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Formal and informal English

Formal and informal English. A workshop brought to you by CQU Communications Learning Centre. To tune in. Imagine writing a business letter in your first language. What are some of the words you would use? Formal or informal?

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Formal and informal English

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  1. Formal and informal English A workshop brought to you by CQU Communications Learning Centre

  2. To tune in • Imagine writing a business letter in your first language. What are some of the words you would use? Formal or informal? • Imagine talking to a friend over the phone in your first language. Would you use formal or very informal language? • What would happen if you swapped the types of language used?

  3. Objectives of the session 1.Consider the similarities and differences between formal and informal English 2.Consider specific scenarios related to the two types of English 3.Practise classifying words into the two categories

  4. 1.Similarities between formal and informal English • Convey a message • Have a reader ( listener) in mind • Important to know which part of speech the word belongs to ( e.g. noun or verb) • Not letting your grammar slip • Both categories can be found in an advanced learners’ dictionary

  5. Differencesa) Formal English • is more common in writing than speaking • uses more passive voice (e.g. the matter will be discussed ) • often uses abstract nouns formed from verbs (e.g. consider - consideration) • does not use the same word twice in a sentence

  6. b) Informal EnglishCertain types of language are often informal: • phrasal verbs ( e.g. brought up) • idioms (e.g. to beat about the bush) • verb get (e.g. He got a letter last week) • contractions ( e.g. it doesn’t; it didn’t) • slang ( e.g. bloke= man)

  7. Public notices Police statements Job applications Legal documents Academic environment (e.g. reports, essays, debates) Spoken English Most e-mails Song lyrics Jokes Academic environment ( face-to-face and online conversations with course instructors) 2. ScenariosFormal Informal

  8. purchase bring commence get bad ask request buy acknowledge wrong because of I know that indicate often 3. Practise classifying the wordsWhich ones are informal?Try to replace them

  9. Use a dictionary to find out if these words are formal or informal • Drivers are not permitted to drink. • What do you reckon? • The meeting will resume at 3 p.m. • Approximately 60% of the population watch TV in Australia. • You can e-mail the question to me. I don’t know the answer off-hand.

  10. Find a synonym for each of these words • commence • creation • excessive What do they mean? • manner Try to make sentences • previous • consistent • scepticism

  11. Try to paraphrase these sentences: • Scientists today tell us that the universe is dynamic and interconnected. • Competing theories need to be contrasted to assess unique contributions and shortcomings.

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