Register: Formal and Informal Language
Sort: Formal or Informal?
Sort each word or phrase into the correct column based on its register.
Match Register to Context
Draw a line to match each writing context with its most appropriate register.
Spot the Formal Vocabulary
Circle the more formal option in each pair.
Which is more formal?
Which is more formal?
Which is more formal?
Which is more formal?
Which is more formal?
Which is more formal?
Identify the Register
Read each extract and identify its register (formal, semi-formal, or informal). List three specific language features that signal the register.
Extract A: 'Further to our previous correspondence, I am writing to confirm that the application has been received and is currently under review. You will be notified of the outcome within ten business days.' Register: ______________ Three language features: 1. ___________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________ 3. ___________________________________________
Extract B: 'Hey! Just wanted to say the stuff you sent came through fine. We'll let you know asap — prob about two weeks?' Register: ______________ Three language features: 1. ___________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________ 3. ___________________________________________
Sort Sentences by Register
Sort each sentence into the correct column.
Describe Register Features
For each register, list two vocabulary features and one sentence structure feature that typically signal it.
Formal register — two vocabulary features: 1. ___________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________ One sentence structure feature: ___________________________________________
Informal register — two vocabulary features: 1. ___________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________ One sentence structure feature: ___________________________________________
Pronoun and Register
Circle the sentence that uses pronouns consistent with formal register.
Which uses formal register?
Which uses formal register?
Register Features — Sort the Clues
Sort each language feature into the correct column.
Register in the Real World
Find one example of formal writing and one example of informal writing from your daily life this week (text messages, letters, websites, emails, signs, etc.). Describe each and explain three register features of each.
Formal text found: ___________________________________________ Three register features: 1. ___________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________ 3. ___________________________________________
Informal text found: ___________________________________________ Three register features: 1. ___________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________ 3. ___________________________________________
Rewrite for a Different Register
Rewrite each passage in the register indicated. Keep the core information the same but change the language features to match the new register.
Original (informal): 'So basically we need everyone to come in earlier cos there's heaps of stuff to set up before the thing starts.' Rewrite in formal register:
Original (formal): 'Students are reminded that the submission of assessments after the specified deadline will result in a deduction of marks in accordance with school policy.' Rewrite in informal register (as if explaining to a friend):
Choosing the Right Register
For each writing scenario below, decide what register is most appropriate and write the opening 2–3 sentences in that register.
Scenario: Writing to your local council asking them to add a crossing near your school. Opening sentences:
Scenario: Writing a review of a game or book for a website aimed at other Year 7 students. Opening sentences:
Scenario: Writing a speech to be delivered at a school assembly on a topic you care about. Opening sentences:
Sort by Purpose and Register
Match each text type to its typical register by sorting into columns.
Analyse Register in a Real Text
Find a short text (any genre) and analyse its register. Write 4–6 sentences identifying specific features and explaining what they tell us about the intended audience and purpose.
Text type and where you found it: ___________________________________________ Your register analysis (4–6 sentences):
The Same News, Three Registers
A local school has won a regional debating competition. Write 2–3 sentences reporting this news in each of the three registers below.
Formal (for a council report or press release):
Semi-formal (for the school newsletter):
Informal (as a text to a friend who goes to the school):
Hedge vs Direct Language
Sort each sentence into the correct column based on whether it uses hedge language or direct/confident language.
Write a Formal Email
Write a formal email (8–10 sentences) to your local library requesting permission to use their meeting room for a community book club. Include: a formal greeting, a clear purpose statement, relevant details (when, how many people, what for), a polite request, and a formal sign-off.
Write your formal email here:
Register and Power
Register is not just about politeness — it is also about power. Answer these questions about the relationship between register and social power.
Why might people in positions of power (judges, doctors, executives) use formal register in their professional roles?
Why might using informal language in a formal context (e.g., casual language in a job interview) disadvantage a speaker?
Is there any situation where using informal language with someone in authority might be a deliberate, strategic choice? Explain.
Sort: Formal vs Informal Connectives
Sort each connective into the correct column.
Register Shift Analysis
Some texts deliberately shift register partway through for effect — a formal speech that suddenly uses informal language to connect with the audience, or a personal essay that shifts to formal language to add weight. Write 4–6 sentences analysing a text you have read that contains a register shift. What is the effect of the shift?
Text you are analysing: ___________________________________________ Your register shift analysis:
Rewrite as Formal Persuasive Writing
The paragraph below is written in informal register. Rewrite it as a formal persuasive paragraph for a letter to a local council. Maintain all the arguments but shift the register completely.
Informal version: 'Honestly, the park near our school is a total mess. Like, there's rubbish everywhere and the equipment is really old and broken. Kids could get hurt! Someone should fix it up because it's not fair on us. We use it heaps and we deserve better.' Formal rewrite:
Register and Genre
Match each genre with its typical register range by sorting into the correct column. Note: some genres may cover a range.
