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Oxford Online English, How to Use Formal and Informal English - English Speaking and Writing Fluency

How to Use Formal and Informal English - English Speaking and Writing Fluency

Greetings!

My name is Gina Mares, and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to this

Oxford Online English video lesson.

Hello!

My name's Gina.

Welcome to the class.

Hey guys!

Gina here.

Let's get started!

What's going on here?

Why am I welcoming you three times?

In this lesson, you can learn about formal and informal English.

You'll learn how to recognise and use formal and informal styles in your spoken and written

English.

Look at three sentences:

Could I disturb you for a minute?

Can I ask you something?

You got a sec?

All of these sentences have the same basic meaning—I want to talk to you and ask you

about something.

However, the tone is different.

Can you see how?

These three sentences show three levels of formality.

The first sentence is formal; it shows politeness, respect and distance.

The second sentence is neutral; it does not have a formal or an informal tone.

The third sentence is informal; it shows that you and the person you are speaking to are

familiar with each other, and you don't need to make an effort to be polite or respectful.

Actually, there are more than three levels of formality.

For example:

Might I ask you something?

May I take a moment of your time?

Could I disturb you for a minute?

These sentences are all formal.

The first is extremely formal.

It's probably too formal to use in most situations.

The other two are both formal; the second is probably more formal than the third.

Why ‘probably'?

Formality isn't absolute.

It also depends on context and intonation, so it's not just about the words you use.

So, there are many levels of formality.

However, when you speak or write in English, it's useful to think about three levels:

formal, neutral and informal.

But when should you use these different levels of language?

In my experience, many English students use language which is too formal.

They think: formal language is more polite.

Polite language is better.

Right?

No, not always!

Language which is too polite puts distance between you and the person you're talking

to.

At best, this will sound awkward and unnatural.

At worst, you can sound cold and unfriendly if you use language which is too formal.

Knowing when to use formal language depends mostly on context.

Let me ask you a question: when should you use formal language?

Maybe you said things like: in job interviews, in business meetings or negotiations, when

talking to older people, when writing business emails, and so on.

The fact is, it's not possible to say you should always use formal language in these

situations.

It always depends.

For example, take job interviews.

Some companies have a very corporate culture, with a strict hierarchy and lots of rules

and procedures.

Other companies are more relaxed, and pay less attention to rules and job titles.

Obviously, if you're going for a job interview at the first kind of company, you'll want

to dress, act and speak formally, to fit in with the company culture.

On the other hand, if you go for an interview at the second kind of company, where things

are more relaxed, it wouldn't be appropriate to speak very formally.

So, always think about the actual situation in front of you.

If you're not sure, try to listen to other people around you.

If people around you are speaking informally to each other, you probably shouldn't try

to sound very formal.

Also, if you don't know, then use neutral language.

Neutral language is safe.

You can use it in any situation.

Informal language is very important in spoken English, but you need to be careful.

Using informal language at the wrong time could sound disrespectful or rude.

Next, let's consider some of the main differences between formal, neutral and informal English.

Formal English tends to use longer, more complicated sentence structures.

Informal and neutral English tend to use shorter, simpler sentence structures.

For example:

I was wondering if you could make yourself available on Wednesday to provide more detailed

guidance on these matters.

--> This is a formal sentence.

You can see that it's quite long, with a complex structure.

Do you have time on Wednesday to help us with these problems?

--> This is neutral.

You got some free time on Wednesday to talk about this?

--> This is more informal.

You can see that the neutral and informal sentences are much shorter and simpler.

Let's do one more example.

I'll give you three sentences.

Can you see which one is formal, which is neutral, and which is informal?

We should have a word with him first.

It may well be necessary to contact him before we make a decision.

We need to talk to him before we decide.

Which is which?

The first sentence is informal.

The second sentence is formal.

The third sentence is neutral.

Did you get it right?

Again, you can see that the formal sentence is longer and more complex.

Another point is that we sometimes leave out words in informal English, especially in questions.

For example, in the question Are you sure? it is possible to leave out the word are and

just say You sure?

In fact, you could even leave out the word you and just ask a question with one word:

sure?

Let's see some more examples of this:

Will you be joining us?

(Formal—full form) Are you coming?

(neutral—full form) You coming?

(Informal—short form)

Do you have any suggestions?

