Informal vs Formal (figure out → understand) | English Vocabulary




It's Not About Vocabulary. It's About Instinct.

Most learners know that English has formal and informal registers — but knowing it and feeling it are different things. You can read about the distinction in any grammar book. What the books don't tell you is the moment it actually matters: the email you send to a client that sounds slightly too casual, the meeting where your phrasing feels just a touch off, the job application where "figure out" slips in where "understand" should have been. The gap between knowing and applying is where most people get stuck — and it's usually not about vocabulary at all. It's about instinct.

That instinct is what this post is trying to build. Not a list to memorize, but a feel for when the room calls for "request" instead of "ask for," "discover" instead of "find out." The pairs here are common enough that most learners have encountered both versions — but common enough that the wrong choice in the wrong context goes unnoticed until it doesn't.





🎯 Video Summary

I made this video around Shostakovich's Waltz No. 2 — a piece that's melancholic and danceable at the same time, which gives it a quality most background music doesn't have. Snow outside a window, a coffee cup, the kind of quiet that makes an afternoon feel longer than it is. I wanted the words to arrive in that space rather than be presented at you. There's a version of vocabulary study that feels like work, and a version that just feels like sitting with something for a while. I was going for the second one.

This video focuses on essential English word pairs that help you upgrade everyday expressions into more formal alternatives, including ask for → request, figure out → understand, find out → discover, get rid of → eliminate, make a choice → decide, and sum up → summarize.

Designed for focused and distraction-free learning, this video does not include example sentences or dialogue. Instead, it presents key vocabulary in a clear and simple format so you can concentrate on recognizing and memorizing each word pair.

To enhance your learning experience, classical music is used as a background. The calm and steady rhythm helps you stay focused, making it ideal for passive learning, repetition, and long study sessions.

This video is perfect for:

  • Learning formal English vocabulary
  • Improving word choice for writing and speaking
  • Studying English while relaxing or multitasking
  • Building a more natural and flexible vocabulary range

Play the video in the background, listen to the music, and absorb the vocabulary naturally over time. Consistent exposure will help you recognize and use these word pairs more confidently in real situations.



1. Ask for → Request

“Ask for” is commonly used in spoken English, while “request” is more formal and often used in written or professional contexts.

  • Casual: I’d like to ask for more time to finish this.
  • Formal: I requested additional time to complete the project.

Nuance & Usage:

“Request” sounds more polite and official, which makes it ideal for emails, customer service, or formal communication. However, in everyday conversation, “ask for” is usually more natural. Overusing “request” in casual speech can sound too formal or distant.


2. Figure out → Understand

“Figure out” emphasizes the process of thinking or solving something, while “understand” focuses on the result—clear comprehension.

  • Casual: I can’t figure out how this app works.
  • Formal: I’m trying to understand this problem.

Nuance & Usage:

Use “figure out” when you want to highlight effort or problem-solving. Use “understand” when you want to sound more direct and precise. In many academic or explanatory contexts, “understand” is preferred, but in conversation, “figure out” often sounds more natural.


3. Find out → Discover

“Find out” is very common in everyday speech, while “discover” is more formal and often used for new, meaningful, or significant information.

  • Casual: I just found out that the meeting was canceled.
  • Formal: I discovered the answer yesterday.

Nuance & Usage:

These two are not always interchangeable. “Discover” is typically used for something new, important, or previously unknown (discover a new method, discover a cure). It can sound unnatural for simple or routine information (discover his phone number feels awkward). In those cases, “find out” is the better choice.


4. Get rid of → Eliminate

“Get rid of” is informal and widely used in conversation. “Eliminate” is more formal and often used in professional, technical, or academic contexts.

  • Casual: I need to get rid of these old clothes.
  • Formal: We need to eliminate these errors.

Nuance & Usage:

“Eliminate” is especially common when discussing problems, inefficiencies, or risks. However, in casual conversation, “get rid of” sounds much more natural and less rigid.


5. Make a choice → Decide

Both expressions have similar meanings, but “decide” is more concise and commonly preferred in formal contexts.

  • Casual: It’s hard to make a choice between these two options.
  • Formal: I need to decide soon.

Nuance & Usage:

“Decide” is simple, direct, and widely used in both speech and writing. In fact, it is often more natural than “make a choice,” even in casual contexts.


6. Sum up → Summarize

“Sum up” is frequently used in conversation, while “summarize” is more formal and common in writing or presentations.

  • Casual: Can you sum up the key points for me?
  • Formal: Let me summarize what we discussed.

Nuance & Usage:

“Summarize” is useful in structured or professional communication, but “sum up” is often preferred in spoken English because it sounds more natural and conversational.



Spoken vs Written English

One of the most important things to remember is that many “basic” expressions are actually the most natural choice in conversation.

  • Spoken English: ask for, figure out, find out, get rid of, sum up
  • Written/Professional English: request, understand, discover, eliminate, summarize

Using formal vocabulary in the wrong context can make your English sound unnatural. Choosing the right level of formality is just as important as knowing the words themselves.



One thing I'd suggest trying: the next time you write a professional email in English, go through it once specifically looking for phrasal verbs — and ask whether a single-word alternative would fit better. "I'm writing to ask for your feedback" becomes "I'm writing to request your feedback." "Please let me know once you figure out the details" becomes "Please let me know once you understand the details." Neither change is dramatic, but together they shift the register of the whole email in a way that's hard to pinpoint but easy to feel. That's the thing about formal vocabulary — it rarely announces itself. It just quietly raises the baseline of how the writing sounds.

The same logic works in reverse. If you're writing something that's meant to feel approachable — a message to a new contact, an introduction, anything where warmth matters more than formality — "ask for" lands better than "request," "find out" better than "discover." "I wanted to ask for your thoughts on this" opens a conversation. "I am writing to request your perspective" closes one. Same information, completely different tone. The goal was never to memorize which word belongs in which category. It was to get to the point where you feel the difference before you have to think about it.



🌐 If you’d like to learn more everyday phrases and their more formal alternatives, check out the related post below featuring a new set of word pairs and usage tips.

Informal vs Formal (look for → search) | English Vocabulary