Adapting Your English to Different Styles and Contexts.

This lesson helps you sound appropriate and natural in very different situations, from chatting with friends to writing to a university. You compare pairs of texts that talk about the same topic but use different levels of formality, and you notice changes in vocabulary, grammar and phrase length. You learn sets of informal, neutral, formal and academic expressions and practise matching them to typical contexts such as messages, work emails, reports and presentations. You also work with connotation, seeing how similar words such as slim and skinny or job and occupation can feel more positive or negative. Listening and speaking tasks give you practice shifting register in real time, for example when your manager joins an informal conversation. By the end, you can choose language that fits the audience and situation, and you can explain why one option sounds better than another.

1. Seeing the same message in different styles.

In this first part of the lesson, I would like you to see, very clearly, what we mean by style or register. We are going to look at four short texts that all do almost exactly the same job: the writer wants information about an English course. The only real difference is who they are writing to, and how formal or informal they sound. When you hear the words informal, neutral, formal and academic, it can feel quite abstract. So here, I want you to feel it in real language. After you read the examples on the screen, you will try to decide which text is for a friend, which is for a colleague, which is for a manager at work and which is for a university. You will also think about small details, such as greetings, contractions, little words like hey or incidentally, and how long and complex the sentences are. Then, in the task at the bottom, you will explain your choices in your own words, so you start using this vocabulary for style actively, not just understanding it passively.

One message, four different styles.

In this lesson we focus on how you say something, not only what you say. The same basic message can look very different when you send it to a friend, to a colleague, to your manager or to a university.

Read the four texts below. All of them are about exactly the same topic: asking for information about an English course.

Text A

Hey, how's it going? I'm thinking about doing this online English course next term. Do you know anyone who's tried it? Is it any good?

Text B

Hi Anna,

I'm thinking of taking an online English course next term to improve my writing. Do you know anything about the provider or have you heard any feedback?

Text C

Dear Ms Patel,

I hope you are well. I am writing to ask about the company's policy on funding language courses. I am interested in an online English course next term and would like to know whether any support is available.

Text D

Dear Admissions Team,

I am writing to enquire about your Advanced English Programme starting next term. Could you please send me further information about the entry requirements, course content and fees?

Informal, neutral, formal and academic.

Look again and notice some differences:

• Greetings: Hey vs Hi vs Dear Ms Patel vs Dear Admissions Team.
• Grammar: contractions such as I'm and who's in A and B; no contractions in C and D.
• Length and detail: Text D uses more specific, academic-style phrases such as entry requirements and course content.

We often talk about four broad registers:

• Informal: for close friends and relaxed chats.
• Neutral: for colleagues you know well, everyday work emails.
• Formal: for managers, HR, customer service.
• Academic: for universities, research and serious study contexts.

In reality there is a scale, not four boxes, but these labels help you think more clearly.

Now you will decide which text fits which context and explain why.

Practice & Feedback

Read Texts A–D again carefully. Imagine four situations:

1. A quick message to a close friend.
2. A short email to a friendly colleague.
3. A formal email to the HR manager in your company.
4. A formal enquiry email to a university admissions office.

Write your answers in full sentences. For each text, say who the audience is and what register you think it is (informal, neutral, formal or academic). Then choose one or two words or phrases from each text that helped you decide, and explain why.

For example: Text A is for a friend and is informal. The word "Hey" is informal and the questions are very short.

Try to write at least 6–8 sentences in total. Do not just write A = friend. Show your reasoning so you start using the vocabulary of style and register actively.

2. Building your phrase bank for different registers.

Now that you have seen the same message in several different styles, let us zoom in on the useful phrases that create those styles. Very often, when learners sound too formal or too informal, it is not because of complex grammar. It is because of small but powerful chunks such as greetings, openings, ways to ask for something and how they say thank you or goodbye. In this block, you will build a small phrase bank for four levels: informal, neutral, formal and academic or very formal. You will see a table on the screen with typical expressions that you can recycle in emails, messages and even in spoken English. I would like you to notice patterns, for example how formal language often avoids contractions and uses longer noun phrases, such as company policy or further information. After that, you will try to upgrade some very casual sentences so they are more suitable for a manager or for an official email. This is excellent preparation for longer writing tasks later in the lesson.

