Which excerpt from a lab report is more formal?
This experiment focused on the energy requirements of the human body. This is an experiment where we looked at how the body needs lots of energy.
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 excerpt from a lab report is more formal. It uses more elevated language (focused on, energy requirements, human body). The other excerpt uses more imprecise language (lots) and sounds more casual (we looked at how).