Signs of informal and formal language: INFORMAL language uses …
FORMAL language uses …
common words (see above)
formal words (see above)
abbreviations: BTW, FYI; contractions: doesn’t, isn’t, can’t, won’t, would’ve; emoticons: <3, ;-)
complete words: does not, is not, cannot, will not, would have
a way of speaking directly to the reader or listener, using I, you, me, and tags at the end of sentences: …, isn’t it? …, okay? …, really.
a distance between the writer and the reader
*slang: gonna, wanna, coulda, stuff, Wassup?
Standard English: going to, want to, could have
a spoken style with filler words: well, I mean, you know, sort of, kind of, I guess
a written style, few filler words
stream of thoughts, many ideas in one paragraph, the text appears made up as it goes along
clear logical structure to the argumentation
imprecise words like thing and stuff, idioms like You can’t beat a dead horse you know.
words that have a precise meaning
dialogue: “The plane should leave in an hour!” shouted the chief.
indirect quotation: The chief insisted that …
incomplete sentences: Just got home from school. Exclamation marks: That’s great!
complete sentences and standard punctuation, no exclamation marks
in a letter: Dear John, Hi there! How are you? See you later, Love always, Cheers
in a letter: Dear Mr. Perkins, Yours sincerely, Dear Sir/Madam, Yours faithfully
* slang should only appear in very informal texts, not essays and not oral presentations in school.
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Tasks 30
1 Formal and informal vocabulary a Match the formal words on the left with the informal ones on the right. Use a dictionary if needed to look up the exact meaning of the formal words. formal conceal separate postpone cancel squander
informal call off waste split hide put off
b Which word from the lists in task 1a would you put into these sentences? First decide if the sentence is formal (F) or informal (IF), and then choose the right word from the list above. 100
Chapter TWO
F / IF Guess what, I don’t love you after all, I’m just gonna … the wedding! F / IF During the five-hour long operation the doctors were successful in their attempt to … the conjoined twins who were attached at the head.
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F / IF The study revealed that homeless people would often … their money on treats rather than pay the light bill. F / IF So it seems that if the Indians can’t … themselves from the white men, then they’ll most likely be killed. F / IF The teacher made a decision to … the exam until a later date.
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