Useful phrases across the register scale.

Earlier you saw four short texts about an English course. Let us now focus on the chunks that create each style.

Look at the table below. It offers typical options for four contexts.

Notice some patterns:

• Informal language is often short, with everyday words and contractions: how's, it's, can't.
• Neutral work language is friendly but a little more careful: full sentences, simple polite phrases.
• Formal and academic styles are longer, avoid contractions and use more abstract nouns such as assistance, consideration, enquiry.

You do not need to memorise every phrase immediately. Instead, try to see the logic and choose a few favourites for each style that you can actually use.

Quick check: what sounds right?.

Imagine you write to your manager about a problem with your schedule. Which opening is better?

• a) Hey, I need to change my hours.
• b) Good morning, I am writing to ask if it is possible to change my working hours.

Both sentences talk about the same thing, but b) fits the relationship and context much better.

Now you will practise upgrading informal sentences into more appropriate work or university style.

Practice & Feedback

Read the informal sentences below. They are fine for a close friend, but too casual for a manager, HR or a university. Your task is to rewrite each sentence in a more formal or neutral style.

Use phrases from the table above and from the course chunk bank, for example: Good morning, I hope you are well. I am writing to ask about ... I was wondering if you could ... Many thanks for your assistance.

Try to:

• Change the greeting.
• Use full sentences.
• Remove slang or very casual words.

Write one improved version for each original sentence in one text box. Number your answers 1, 2, 3, 4 so it is clear. Do not worry about making them perfect; focus on sounding polite and appropriate for a work or academic reader. Aim for at least one full sentence per item.

3. Choosing words with the right connotation.

So far we have looked at style in terms of whole phrases, like greetings and openings. Another important part of sounding appropriate is choosing words with the right feeling, or connotation. Two words can have a very similar basic meaning, but feel more positive, more negative or more formal. For example, in British English, if you say someone is slim, that is usually a positive description, but if you say they are skinny, it often sounds negative or critical. In the same way, job is a neutral, everyday word, while occupation sounds more formal and sometimes distant. In this block, you will see several word pairs like this and notice their typical use. You will also see how some words are fine for your friend, but uncomfortable or even rude in a work email. Then you will choose appropriate options in context and explain your choices. This will help you control not only correctness, but also politeness and attitude in your English.

What is connotation?.

Connotation is the feeling or extra meaning a word carries, beyond the basic dictionary definition.

Compare these examples:

• She is quite slim.
• She is really skinny.

Both sentences talk about a person who is not large. But slim is usually positive or neutral, while skinny often sounds negative, unhealthy or critical.

Now think about work:

• I have a part-time job. (neutral, everyday)
• My current occupation is retail assistant. (more formal, for forms or official documents)

Neither is wrong, but you choose depending on the situation.

Some useful pairs.

Here are some common pairs with different connotations or levels of formality:

• slim (positive / neutral) – skinny (negative)
• old (neutral, but can sound direct) – elderly (more polite, formal)
• cheap (negative, low quality) – inexpensive (more positive / neutral)
• boss (informal) – manager (neutral / more formal)
• kids (informal) – children (neutral / formal)
• moan (informal, negative) – complain (neutral)
• ask about (neutral) – enquire about (formal)

Small changes, big differences.

Look at these mini examples:

• I spoke to my boss about taking an English course. (email to a friend – fine)
• I spoke to my manager about taking an English course. (email to HR – better)
• The hotel was cheap. (to a friend – maybe fine, but sounds negative)
• The hotel was inexpensive. (review on a website – more neutral)

You do not need to avoid informal words completely. The key is to match the word to the context and relationship.

Now you will choose words with appropriate connotations for different short sentences and briefly explain your choices.

Practice & Feedback

Read the sentences below. For each one, choose one word from the pair that you think fits best in the situation, and explain why in one short sentence.

Example: I think "slim" is better here because it sounds more positive and polite.

Write your answers in this format:

1. slim – explanation
2. manager – explanation

Use your own words in the explanations. Think about:

• Is the situation more informal, neutral or formal?
• Do I want a positive, neutral or negative feeling?
• How will the other person feel when they read it?

Try to answer all five items and write at least one full sentence of explanation for each choice. This will help you become more sensitive to connotation, not just basic meaning.

