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Features that distinguish formal and informal styles 1. Contractions like don't, mustn't, he's, I've, etc., are generally used in informal writing. In formal writing the full forms are preferred: do not, must not, he is, ect. 2. For indefinite reference “you” is often used in informal English while “one” is often used in formal English, eg: You never know what new measures the President will take.àOne never knows what new measures the President will take. 3. In informal English “that” can often be left our before an object clause, especially after verbs of saying or thinking 4. In informal style “they” is often used as a pronoun referring to everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody, e.g: Has everyone finished doing his or her exercises? (formal) 5. Adjectival and adverbial phrases are generally used in formal style. Eg: Having being warned of the impending storm, the captain decided to put off the voyage. (formal) When the captain heard a storm was coming, he decided to put off the voyage. (less formal) 6. Nominative absolute constructions(独立主格结构) are generally used in formal style: eg: The weather being fine, a large number of people went to climb the Western Hills. (formal) As the weather was fine, a large number of people went to climb the Western Hills. (less formal) Africa is the second largest continent, its size being about three times that of China. (formal) Africa is the second largest continent. It is about three times as large as China. (less formal) 7. Adjectival and adverbial phrases placed before the subject often make the sentence formal(this is a way to enrich your sentence constructions and avoid using same structures over and over in your writing) eg: A famous professor of biology, Dr. Jones was the new president of the university. 8. Parenthetical remarks(插入句) often make a sentence formal. Eg: This village has built, in less than ten years, several small factories that bring in more income than the farm produce every year. Eg: He shaved very slowly and carefully, as was his custom, in front of the mirror above the sink. 9. A series of nouns, verbs, or adjectives may make a sentence sound formal; eg: His anger prevented him from doing, saying, and listening to anything. 10. the following types of sentences are often used in formal style: A) long sentences B) compound-complex sentences C) sentences with parallel constructions D) balanced sentences 11. as for vocabulary, everyday words are mainly of Anglo-Saxon origin, while words of Greek, French and Latin origins are mostly formal or learned words, e.g: Commence-begin, profound-deep, proceed-begin/start, explicit-clear, identical-same, endeavor-try, fortunate-lucky 12. phrasal verbs are colloquial and often used in conversational style: Go on(less formal)-continue(formal), look into-investigate, put up with-endure, turn out-produce 13. slang words and expressions are often too casual and informal to be used in formal writing(especially not suitable in academic writings). some slang words become a part of colloquial vocabulary, while others disappear in a few years eg: In hot water-in trouble, cool-pleasant, lousy-terrible |
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