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Informal vs. Formal Language

Informal vs. Formal Language. When and how to use formal or informal language Amanda Wieland. But First!. A short quiz! http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=formal-vs-informal-language. When?. Formal Language Academic writing Sometimes emails in the workplace

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Informal vs. Formal Language

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  1. Informal vs. Formal Language When and how to use formal or informal language Amanda Wieland

  2. But First! • A short quiz! • http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=formal-vs-informal-language

  3. When? • Formal Language • Academic writing • Sometimes emails in the workplace (such as a boss) • Informal Language • Notes to friends • Talking with friends • Emails • Personal Letters • Non academic circumstances

  4. Contractions • Formal language has no contractions • Examples • Instead of can’t, you would use ‘cannot’ • Instead of haven’t, you would use ‘have not’ • Instead of isn’t, you would use ‘is not’ • Make the following sentence formal. • The building wasn’t stable; therefore, the owners didn’t receive a clearance to open.

  5. Hesitation Fillers • In a speech or when talking with friends, you might put in a filler when you are talking • Examples: er, um, hmm, well • No formal, written language will contain fillers such as these • For example • The person in front of me umm went to the bathroom. • Instead: The person in front of me went to the bathroom.

  6. Personal Pronouns • Formal writing does not use any personal pronouns; instead, it always uses third person • For example • Instead of I , you, we, us, me, or our • Use him, her, they, one , he, she • Also try to replace personal pronouns with an impersonal word such as it or there, or a verb in the passive voice • Informal: I think that the author wanted… • Formal: Arguably, the author wanted…

  7. Abbreviated Forms • Instead of abbreviating, formal language requires you to write out the word completely • Instead of e.g, i.e. etc., b/c, or w/ • Use for example, that it, and so on, because or with • On numbers and formal language • Number 1- 10 should be spelled out • Anything above 10 should use the number symbols • Dates, phone numbers, and time should use number symbols

  8. Informal/Imprecise Words • Examples of informal or imprecise words • Lots of, nice, big, things, like, so, well • Come up with a sentence using these imprecise words • Examples of more formal words to use instead • Many, excellent or pleasant, large, reasons/problems/ideas, such as, therefore, thus • Replace the informal words with the formal ones in the sentences you came up with • Can you hear the difference?

  9. Comparing Informal Formal Complex Objective Full words Third Person Passive Voice • Colloquial • Simple • Contraction/Abbreviations • Empathy/Emotion • Active Voice

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