(Formal—full form) Have you got any ideas?

(neutral—full form) Any ideas?

(Informal—short form)

Do you notice any other differences between the formal, neutral and informal sentences

you've seen in this section?

You might notice that we use different words in formal, neutral and informal English.

Vocabulary is another important difference between formal and informal language.

Let's look!

Formal English tends to use more literary, rare or old-fashioned vocabulary.

Generally, if you want to be formal, you need to be very precise with your use of vocabulary.

Neutral English tends to use simpler, more common words.

Informal English, like neutral English, uses simple and common vocabulary.

However, informal English also includes slang, phrasal verbs and colloquial language which

are not features of neutral English.

Informal English is also generally looser.

It uses more general words, and the meaning is understood from the context.

Let's look at this in some more detail:

We need to verify the data before we proceed.

We need to check the data before we continue.

We need to check everything before we carry on.

You can see that the formal sentence uses more literary vocabulary: verify instead of

check, and proceed instead of continue.

The neutral sentence uses simple, common words.

The informal sentence is less precise: instead of saying the data, we say everything.

It also uses a phrasal verb: carry on instead of proceed or continue.

In informal English, it's common to use vocabulary in a less precise way.

For example, you might use words like stuff or things to refer to specific things.

You wouldn't do this if you were speaking formally.

For example:

You are required to collect your belongings and vacate the premises.

You need to take your personal possessions and leave the building.

You need to get your stuff together and get out.

Again, you can see more literary vocabulary in the formal sentence (required, collect,

belongings, vacate, premises).

On the other hand, the informal sentence uses more basic vocabulary, including multi-part

verbs like get…together or get out.

The informal sentence is also much less precise.

It simply refers to stuff, instead of belongings or possessions.

It also says …get out, without specifying the place (the premises or the building).

The neutral sentence is somewhere in between.

In neutral language, you generally choose the simplest word you can.

So, you would say take instead of collect, leave instead of vacate, and so on.

You can also see that the informal sentence is much more direct than the other two.

This is an important part of formality in English.

Formal language tends to be much more indirect.

Formal language often sounds quite impersonal, because it uses fewer personal pronouns like

I, you, he, she, etc.

Informal language tends to be more direct and personal.

Informal language can be so direct that it can sound aggressive or rude if you use it

in the wrong situations.

Neutral language is in the middle, similar to other situations you've seen.

For example:

Lessons need to be learnt from the mistakes which were made.

--> formal I hope you can learn from where you went wrong.

--> neutral You made a mess of this and you need to do

better next time.

--> informal

You can see that the formal sentence is impersonal.

How does it achieve this?

First, the formal sentence uses the passive.

This makes it possible to avoid using personal pronouns.

The other two sentences include the word you, but the formal sentence doesn't.

This makes it possible to express the idea without mentioning or blaming a specific person,

which can be useful in certain situations.

The neutral sentence is personal, because it uses you to refer to the listener.

However, it's not very direct, and wouldn't generally be considered rude, even in a professional

setting.

The informal sentence is very direct.

If you say this to someone, you're not hiding what you think!

This can be useful if you need to make yourself clear, but it could also sound rude or aggressive.

It's not appropriate in all situations.

Let's do one more example.

Look at three sentences.

Can you tell which is formal, which is neutral, and which is informal?

We won't be able to do anything until we deal with these issues.

We won't be able to get anywhere until you sort this out.

It may be difficult to make progress until these matters are resolved.

Can you tell which is which?

The first sentence is neutral, the second is informal, and the third sentence is formal.

You can see that the formal sentence uses an impersonal structure (with it), rather

than a personal pronoun (we or you).

Again, this is useful if you want to be respectful and indirect, because it isn't clearly directed

at one person.

The neutral sentence is more personal.

Can you see the important difference between the neutral and informal sentences?

The neutral sentence uses we in both parts, while the informal sentence is more direct:

...until you sort this out.

The points you've seen so far in this lesson are true for both spoken and written English.

However, there are some features of formality which apply only to written English.

Let's take a look.

In writing, informal language uses contractions like he'll, it'd, or we're.

In informal written English, you can also use abbreviations, like btw for by the way,

ttyl for talk to you later, etc.

In formal writing, you generally wouldn't use contractions or abbreviations.

In neutral writing, you can use contractions and some abbreviations.

