Formal Informal Language - For Jay C

Formal and informal Language – Student copy – For Jay C

When writing, you must make sure you adopt the right tone to suit your audience and purpose - either formal or informal. Learn about CAP and the writer’s voice.

Formal language and Standard English

Standard English refers to a style of language used to suit a setting where the audience is large, not personally known, or in authority. It is an appropriate choice of style in media writing and by teachers, TV and radio news announcers.

Standard English is also used at traditional occasions such as funerals and weddings. It is a clear style of English that can be understood by a wide audience.

It may sometimes be called ‘posh’, ‘formal’ or even ‘the Queen’s English’, but these aren’t very helpful descriptions. Standard English can be spoken in any regional accent, so you don’t need to sound like the Queen! The word ‘Standard’ refers to the use of its use of standardised vocabulary and grammar which excludes the use of slang and incorrect grammar.

For example, where you might say to a friend, “We’re gonna go town”, to turn this into Standard English, you would say: “We’re going to go to town”. In an essay, you would avoid writing that 'Shakespeare’s plays are awesome!' and, instead write, 'Shakespeare’s plays are enjoyable.'

When you are writing an essay or for an unknown audience, you should try to avoid contractions and any use of slang words. You need to ensure that you do not write in quite the same way as you might talk to a friend.

Using formal language doesn't mean that you have to sound stilted and boring. You can still sound lively and engaging by using words imaginatively but choosing carefully to avoid slang and incorrect grammar. News reports use formal language, but the words are rich and stimulating to keep the audience interested.

Question

The two sentences below both use Standard English to give the same information. Which sentence do you think suits the context of a news report aimed at a young audience best and why?

• The bomb broke the windows of nearby buildings.
• The blast shattered the windows of nearby buildings.

When you write, you will always have a ‘CAP’: a context, audience and purpose. To achieve your purpose you need to write in a style that will suit your context and audience. To do that, you will need to choose the right tone of voice.

Making your writing more formal

There are lots of things you can do to make your writing more formal. Below are some tips on how you can best achieve this.

Do

• Make your writing clear and to the point, avoiding generalisation and vagueness.
• Try providing ‘signposts’ to help your reader find their way through your writing. Words and phrases such as 'in addition', 'nevertheless', 'on the other hand', 'by contrast', 'although' and 'alternatively' are always helpful.
• Include a mix of sentence lengths and types in all writing, including some informative complex sentences. Try using semicolons in place of a full stop to link two sentences that share the same topic, but only if you feel confident about using them correctly. They also work well before connectives such as “but” to add a natural tone and emphasis, for example, “I like BBC Bitesize; but people can make their own choice”.
• It is important to choose a style that fits in with the text-type or genre, the purpose and the audience of the task.

Avoid

• Words and phrases typical of a friendly chat such as ‘cool’, 'you know' or 'like I said'.
• Take care that the effect is right if you use connectives such as 'and', 'but', 'because' at the beginning of a sentence.
• Keep exclamation marks to an absolute minimum!!!
• Words like 'nice' and 'a lot' have a vague meaning. Try to think of more descriptive words, for example, 'delicious' or 'endless'.

Informal writing

Writing is informal when it has features similar to a conversation with a friend.

Used in an appropriate context, an informal tone can help make your writing seem more friendly and natural.

Question

Which of the following would you NOT write using informal language?

a) A letter to a friend.

b) An essay about a Shakespeare play.

c) A talk aimed at students your own age and younger.

d) A diary entry.

e) A story written from the point of view of a character (in the first person).



Tips to make your informal writing more effective

1. Address the reader directly

        Dear reader, I'm really glad you've found the time to open this letter.


2. It is okay sometimes to use the kind of words that are more usual in speech than writing

        You don't have to put up with bullying. We'll stick together and make it stop.


3. Contractions sound more natural in certain types of writing, for example, a talk to fellow students

        It is good to know that we're all going to work together on this. 

A word of caution, however:

• try not to confuse your reader – always be clear
• avoid too much or inappropriate slang
• never use taboo language or swearing
• think carefully about structure - informal writing is different from speech and needs carefully planned paragraphs to keep it clear and easy to read

When to break the rules

Sometimes there are opportunities to break the rules of Standard English and use language in unexpected ways. Two good examples of writers who achieve this are poet Benjamin Zephaniah and writer Andrea Levy in her book Small Island.


“Ah walk under a cloud and den me float over de ill. An’ me see Miss Hortense a look pon de daffodil dem”

Example of non-standard English taken from Small Island by Andrea Levy

If you are asked to write a story, it would be a mistake for you as the author to use incorrect grammar and slang - but inside speech marks, your characters can speak in a natural way - informally.

Adapting to audiences

When we speak, it is not usually a problem for us to adapt to our audience, but it is more difficult in writing. Test your speaking skills using the Stylometer.


Task 1

Question

Look at the examples below. Where would you place the following audiences on the Stylometer? Reorder them from most formal to least formal.

• Give us your pen, Smithy.
• I ain't got nothing for you.
• Excuse me, but do you have a pen I could possibly borrow, please?
• Can I have a pen please Sir?
• Have you got a pencil Sean?

Task 2

Question

Think about your audience and purpose and the level of formality that the setting demands.

Look at the examples below. Where would you place the following audiences on the Stylometer? Reorder them from most formal to least formal.

• A friend you walk to school with.
• Your sister's boyfriend, who's in year 12.
• An aunt you see every week.
• Your doctor.
• The headteacher at your school

In some settings, you need to write quite formally, but in others you can make your writing less formal and even on occasion, chatty. In all types of writing except in informal dialogue, you should avoid using slang.