1、Formal and informal,Pre questions for discussions: As a reader, why you find some essays easy to read while others may difficult to read? What is formal and informal words and style? When shall we use these formal and informal words and styles? As an English learner, do you think we should be inclin
2、ed to using more formal words and styles?,Formal and informal,Formal and informal words and/or language of English should both be learned. Formal language is usually used in term papers, research papers, reports, memos, minutes of meeting, and business letters etc, in which case, formal style of lan
3、guage should be used. Formal language is sometimes called written or academic language.,Formal and informal,On the other hands, informal writing assumes a personal stance. It suggest close connections among writer, reader, and subject. Informal writing is usually used in daily conversations, notes,
4、messages, personal letters, postcards etc.,Formal and informal,The English that you should use when writing a paper or thesis should be formal (like a legal document) but also clear (unlike a legal document). There are certain things that can be done in spoken English or in written English in newspa
5、pers, magazines, or lecture notes which are not appropriate for formal writing.,Formal and informal,1. Dont start a sentence with And, Also, But, So, Or, Even so. Instead use In addition, However, Hence, Consequently, Alternatively, Nevertheless. 2. Dont start a sentence with Therefore. Instead writ
6、e, for example, We therefore. 3. Dont start a sentence with Then or Now unless it is a command.,Formal and informal,4. Dont use dont, or any other shortened negative such as isnt, hasnt, wasnt, etc. Use does not, is not, etc. instead. 5. Generally try to avoid s. E.g. Instead of the wavefronts curva
7、ture use either the curvature of the wavefront or the wavefront curvature. But, there are exceptions to this. e.g. todays stock market prices is better than the stock market prices of today.,Formal and informal,6. Dont use ! or & or /. It is also very unusual to see ? in a paper. Dont put questions
8、in a paper unless you really know what you are doing.,Formal and informal,7. Dont use e.g. or i.e. or etc. 8. When referring to the number of countable objects, use words rather than figures when the amount is less than twenty. E.g. Dont write we used 3 methods - instead write we used three methods.
9、 9. Dont use OK. Use acceptably, permissible, satisfactory, etc instead.,Formal and informal,10. Dont use got. Instead use obtained. 11. If you can, try to use the passive voice for occasionally when describing your results. Using we in every sentence is a bit boring. 12. List things properly using
10、and between the last two items. E.g. Dont do we used three methods A, B, C. ; Instead, write either we used three methods: A, B, and C. or we used three methods, namely, A, B, and C.,Formal and informal,13. Do not use first-person pronouns (“I,“ “me,“ “my,“ “we,“ “us,“ etc.). Try to avoid “I think t
11、hat,“ “I believe that,“ or “in my opinion.“ Simply delete these expressions from sentences, and you will be left with stronger sentences. Example I think that this character is confused. This character is confused. (The second sentence is less wordy, sounds more formal, and conveys a more confident
12、tone.),Formal and informal,“One,“ “the reader,“ “readers,“ “the viewer,“ or similar terms are sometimes effective to replace “ I, We”Example I can sense the characters confusion. Readers can sense the characters confusion.,Formal and informal,13. Avoid addressing readers as “you.“ Addressing readers
13、 using second-person pronouns (“you, your“) can make an essay sound informal and can bring assumptions into an essay that are not true. Example: “If you wear a tube top, guys might think that you are easy.“ I wondered why the student would think that I, a male, would wear a tube top. As with first-p
14、erson pronouns, second-person pronouns can be replaced by words such as “one,“ “the reader,“ “readers,“ and “the viewer.“,Formal and informal,14. Avoid the use of contractions. Contractions are shortened versions of words that use apostrophes in place of letters, such as “cant,“ “isnt,“ “shes,“ and
15、“wouldnt.“ The more formal, non-contracted versions are “cannot,“ “is not,“ “she is,“ and “would not.“ Example The character isnt aware that hes surrounded by people he cant trust. The character is not aware that he is surrounded by people he cannot trust.,Formal and informal,15 . Avoid colloquialis
16、m and slang expressions. Colloquial diction is informal language used in everyday speech and includes such words as “guys,“ “yeah,“ “stuff,“ “kind of,“ “okay,“ and “big deal.“ Highly informal diction, such as “freak out“ and “dissing,“ falls into the category of “slang.“,Formal and informal,While sl
17、ang words often are vivid and expressive, slang comes and goes quickly, another reason why slang should be avoided in formal writing. Both colloquialism and slang expressions convey an informal tone and should be avoided in formal writing. Example The guy was nailed for ripping off a liquor store. T
18、he man was convicted of robbing a liquor store.,Formal and informal,16. Avoid abbreviated versions of words. For example, instead of writing “photo,“ “phone“ and “TV,“ write “photograph,“ “telephone,“ and “television.“,Formal and informal,17. Avoid the overuse of short and simple sentences. While th
19、e writer might use formal diction in such sentences, too many short and simple sentences can make an essay sound informal, as if the writer is not recognizing that the audience is capable of reading and understanding more complex and longer sentences. Short and simple sentences can be used effective