Write Across Three Registers
Write about the same topic — your experience of learning at home — in three registers: informal (as a diary entry), semi-formal (as a paragraph for a school portfolio), and formal (as a report for a government survey about home education).
Informal (diary entry, 3–4 sentences):
Semi-formal (portfolio paragraph, 4–5 sentences):
Formal (survey report paragraph, 4–5 sentences):
Register Analysis: Literary Character
Think of a character from a novel, film or story whose language use is distinctive. Write 5–7 sentences analysing how their register reveals their character, social position, or relationship with others.
Character and text: ___________________________________________ Your analysis:
Analyse a Public Speech for Register
Listen to or read a short excerpt from a public speech (a TED talk, a political speech, a school speech). Write 5–6 sentences analysing the register used: is it formal, semi-formal, or does it shift? What specific features create that register? Why might the speaker have chosen it?
Speech or speaker: ___________________________________________ Your register analysis:
Register Features in Advertising
Sort each advertising feature into the correct column based on the register it signals.
Write a Persuasive Letter — Two Versions
You want to convince your local council to create a skate park in your suburb. Write two versions of the same letter: one informal draft and one formal final version. The formal version should be ready to actually send.
Informal draft (write freely, focus on your arguments):
Formal final version (ready to send):
Critical Analysis: Register as a Political Tool
Write a short analytical response (5–7 sentences) exploring this idea: 'The register a writer or speaker chooses is never neutral — it reflects assumptions about the audience and can include or exclude people.' Use an example from your own experience or a text you know.
Your analytical response:
Register Analysis Essay Plan
Plan a short essay (three analytical paragraphs) arguing that register in writing reflects social power structures. Outline your three arguments (topic sentences) and identify one piece of evidence for each.
Paragraph 1 topic sentence (argument 1): ___________________________________________ Evidence: ___________________________________________
Paragraph 2 topic sentence (argument 2): ___________________________________________ Evidence: ___________________________________________
Paragraph 3 topic sentence (argument 3): ___________________________________________ Evidence: ___________________________________________
Write a Speech That Shifts Register
Write a short speech (10–14 sentences) that deliberately shifts register at least once for effect. Choose your own topic. After writing, annotate where the register shifts and explain why the shift was a deliberate choice.
Your speech (10–14 sentences, annotated for register shifts):
Explain your register shift choices:
Compare Register Across Two Texts
Choose two texts on the same topic but written for different audiences (e.g., a scientific report and a popular science magazine article on the same discovery). Write a comparative analysis (6–8 sentences) explaining how the register differs and why.
Text 1 (title, author, audience): ___________________________________________
Text 2 (title, author, audience): ___________________________________________
Comparative analysis (6–8 sentences):
Register and Identity
Write a personal reflection (6–8 sentences) exploring how register is connected to identity. Do you adapt your language for different people? Are there registers you feel more comfortable or less comfortable in, and why? What does that tell you about language and identity?
Your reflection:
Register Across History
Sort each writing sample into the time period that best matches its likely date, based on register clues.
Write a Register Analysis Essay — One Paragraph
Write one strong analytical paragraph (TEEL) arguing that: 'The register of a text is as important as its content in determining how it is received by its audience.' Use a specific text as your evidence.
Your analytical paragraph (label T/E/E/L):
Redesign a Document for a New Audience
Find any formal document — a school notice, a government information pamphlet, a legal summary — and rewrite it for an audience of Year 7 students without losing the essential information. Then write 2–3 sentences reflecting on what you had to change and why.
Original document type: ___________________________________________ Rewritten version:
Reflection on what you changed and why:
Create a Register Guide
Create a short 'Register Guide' for a new student who has never heard the term. In 8–10 sentences, explain: what register is, why it matters, what the main types are, and give one example of each. Write it in a register appropriate for a peer (a fellow Year 7 student).
Your Register Guide for a Year 7 peer:
Evaluate a Writer's Register Choice
Choose a piece of writing that you have read recently — any genre. Write a critical evaluation (6–8 sentences) of the writer's register choices: Were they appropriate for the audience and purpose? Were they consistent throughout? Were there any moments where the register felt jarring or effective? What would you change and why?
Text title and author: ___________________________________________ Your evaluation:
Extended Writing: A Speech to Two Audiences
Write a short speech (12–15 sentences) on a topic that matters to you — it could be about your local area, a school issue, an environmental concern, or anything you care about. Then write a brief note (3–4 sentences) to two different imagined audiences — one formal (e.g., a government minister) and one informal (e.g., your peers). Explain how you would adapt the register of your speech for each audience.