However, some abbreviations, like plz for please, are informal and shouldn't be used

if you want to sound neutral.

There are also some abbreviations which are possible in formal English.

For example, HR for Human Resources would be okay in formal language.

If you want to write something in formal English, and you aren't sure whether an abbreviation

is appropriate or not, then it's best to write the full form.

Let's see some examples:

Just for your information, we would like to schedule another meeting in October.

(Formal—there are no contractions or abbreviations)

Just for your information, we'd like to arrange another meeting in October.

(neutral—uses contractions, but no informal abbreviations).

Just FYI, we'd like to fix up a meeting in Oct.

(Informal—with contractions and abbreviations)

Written language is often held to a higher standard than spoken language, so it's important

to get the tone right.

In particular, don't use language which is too informal.

If you're not sure, aim for a neutral tone.

Let's look at one more example:

Thank you for all the hard work you have done.

(Formal—there are no contractions or abbreviations)

Thank you for the hard work you've done.

(Neutral—uses contractions, but no informal abbreviations).

Thx for everything you've done.

(Informal—with contractions and abbreviations)

Hopefully, now you have a good understanding of formality in English, and how to use formal,

neutral and informal English.

Don't forget to check out our website for more free English lessons: Oxford Online English

dot com.

Thanks for watching.

See you next time!

Learn languages from TV shows, movies, news, articles and more! Try LingQ for FREE

How to Use Formal and Informal English - English Speaking and Writing Fluency Wie man formelles und informelles Englisch verwendet - Englisch sprechen und schreiben fließend Πώς να χρησιμοποιείτε τα επίσημα και ανεπίσημα αγγλικά - Αγγλική ομιλία και γραφή με ευχέρεια Cómo utilizar el inglés formal e informal - Fluidez al hablar y escribir en inglés Comment utiliser l'anglais formel et informel - Parler et écrire couramment en anglais Come usare l'inglese formale e informale - Parlare e scrivere in inglese con fluidità フォーマル英語とインフォーマル英語の使い分け - 流暢な英語スピーキングとライティング 공식 및 비공식 영어 사용 방법 - 유창한 영어 말하기와 쓰기 Hoe formeel en informeel Engels te gebruiken - Engels spreek- en schrijfvaardigheid Jak używać formalnego i nieformalnego języka angielskiego - płynność mówienia i pisania po angielsku Como usar o inglês formal e informal - Fluência na fala e na escrita em inglês Как использовать формальный и неформальный английский язык - Свобода устной и письменной речи на английском языке Resmi ve Gayri Resmi İngilizce Nasıl Kullanılır - İngilizce Konuşma ve Yazma Akıcılığı Як використовувати формальну та неформальну англійську мову - вільне володіння розмовною та письмовою англійською мовою 如何使用正式和非正式英语 - 英语口语和写作流利

Greetings! 问候! Greetings

My name is Gina Mares, and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to this ||||||||||利用|||||||

Oxford Online English video lesson.

Hello!

My name's Gina.

Welcome to the class. Willkommen in der Klasse.

Hey guys! Hallo Leute!

Gina here.

Let's get started! Lass uns anfangen!

What's going on here? Was ist denn hier los?

Why am I welcoming you three times? Warum begrüße ich Sie dreimal?

In this lesson, you can learn about formal and informal English. |||||||正式的|||

You'll learn how to recognise and use formal and informal styles in your spoken and written ||||recognize|||||||||||

English.

Look at three sentences:

Could I disturb you for a minute? 我能|||||| ||interrupt|||| Darf ich Sie kurz stören?

Can I ask you something? Darf ich Sie etwas fragen?

You got a sec? |||一秒 |||second Hast du eine Sekunde?

All of these sentences have the same basic meaning—I want to talk to you and ask you Alle diese Sätze haben die gleiche grundlegende Bedeutung – ich möchte mit dir sprechen und dich fragen

about something. über etwas.

However, the tone is different. Allerdings ist der Ton ein anderer.

Can you see how?

These three sentences show three levels of formality. |||||||正式程度 |||||||Formalität |||||||formality

The first sentence is formal; it shows politeness, respect and distance. ||||||||||距离 |||||||politeness|respect|| Der erste Satz ist formal; es zeigt Höflichkeit, Respekt und Distanz.

