Which confirmation email message is more formal?
Thank you for choosing to receive paperless bank statements. We're so happy you signed up to get your bank statements via email.
Informal writing is typically used in casual situations or when communicating with someone you know well. Informal language often expresses familiarity and tends to sound more like speech. It uses more conversational language, such as slang, idioms, abbreviations, imprecise language, and contractions.
Formal writing is typically used in academic and business writing or when writing directly to an authority figure. It tends to be more courteous and impersonal, avoiding overly familiar or conversational language.
Compare the following sentences.
Informal: Yeah, ostriches can't fly, but I think they're awesome.
More formal: Ostriches may be flightless, but they're remarkable runners.
Most formal: Though flightless, ostriches are remarkable runners.
The first confirmation email message is more formal. It uses more elevated language (choosing to receive). The other confirmation email message uses contractions and is more familiar (we're so happy).