tomorrow!" This is an example of informal language. It s relaxed, personal, and uses words and phrases we might use in speech. Next, he wrote the letter to his principal. "Dear Principal Johnson," he began. "I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to discuss our upcoming school fair." This is formal language. It s professional, respectful, and often used in business, academic, or official settings. Remember, one isn t better than the other. They re just used in different situations. The context, theme, and audience help you determine which to use. Now, can you decide which of these sentences are formal or informal? 1. "Hey dude, you ve gotta check out this game!" 2. "I am writing to inform you about a recent development."