Communication Skills Worksheet: Formal and Informal Tone
Tip (Person first, then words): Formal: emails to the principal, interviews, calls to offices, letters, your supervisor at work, a panel of judges. Informal: friends, cousins, family chats, birthday messages, planning a picnic. Formal words in full: “going to”, not “gonna”; “please”, not “pls”; “Yes”, not “Yup”; “Thank you very much”, not “Thx!”.
NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 40
- 1.🎩 Which is the formal way to say “Thanks a ton!”? (a) “Tysm!!” (b) “Thx!” (c) “Ta!” (d) “Thank you very much.”
- 2.🎩 Formal or informal tone for a phone call to a hospital reception? (a) informal (b) formal
- 3.True or false: planning a picnic with friends needs an informal tone. (a) True (b) False
- 4.💬 Is this a formal or an informal line? “Gonna be late, sorry!” (a) an informal line (b) a formal line
- 5.💬 Is this a formal or an informal line? “Please let me know if you need anything else.” (a) a formal line (b) an informal line
- 6.True or false: a voice note to your old school friend needs an informal tone. (a) True (b) False
- 7.💬 Is this a formal or an informal line? “No worries, bro.” (a) a formal line (b) an informal line
- 8.True or false: a phone call to a hospital reception needs an informal tone. (a) True (b) False
- 9.🎩 Formal or informal tone for emailing the principal for leave? (a) informal (b) formal
- 10.🎩 Which is the formal way to say “Hey”? (a) “Yo” (b) “Sup” (c) “Good morning” (d) “Hiya”
- 11.💬 Is this a formal or an informal line? “Send me the deets pls.” (a) a formal line (b) an informal line
- 12.True or false: a voice note to your old school friend needs a formal tone. (a) False (b) True
- 13.🎩 Which is the formal way to write “pls”? (a) plz (b) plss (c) pleeease (d) please
- 14.True or false: a scholarship interview needs an informal tone. (a) True (b) False
- 15.🎩 Formal or informal tone for talking to your new supervisor on day one? (a) formal (b) informal
- 16.True or false: “Hey, what’s up?” is a formal line. (a) True (b) False
- 17.True or false: texting your cousin about a movie needs an informal tone. (a) False (b) True
- 18.🎤 In an interview, which tone should you use? (a) slangy and casual (b) rude and short (c) polite and formal (d) silly and loud
- 19.💬 Is this a formal or an informal line? “I look forward to hearing from you.” (a) a formal line (b) an informal line
- 20.True or false: writing to a bakery owner for a summer job needs an informal tone. (a) True (b) False
- 21.True or false: emailing the principal for leave needs an informal tone. (a) False (b) True
- 22.True or false: “Cool, catch you later!” is a formal line. (a) True (b) False
- 23.💬 Is this a formal or an informal line? “Cool, catch you later!” (a) a formal line (b) an informal line
- 24.🎩 Formal or informal tone for a voice note to your old school friend? (a) informal (b) formal
- 25.💬 Is this a formal or an informal line? “Could you kindly share the details?” (a) a formal line (b) an informal line
- 26.True or false: “I would be grateful for your guidance.” is a formal line. (a) True (b) False
- 27.🎩 Which is the formal way to say “No idea.”? (a) “Who knows?” (b) “No clue, man.” (c) “I am not sure.” (d) “Dunno.”
- 28.True or false: a birthday message to your best friend needs an informal tone. (a) False (b) True
- 29.True or false: “Gonna be late, sorry!” is an informal line. (a) True (b) False
- 30.🎩 Formal or informal tone for joking with your brother at home? (a) informal (b) formal
- 31.True or false: “Hey, what’s up?” is an informal line. (a) True (b) False
- 32.True or false: “LOL, that was so funny.” is a formal line. (a) False (b) True
- 33.True or false: talking to your new supervisor on day one needs a formal tone. (a) False (b) True
- 34.🎩 Formal or informal tone for a letter to the bank manager? (a) informal (b) formal
- 35.True or false: “Send me the deets pls.” is a formal line. (a) False (b) True
- 36.True or false: speaking to a panel of judges needs an informal tone. (a) True (b) False
- 37.True or false: a letter to the bank manager needs an informal tone. (a) True (b) False
- 38.True or false: a call to a college office needs a formal tone. (a) True (b) False
- 39.True or false: “I look forward to hearing from you.” is an informal line. (a) False (b) True
- 40.True or false: “I would be grateful for your guidance.” is an informal line. (a) False (b) True
Answer key
- “Thank you very much.”
- formal
- True
- an informal line
- a formal line
- True
- an informal line
- False
- formal
- “Good morning”
- an informal line
- False
- please
- False
- formal
- False
- True
- polite and formal
- a formal line
- False
- False
- False
- an informal line
- informal
- a formal line
- True
- “I am not sure.”
- True
- True
- informal
- True
- False
- True
- formal
- False
- False
- False
- True
- False
- False
Free interview skills lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/interview-skills-for-students