FORMAL AND INFORMAL正式與非正式英文

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 Instead, write either we used three methods: A, B, and C. or we used thr

8、ee 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 that, I believe that, or in my opinion. Simply delete these expressions from sentences, and you will be left with stronger sentences. ExampleI think that this cha

9、racter is confused.This character is confused.(The second sentence is less wordy, sounds more formal, and conveys a more confident tone.),Formal and informal,One, the reader, readers, the viewer, or similar terms are sometimes effective to replace “ I, We” ExampleI can sense the characters confusion

10、.Readers can sense the characters confusion.,Formal and informal,13. Avoid addressing readers as you. Addressing readers 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 th

11、ink that you are easy. I wondered why the student would think that I, a male, would wear a tube top. As with first-person 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 ar

12、e shortened versions of words that use apostrophes in place of letters, such as cant, isnt, shes, and wouldnt. The more formal, non-contracted versions are cannot, is not, she is, and would not. ExampleThe character isnt aware that hes surrounded by people he cant trust.The character is not aware th

13、at he is surrounded by people he cannot trust.,Formal and informal,15 . Avoid colloquialism 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

14、 dissing, falls into the category of slang.,Formal and informal,While slang 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 form

15、al writing. ExampleThe guy was nailed for ripping off a liquor store.The 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.

16、 Avoid the overuse of short and simple sentences. While the 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 s

17、entences. Short and simple sentences can be used effectively 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.

18、,Formal and informal,Diction Formal words: Informal Industrial 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 tom

19、orrow. They are schedule to undergo an industrial action tomorrow. 2. The forecaster said that it was going to rain in afternoon. The forecaster reported the possibility of raining tomorrow. Or The forecaster reported a possible rain tomorrow. 3. They are not going well with their research because t

20、hey do not have enough fund. They can not carry on their research 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

21、 has a CPU, a monitor, a keyboard, a CD-ROM, a mouse and other 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. Th

22、e meeting was ended after Mr. Mayor had his last speech. The meeting 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 thi

23、s stage, we at least should avoid using weak words and phrases such 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

24、it. Try to use strong words (some of them are quite formal). Use 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 (

25、note that you need to develop the awareness of using formal words 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. (r

26、ef),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 is in disagreement with your views. 6. I would like to ask you to send the goods in time. I would advise that you delive

27、r/dispatch the commodity timely. or It is advised that you deliver/dispatch 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

28、people are suffering from the fumes made by automobiles. (ref),Formal and 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 ca

29、r. 15. The families made a decision to fabricate a new house nearby.,Diction - 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.

30、 After breakfast, they began to do their homework. 3. The altitude of this 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

31、generous enough to denoted a hundred thousand dollars to the flood affected 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 is in disagreement with your views. 6. I would like to ask you to send the goods in time. I would advise