4. Listening: changing style when your manager joins.

So far you have worked with written examples, where you have time to think and edit. In real life, you often need to change your style quite quickly in conversation. For example, you might be chatting informally with a colleague and suddenly your manager joins. In that moment, many learners either stay too informal, or they suddenly sound very stiff and unnatural. In this block, you will listen to a short dialogue between two colleagues, Ben and Lucia. At the start, they are talking casually about an English course. Then their manager, Mr Harris, walks in and the style changes. As you listen, I would like you to focus on three things. First, how the greetings change. Second, which small words disappear, such as yeah or kind of. Third, how the sentences become slightly longer and more careful. After listening, you will see the transcript on the screen. Then, in the task, you will write about at least three specific changes you noticed, using examples from the dialogue. This will train your ear to hear register shifts in spoken English.

From chat to mini meeting.

You are going to listen to Ben and Lucia at work. They are chatting in the office kitchen about an English course. Halfway through, their manager, Mr Harris, comes in.

While you listen, notice:

• greetings and names
• small words like yeah, right, kinda
• how direct or indirect the requests are

After listening, read the transcript below and check your ideas.

---

Transcript

Ben: Hey Lucia, you alright?

Lucia: Yeah, not bad, thanks. How's it going?

Ben: Busy as usual. Listen, I'm thinking about signing up for that online English course. Have you heard anything about it?

Lucia: Yeah, a bit. My friend did it last year. She said it was pretty good, but kinda intense.

[Mr Harris walks in.]

Ben: Morning, Mr Harris.

Mr Harris: Good morning, both. I hope I'm not interrupting.

Lucia: Not at all. We were just talking about an English course the company mentioned.

Mr Harris: Ah yes, the new programme. If you are interested, you should speak to HR this week. They can give you more detailed information.

Ben: That sounds great, thank you. Do you know if the company will support the fees?

Mr Harris: As far as I know, there is some funding available, but it depends on the course. I would suggest sending HR a short email to enquire.

Lucia: Thanks very much. We will do that.

---

What changed?.

Think about what happens when Mr Harris arrives:

• Ben changes from Hey to Morning, Mr Harris and uses his surname.
• Lucia stops using very informal words like kinda and switches to a more neutral description.
• Mr Harris uses formal advice language: I would suggest sending HR a short email to enquire.

In your written task, you will describe some of these changes in your own words, using examples from the dialogue.

Practice & Feedback

Listen to the dialogue carefully using the audio below. Then look back at the transcript on the screen.

Your task is to describe at least three clear changes in style or register when Mr Harris joins the conversation.

For each change:

1. Quote or paraphrase the informal version.
2. Quote or paraphrase the more neutral or formal version.
3. Explain briefly what changed (for example, greeting, level of politeness, choice of verb, use of title).

Write in full sentences, for example: Before the manager arrives, Ben says "Hey Lucia". When the manager comes in, he changes to "Morning, Mr Harris", which is more formal and uses the manager's surname.

Try to write a short paragraph of about 6–8 sentences describing the changes you noticed. Focus on style and small language details, not on the general meaning of the conversation.

5. Chat simulation: messaging a friend and a manager.

We have looked at emails and at spoken conversations, but many real situations happen in quick messages: WhatsApp, Teams, Slack, text messages and so on. In these spaces, style can be quite mixed. People often write very informally to friends, with abbreviations, emojis and short sentences. The same people may write much more carefully to a manager in the next message. Being able to control this is very useful, especially when you work in an international environment. In this block, you will see some typical differences between informal chat style and more professional messaging. Then you will do a short chat-style simulation with me. First, you will write a couple of messages to a friend about being late for an online English class. Then you will imagine that your manager sends you a message about the same situation, and you will reply appropriately. I will answer as your friend and as your manager, and I will also give you feedback on your style choices. This is a safe place to experiment.

Messages are writing too.

Many learners are careful in emails but forget about style in quick messages. However, your WhatsApp or Teams messages also create an impression.

Compare these pairs:

• To a friend: Hey, sorry, I'm gonna be a bit late for class, my train's a mess.
• To your manager: Good afternoon, I am on the train and there is a delay, so I may be a few minutes late for the session. My apologies.

• To a friend: No worries, catch you later!
• To a manager: No problem, thank you for letting me know.

