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Common Core ELA2nd GradeLanguage

L.2.3: Compare Formal and Informal English

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.3 · Cluster: Knowledge of Language.

Get the Frayer ModelAll 40 2nd Grade ELA Standards

The Official Wording

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 2, Language · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What L.2.3 Means in Plain English

Second graders notice that English changes with the listener. To a friend at recess it’s “Hey, wanna play?” To a visiting author it’s “Excuse me, Ms. Diaz. Could you please sign my book?” They compare the two and choose the one that fits.

L.2.3 is the first standard of its line, since kindergarten and 1st grade have no third Language standard. Formal isn’t better than casual. It fits different moments, like a letter or a guest. Third grade (L.3.3) chooses words for effect and separates spoken from written English.

L.2.3 I Can Statements

  • I can tell when to use my polite, formal voice.
  • I can say one thing two ways: to a friend and to a grown-up.
  • I can use words like may and please for a formal request.

L.2.3 Worked Example

One request said twice, once to the bus driver and once to a friend, and the trouble is mixing up which voice goes where.

Prompt

You feel carsick and want to sit near the front of the bus. Ask Mr. Grant, the bus driver. Then tell your friend Nia where you’ll be sitting.

Not YetTo Mr. Grant: “Yo, I’m sitting up there, okay?” To Nia: “Good afternoon, Nia. I would like to inform you that I will be seated in the front.”Both voices land in the wrong place. The driver gets a casual announcement instead of a polite question, and Nia gets a formal speech that sounds like a robot reading a letter.
Meets the StandardTo Mr. Grant: “Excuse me, Mr. Grant. I feel carsick. May I please sit in the front seat today?” To Nia: “I’m sitting up front ’cause I feel sick. Save my spot tomorrow, okay?”The driver gets a greeting, his name, a reason and a polite question with may and please. Nia gets short, friendly talk. Same news, two voices, each one fitting its listener.
Moves to Use
Ask yourself who is listening: a friend, a grown-up you know, or someone new.Formal voice: a greeting, the person’s name, please and may.Informal voice: short, friendly words for friends and family.Writing a letter or speaking to a guest? Use formal English.

Common Mistakes with L.2.3

Casual talk with every adult

“Hey, gimme a pencil” to the substitute teacher on her first day

Try this: Role-play the same request to a friend, a teacher and a visitor, and have the class name what changed each time.

Formal means fancy words

“I would like to inform you that I require assistance,” from a seven-year-old

Try this: Teach formal as polite and complete, a greeting, a name and please, not long words, and model it in plain language.

Treating informal as wrong

A teacher marking “gonna” as an error in a story where one character talks to a friend

Try this: Ask who is speaking to whom before correcting, and keep casual words in dialogue between friends when they fit the character.

Where L.2.3 Fits

Comes BeforeSL.1.6Produce complete sentences when appropriate to the task and situation, a first taste of matching talk to the moment.
AlongsideSL.2.6Produce complete sentences when a situation calls for them, which is often the formal one.L.2.1Use standard grammar and usage, the base of the formal voice.
Comes NextL.3.3Choose words and phrases for effect, and notice how spoken and written standard English differ.

Practice L.2.3

Sentence Scramble GeneratorFree ToolScramble polite requests like May I please sit in the front seat, so students rebuild the formal version word by word.Polite requestsGrade 2
Make a Scramble

Quick Check

  1. Which words make the strong request to Mr. Grant formal?
  2. Why is the weak message to Nia a mistake, even though it is polite?
  3. Formal or informal: a thank-you letter to a firefighter who visited the class?

L.2.3: Other Names

L.2.3CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.3

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.