Arrange a meeting to discuss a project. Let's compare a formal and an informal email that a manager could use to arrange a project meeting.
A Formal Business Email
In the email below Ellen Gray, the vice president of marketing, is writing an email to arrange a meeting to discuss a project.
She organizes the email very well so it is clear to understand. She uses high-quality business English.
An informal Business English Email
In this email below, she uses first names and less formal language to communicate. This email shows that she knows both Tom and Mary so she can be less formal. She uses more direct language.
Formal vs. Informal Business English Emails
Let's compare some of the language
Formal: Informal
..... has assigned me the task of ......... .... wants me to .......
... within a reasonable budget. ... without spending too much money.
.. we have a tight deadline. ... we need to move fast.
Mr. White, please prepare ...... Tom, could you prepare .......
Ms. Blue, I'd appreciate if you prepared .... Mary, prepare .....
In formal writing, the language is more professional and more polite. When writing informally, the language is simpler and doesn't need to be so polite because you know the people well.