Your speech:
How you would adapt it for a government minister:
How you would adapt it for your peers:
Register in Your Favourite Text
Think about your favourite book, film, podcast or TV series. Write 5–7 sentences analysing how register is used — in the narration, in dialogue, or in the way the text addresses its audience. What register choices make this text distinctive or effective?
Text title and type: ___________________________________________ Your register analysis:
Reflective Writing: Your Register Journey
Write a reflective response (7–9 sentences) on what you have learned about register through these activities. What did you already know? What was new? How has this knowledge changed the way you read or think about writing? Give one specific example of a register insight you will carry forward.
Your reflection:
Register and Systemic Inequality
Read the following claim and write a response (6–8 sentences) arguing for or against it: 'Requiring formal register in academic and professional settings disadvantages people from communities where informal or non-standard English is the norm.' Use specific reasoning and at least one example.
Your argument (agree, disagree, or nuanced position):
Translating Register Across Disciplines
Scientific information is often written in highly formal, technical register. Take a complex scientific concept you are studying (in any subject) and write three versions of an explanation: one for a specialist (formal/technical), one for a general adult audience (semi-formal), and one for a Year 3 student (informal/accessible). All three versions must be accurate.
Scientific concept: ___________________________________________ Specialist version (3–4 sentences, formal/technical):
General adult version (3–4 sentences, semi-formal):
Year 3 version (3–4 sentences, accessible/informal):
Write a Commentary on Register
Write a commentary (8–10 sentences) on the following question: 'In the age of social media, have the boundaries between formal and informal register become blurred beyond repair?' Argue your position with specific evidence from texts or communication you have observed.
Your commentary:
Register Analysis: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander English
Aboriginal English is a dialect of Australian English with its own distinctive features, including vocabulary, grammar and register norms that differ from Standard Australian English. Write 5–6 sentences reflecting on: why it is important for teachers and institutions to understand that Aboriginal English has its own register system, and what the implications are for education.
Your reflection:
Create a Register Spectrum Model
Design a visual or written model that shows register as a spectrum from most informal to most formal. For each point on your spectrum, name a text type, give an example phrase, and explain what features signal that position on the spectrum. Include at least six positions.
Your register spectrum model (you may draw this as a diagram or write it as a numbered scale):
Extended Analytical Essay: Register and Power
Write a three-paragraph analytical essay responding to this question: 'Register is never just a stylistic choice — it is always a reflection and exercise of social power.' Each paragraph should make a distinct argument supported by specific evidence from real texts you have encountered.
Your three-paragraph essay:
Register in Your Future
Think about a future role or career that interests you — any field. Write 5–6 sentences about what register demands that career would place on you. What types of documents would you write? For what audiences? What register would each require? How would you develop the skills needed?
Career or role: ___________________________________________ Your response:
Design a Register Task for a Younger Student
Design a single register activity for a Year 5 student (about 10–11 years old). Write the activity instructions, provide the content (text to analyse or scenario to write), and write a brief explanation for the parent of what the activity teaches and how to facilitate it.
Your Year 5 register activity:
Parent explanation:
Register and the Future of AI
AI writing tools are increasingly used to draft emails, reports and other documents. Write a reflection (5–7 sentences) exploring: What does it mean for register awareness if AI can generate formal or informal text on demand? Does this make register literacy more or less important for humans? Why?
Your reflection:
Annotated Portfolio Entry
Select the piece of writing you are most proud of from these activities. Write an annotated portfolio entry for it: include the text itself, and add 4–6 annotations pointing to specific register choices you made and explaining why you made them. Conclude with a self-evaluation: what would you improve if you rewrote it?
Selected piece of writing:
Your annotations and self-evaluation:
Peer Register Analysis
Exchange a recent piece of writing with a family member or friend. Analyse their writing for register: What register have they used? Is it consistent? Is it appropriate for the audience and purpose? Write 4–5 sentences of feedback focused specifically on register.
Writer's name and text type: ___________________________________________ Your register feedback:
Write a Manifesto in Formal Register
Write a short manifesto (8–10 sentences) arguing for something you believe in strongly — it could be an environmental cause, a local issue, a principle of fairness, or anything else that matters to you. Write it in formal register, as if it would be published as an open letter. Then write 2–3 sentences reflecting: did the formal register feel right for this topic? Did it add or reduce the power of your argument?
Your manifesto:
Reflection on register choice:
The Register Challenge
Write a single continuous text (12–15 sentences) that moves through at least three different registers deliberately. You might tell a story, write a report, or write a speech. After writing, annotate each register shift: label where it happens, name the register, and explain the purpose of the shift.
Your multi-register text (annotated):
What Register Will You Use?
You have now completed 98 activities on register. Write a final reflective synthesis (8–10 sentences): What is register? Why does it matter? What are the three most important things you now know about register that you did not know — or did not think consciously about — before? How will this knowledge change the way you write and read?
Your synthesis reflection: