Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: The difference between formal and informal English
• Part 2 of 2: What to avoid in formal writing
• Frequently used colloquialisms and expressions
• Examples
• Warnings

When speaking with family or friends, we usually prefer to use informal, familiar language. For example, if a friend were to ask you, `` Where are you going? '' You probably wouldn't answer like, `` I'm going to the beach. '' In everyday conversations we often use sentence fragments and (in English) concatenations, to time to save. During a conversation, we are also unable to stop what we are doing to look up facts and statistics, so we often use unclear words such as “anything,” “okay” and “et cetera.” Even though we use in local and colloquial English, as well as vague or unclear words when talking to friends and family, writing a formal letter in English requires precise, clear language.

To step

Part 1 of 2: The difference between formal and informal English

1. Understand the difference between formal and informal English. Formal and informal language is intended for different groups of people. For example, an informal letter to a friend asks for a friendly talk tone and can use concatenations (for example, 'don't', 'we' ll 'and' let's'), slang (for example, 'awesome' or 'cool'), and informal grammar (eg, "It's me, Susan" or "Who did you vote for yesterday?"). On the other hand, a formal English letter written to an employer should be free of spoken language and use proper grammar and punctuation. Formal and informal English differs in diction and grammatical structures. Informal English may contain colloquialisms such as "contraption", "fire", "kid", "how come", and "quote" as a noun. A formal text may prefer to use "device", "dismiss", "child", "why" and "quotation". Informal texts sound more like conversation, while formal texts seem more polished. An informal style can make the listener feel more comfortable when speaking, but a formal writing style makes a better impression where necessary.

Part 2 of 2: What to avoid in formal writing

1. Use correct punctuation. For example, American English uses a colon in a formal letter like "Dear John:" but British English uses a comma. Limit the use of parentheses, exclamation points and dashes (preferably colons) when writing formally. Avoid the ampersand (&); Write the word "and". Make sure to use correct punctuation while writing to reduce the risk of omitting punctuation.
2. Avoid everyday words and expressions (colloquialisms), such as 'cute' (use 'adorable'), 'yeah' (use 'yes'), 'how-do-you-do' and 'movie' (use 'movie'), as indicated below or as defined in a dictionary. This includes slang such as "cool", "dude" and "humongous", as well as abbreviated forms such as "TV", "phone" and "fridge". Two good phrases to omit are "you know" and "you might be thinking." After all, you don't know what your readers are thinking while they read your text. Another empty sentence is "Think about it." Assume that your readers are already thinking about what they are reading, and make your point more clearly. The adverb "pretty", meaning something like "relative", "free", or "about", is unacceptable in a formal English test and often unnecessary.
3. Omit emotion or opinion words. Formal texts should be as objective as possible. You want to give an honest and balanced picture of the topic you are writing about. Note that "balanced" does not necessarily mean allocating equal amounts of space to each side, as one side can be much stronger than the other. This also means the first and second person restriction on pronouns. The use of "you" and "your" can sometimes make a text personal or even emotional. Avoid writing "We should all ..." because when we use this phrase, we assume that everyone will act in the same way. Another phrase to avoid is, "I think that ..."; instead, give compelling reasons why you think something is so. Also avoid saying you like or love something; instead, focus on the reasons why you love it. Rather, "I love." Osmosis Jones because it teaches children about the human body, "you could write,"Osmosis Jones is a powerful learning tool that shows children how the human body works. "
4. Avoid formal clichés. Good formal texts contain literal language that cannot be misunderstood by the readers. Clichés can make your lyrics banal, but can sometimes be fun in everyday written language, especially with wordplay, such as an anti-cliché. Here are some clichés to avoid in formal written work:
   • Hercules was as strong as an ox.
   • I have to give an arm and a leg to find a parking spot during the holiday season.
   • It was as pretty as a picture.
5. Avoid clues. Do not start your letter by telling the addressee what you plan to discuss in the letter, and do not start an essay by telling the reader what you are going to discuss.
   • "I am writing to you to ask you to." . . . "
   • This paper is going to talk about how. . . . "
6. Avoid vague words such as "good", "bad", and "nice.""Prefer to use eloquent words, such as" beneficial "," deleterious "and" pleasant. "Do not end a list in a formal text with" etc. "or" et cetera ". If those extra examples you haven't given are important enough to make you feel like "et cetera" was necessary, then you may want to consider simply adding them. Remove words such as "a few" or "enough" and provide exact numbers and quantities where possible.
7. Avoid multi-word action words such as "put up with" or "make up.""Choose strong verbs instead, such as" tolerate "or" compound ".
8. Use good grammar. In particular, check your use of pronouns such as "I", "me", "who" and "whom." Make sure that all of your words match their topics. A common mistake is using the plural form of a verb while the singular is required: 'A group of these voters is [not' are '] concerned about global warming.' 'Search for floating clauses / participles (e.g.,' Shaded by a palm tree, the waiter brought me a tropical drink '), separated indefinite mood (e.g.,' to boldly go ') and terminal prepositions (e.g.,' Whom did you send the letter to? '). Avoid starting a sentence with conjunctions, such as "and" or "but"; rather use other transitions.
9. Never forget the relative pronoun in formal text. You can also rephrase the sentence to remove the pronoun. Make sure to use "that" for things and "whom" for people (since this relative pronoun will always be the object).
   • "This is the poem John wrote."
   • "This is the poem that John wrote.", Or "John wrote this poem".
   • "These are the people we love most."
   • "These are the people whom we love most.", Or "We love these people the most".
10. Make short, choppy sentences more graceful, longer sentences. Formal texts generally use longer sentences: compound, complex and complex compound sentences. You can combine two or more simple sentences using one of the aforementioned ways of constructing a sentence. Long sentences add variety to your text and can be particularly effective with short sentences; the contrast grabs the readers' attention. As the last sentence shows, you can also use a semicolon to combine two simple sentences, provided they are closely related.

Frequently used colloquialisms and expressions

Also read How to Use Commonly Misused Words and "Nonstandard and Questionable Usage" in How to Learn Perfect English As a Native English Speaker.

• Anybody, anyone - "Anyone" and its variants are more formal than "anybody" and similar words.

• • I didn't see anybody.
  • I saw no one.

• Ash - "As" is often used in formal texts instead of "because". By placing a comma before "axis" you can avoid confusion, where this can also be understood as "when" or "where".
• Big, large, great - All three of these words are acceptable in formal English, but "large" is more formal "big", and "great" is more formal than "large".
• Fellow - Avoid "fellow" when you mean "a person". Calling someone a "fellow" is more formal than "dude", but "fellow" remains colloquial.
• For sure - Replace "for sure" with "with certainty" in a formal text, such as "I know with certainty." You can also write "I am positive" or "I am sure".
• Get - Avoid all forms of this verb in formal texts.
  • I got an A in the course.
  • I received an A in the course.
  • She didn't get the joke.
  • She did not understand the joke.
  • The machine never gets used.
  • The machine is never used.
• Got - "Got" is spoken language. Replace this with "have", as in "Do you have [not" got "] an extra pen?"
• Introduce, present - "Present" is more formal than "Introduce." It is also more respectful to the introduced person.
  • The queen was introduced. . . .
  • The queen was presented. . . .

• Kind or, sort or - 'Kind of' and 'sort of' are unacceptable in formal texts, use as 'somewhat' and 'rather.' When used to categorize something, both forms are acceptable, but 'type of' is more formal: `` The parakeet is a type of bird. '' Note that it is informal to place an article after 'or': 'The parakeet is a type of a bird. "
• Please note - When used in place of "allow" or "permit," "let" is colloquialisms.
• Like - In formal text you may not use "like" in the sense of "as", "as though", or "such as".
  • The large family decorated their Christmas tree the night before Christmas, like they had done for many years.
  • The large family decorated their Christmas tree the night before Christmas, as they had done for many years.
  • It looked like the ballerina was about to fall.
  • It looked as though the ballerina were about to fall.
  • Some English phrases like "vice versa" come from the Latin.
  • Some English phrases such as "vice versa" come from the Latin.

• Madam, ma'am - Both "madam" and "ma'am" are very polite forms of address, but "ma'am" is unacceptable in formal English.
• Must - In formal English, do not use "most" in the sense of "almost". You should write, "Almost everyone likes pizza," not "Most everyone likes pizza."
• Nowadays - "Today" is preferred in formal texts.
• On the other hand - "On the other hand" is a very common phrase, but can be considered a cliché and should therefore be avoided in particularly formal English. Instead, use "conversely" or "by contrast".
• So - In particularly formal texts it is better to avoid "so" as a synonym for "very", or as a conjunction. Sometimes you need the conjunction "that" after "so".
• Thus, thusly - "Thusly" is not a correct word. Use "thus".
• The reason ... is because Avoid this redundant phrase. The more correct version is "the reason ... is that," but it is better to write a shorter, more direct sentence first.
  • The reason we give to charity is because ....
  • The reason we give to charity is that ....
  • We give to charity because ....

Examples

An informal letter:

John, I'm looking for a job, and I've heard through the grapevine that you need a workhorse for your shop. Well, I'm the man of the hour, as I've got a lot to offer. I'm pretty hard-working, and I'm really good about being on time. I'm also used to working by myself. Anyway, tell me whether you want to get together for an interview, okay?

-Informal Joe

A formal business letter:

Dear John: I understand that you are looking for a strong worker to assist you in your shop. I would appreciate consideration because I am diligent, punctual, and accustomed to working with minimal supervision.

Please contact me if you are interested in arranging an interview. I thank you for your time.

Respectfully,

Professional Joe

Warnings

• Formal texts, like formal dress, are appropriate in some situations but out of place or even ridiculous in other situations. Make sure your text is suitable for your audience, and always try to write something that is enjoyable to read.
• Be careful when looking for new words in a thesaurus. Some words have a certain meaning that is not explained in a thesaurus.For example, the word "juvenile" can also mean immaturity, while the word "young" does not. Make sure you use all words correctly and in the right way.