20、ly in formal writing, but heavy reliance on such sentences reflects poorly on the writer and gives the writing an informal tone.,Formal and informal,In the following pages, you will find how the rules above can be effective in actual writing.,Formal and informal,Diction Formal words: Informal Indust
21、rial action strike industrial accident accident Prostitute, sex workers street girls rehabilitate better/improve Endeavour try Construct build Deem think End conclude, terminate,Formal and informal,Examples: They are going to be on strike tomorrow.They are schedule to undergo an industrial action to
22、morrow. 2. The forecaster said that it was going to rain in afternoon.The forecaster reported the possibility of raining tomorrow. OrThe forecaster reported a possible rain tomorrow. 3. They are not going well with their research because they do not have enough fund.They can not carry on their resea
23、rch due to unavailability of sufficient fund.,Formal and informal,4. The accident happened as he knew little about managing the machine.The accident occurred as a result of his ignorance about the management of the machine. 5. A computer has a CPU, a monitor, a keyboard, a CD-ROM, a mouse and other
24、parts.A computer consists of a CPU, a monitor, a keyboard, a CD-ROM, a mouse and other peripheries. 6. There has been great changes in China over the past twenty years.China witnesses tremendous changes over the past two decades. 7. The meeting was ended after Mr. Mayor had his last speech. The meet
25、ing concluded with Mr. Mayors speech.,Diction- Formal and informal,The above all bring to our awareness of the following skills in formal writing work. The following may be some useful guidelines when you need to write formally. At this stage, we at least should avoid using weak words and phrases su
26、ch as have/has, be, there be, do, take, make, lie, be going to, think, give, put, go, will, would do (not) and so on. Avoid using hesitation fillers such as er, um, well, you see etc. Avoid pronoun I, we, you, he with the exception of it. Try to use strong words (some of them are quite formal). Use
27、short words or phrase unless long one are more appropriate. declare - make a declaration , later subsequently (click for examples. See more in the Word document),Formal and informal,EX: Replace the red colored words with formal words (note that you need to develop the awareness of using formal words
28、 in your academic writing).Mr. Hunter was generous enough to give a hundred thousand dollars to the flood affected residents. Tom just walked around the shops without buying anything. We have gotten big help from the travel agency.(ref),Formal and informal,4. I cant speak well because my English is
29、poor.I cant communicate well because of my limited English. 5. Mary would not agree with what you thought.Mary is in disagreement with your views. 6. I would like to ask you to send the goods in time.I would advise that you deliver/dispatch the commodity timely. orIt is advised that you deliver/disp
30、atch the commodity timely (ref),Formal and informal,8. He thinks every student should come to class in time. 9. According to Dr. Davidsons report, there are 0.5% percent people dying from lung cancer this year. 10. More and more people are suffering from the fumes made by automobiles. (ref),Formal a
31、nd informal,Use short words 11. The film show terminated at 9 p.m 12. The little girl remarked that she did not like candy. 13. Last week, our neightbour purchased a clock. 14. As soon as they got off the vessel, they hired a car. 15. The families made a decision to fabricate a new house nearby.,Dic
32、tion - Use short words if likely and proper,( Note: more discussion are in the section about CONCISENESS. ) He resides in an elegant mansion. He lives in an elegant house. 2. After breakfast, they commenced to do their homework.After breakfast, they began to do their homework. 3. The altitude of thi
33、s cottage is 5 meters.The height of this cottage is 5 meters. On seeing a thief, little Mary concealed herself behind a tree.On seeing a thief, little Mary hid herself behind a tree. (back),Formal and informal,Mr. Hunter was generous enough to denoted a hundred thousand dollars to the flood affected
34、 residents. Tom just strolled around the shops without buying anything. We have obtained help from the travel agency.(Back),Formal and informal,4. I cant speak well because my English is poor. I cant communicate well because of my limited English. 5. Mary would not agree with what you thought Mary i
35、s in disagreement with your views. 6. I would like to ask you to send the goods in time. I would advise that you deliver/dispatch the commodity timely. orIt is advised that you deliver/dispatch the commodity timely(Back),Formal and informal,He thinks every student should come to class in time.In his
36、 view, (He views that )every student should be puncture for class. 9. According to Dr. Davidsons report, there are 20% percent people dying from lung cancer this year.Dr. Davidsons report shows/indicates 0.5 % percent smokers dying from lung cancer this year. 10. More and more people are suffering f
37、rom the fumes made by automobiles. People are increasingly suffering from fumes produced by cars. (back),Formal and informal,The second that that increases the population is that, the medical care has been perfectly improved and the people living in ancient time would not imagine at all. At present, the birth rate is differently higher than the death rate in most of the countries. When people get, they can either get medicine from the clinic or go to the hospital directly. That is to say, people nowadays would not die easily.,Formal and informal,