Notice:

• Informal messages use short forms (gonna, catch you later), emojis, and sometimes no capital letters.
• Professional messages usually avoid slang, keep clear punctuation and use polite phrases like thank you for letting me know.

Your situation.

Imagine this situation:

You are doing an online English course. Today there is a live class at 6 pm, but there is a problem with your train and you will be late.

You want to:

1. Explain the problem to your friend Sam in a casual way.
2. Reply to a message from your manager, Ms Green, who asks if you will join the class on time.

You will write both parts in one text box, but clearly show which messages are to Sam and which are to Ms Green.

Practice & Feedback

You are going to do a mini chat simulation.

1. First, write 2–3 short messages to your friend Sam about being late for the online English class. You can be informal. Use relaxed phrases if you like, such as Hey, sorry, my train is a mess, see you in a bit. You may use contractions and friendly expressions.
2. Then, imagine that your manager, Ms Green, sends you a message: Are you able to join the online English class on time today? Write 2–3 messages in reply to her. Here, change your style: be polite, clear and more formal. Avoid slang and very casual words. You can use phrases like Good evening, Ms Green, I am afraid there is a delay, Thank you for your understanding.

Write everything in one text box. To make it clear, label each part, for example:

To Sam: ...

To Sam: ...

To Ms Green: ...

I will answer in character as Sam and as Ms Green, and then I will give you feedback on your style. Aim for at least 5–8 short lines in total.

6. Final task: one situation, two written styles.

You have now compared texts in different registers, built a phrase bank, explored connotation and even practised switching style in spoken and chat situations. For your final task in this lesson, you will bring everything together in a more substantial piece of writing. You will write about the **same situation** in two very different ways: first as an informal message to a friend, and then as a formal or academic-style email to a university. The situation is that you are interested in an English course abroad next summer. Your friend wants to know your plans, and the university needs clear, polite information and questions. This is an excellent test of your ability to control tone, vocabulary, sentence length and structure. Do not worry about small grammar errors. Focus on choosing greetings, phrases and word choices that match each reader. After you finish, I will comment on your register in both texts and suggest a few upgrades to make your writing even more natural.

Bringing it all together.

This final task is a mini performance for the lesson. You will use what you have learned about:

• informal vs neutral vs formal vs academic style
• useful chunks for greetings, openings, requests and closings
• word choice and connotation (for example, job vs occupation, ask vs enquire)
• adjusting style according to who will read your message

The shared situation.

You are thinking about joining an intensive English course in the UK next summer. You want to:

• improve your English for work and study
• maybe prepare for an exam
• find out about prices, dates and accommodation

You need to communicate about this in two different contexts.

Part 1: message to a friend.

Write an informal message to your friend. You can:

• share your idea
• ask what they think
• maybe invite them to come with you

You can be relaxed and friendly. Contractions, simple sentences and expressions like Hey, how's it going? or This course looks amazing are fine.

Part 2: email to a university.

Write a formal enquiry email to the University Language Centre about their summer English programme. Include:

• a clear subject and greeting (e.g. Dear Admissions Team,)
• why you are writing
• what information you need (dates, fees, accommodation, exam options)
• a polite closing (e.g. I look forward to hearing from you.)

Use more formal phrases, avoid slang, and think about connotation: inexpensive is safer than cheap, children is better than kids in this type of email, and enquire sounds more formal than ask about.

Aim for around 80–120 words in each part, so you have space to show your control of style.

Practice & Feedback

Write two separate texts in one answer.

1. Informal message to a friend (about 80–120 words). You can imagine sending it by WhatsApp, Instagram or email. Use an informal greeting, contractions and friendly tone. Explain your idea about the summer English course in the UK and ask for your friend's opinion.
2. Formal enquiry email to a university (about 80–120 words). Use a clear, formal greeting and closing. Explain briefly who you are and why you are interested in the course. Ask for specific information about dates, level, exam options, fees and accommodation. Use more formal vocabulary and avoid slang.

Make it very clear where Part 1 ends and Part 2 begins. For example, you can write:

Part 1 – Friend: ...

Part 2 – University: ...

Focus especially on style and register, not on being perfect. I will give you detailed feedback on how appropriate each text is for its audience and suggest alternative phrases where useful.