The second sentence is neutral; it does not have a formal or an informal tone. ||||neutral|||||||||| Der zweite Satz ist neutral; es hat keinen formellen oder informellen Ton.

The third sentence is informal; it shows that you and the person you are speaking to are

familiar with each other, and you don't need to make an effort to be polite or respectful. ||||||||||||||||respectful vertraut miteinander, und Sie müssen sich nicht anstrengen, höflich oder respektvoll zu sein.

Actually, there are more than three levels of formality. Tatsächlich gibt es mehr als drei Formalitätsebenen.

For example:

Might I ask you something? 可以|||| Darf ich dich etwas fragen?

May I take a moment of your time? Darf ich einen Moment Ihrer Zeit in Anspruch nehmen?

Could I disturb you for a minute? Darf ich Sie kurz stören?

These sentences are all formal.

The first is extremely formal.

It's probably too formal to use in most situations. Es ist wahrscheinlich zu förmlich, um es in den meisten Situationen zu verwenden.

The other two are both formal; the second is probably more formal than the third. Die anderen beiden sind beide formal; die zweite ist wahrscheinlich formeller als die dritte.

Why ‘probably'? Warum „wahrscheinlich“?

Formality isn't absolute. Formalität ist nicht absolut.

It also depends on context and intonation, so it's not just about the words you use. Es hängt auch vom Kontext und der Betonung ab, es geht also nicht nur um die verwendeten Wörter.

So, there are many levels of formality.

However, when you speak or write in English, it's useful to think about three levels: Wenn Sie jedoch Englisch sprechen oder schreiben, ist es sinnvoll, über drei Ebenen nachzudenken:

formal, neutral and informal.

But when should you use these different levels of language? Aber wann sollten Sie diese verschiedenen Sprachebenen verwenden?

In my experience, many English students use language which is too formal. Meiner Erfahrung nach verwenden viele Englischstudenten eine zu förmliche Sprache.

They think: formal language is more polite. Sie denken: Formale Sprache ist höflicher.

Polite language is better.

Right?

No, not always!

Language which is too polite puts distance between you and the person you're talking |||||保持||||||||

to.

At best, this will sound awkward and unnatural. |||||awkward|| Das klingt bestenfalls unbeholfen und unnatürlich. せいぜい、ぎこちなく不自然に聞こえる程度だろう。

At worst, you can sound cold and unfriendly if you use language which is too formal. 在||||||||||||||| |||||||unfriendly|||||||| Im schlimmsten Fall können Sie kalt und unfreundlich klingen, wenn Sie eine zu förmliche Sprache verwenden.

Knowing when to use formal language depends mostly on context. Zu wissen, wann man formale Sprache verwendet, hängt hauptsächlich vom Kontext ab. いつフォーマルな言葉を使うべきかは、そのほとんどが文脈に左右される。

Let me ask you a question: when should you use formal language? Lassen Sie mich Ihnen eine Frage stellen: Wann sollten Sie formale Sprache verwenden?

Maybe you said things like: in job interviews, in business meetings or negotiations, when

talking to older people, when writing business emails, and so on.

The fact is, it's not possible to say you should always use formal language in these 実際のところ、このような場面で常にフォーマルな言葉を使うべきだとは言えない。

situations.

It always depends. Es kommt immer darauf an.

For example, take job interviews. Nehmen Sie zum Beispiel Vorstellungsgespräche.

Some companies have a very corporate culture, with a strict hierarchy and lots of rules ||拥有|||企业文化|||||等级制度|||| Manche Unternehmen haben eine sehr korporative Kultur, mit einer strengen Hierarchie und vielen Regeln

and procedures. |程序 |procedures und Verfahren. と手続き。

Other companies are more relaxed, and pay less attention to rules and job titles. ||||||给予|||||||职位 |||||||||||||titles Andere Unternehmen sind entspannter und achten weniger auf Regeln und Berufsbezeichnungen.

Obviously, if you're going for a job interview at the first kind of company, you'll want Wenn Sie bei der ersten Art von Unternehmen zu einem Vorstellungsgespräch gehen, möchten Sie natürlich

to dress, act and speak formally, to fit in with the company culture. sich formell zu kleiden, zu handeln und zu sprechen, sich der Unternehmenskultur anzupassen.

On the other hand, if you go for an interview at the second kind of company, where things Auf der anderen Seite, wenn Sie zu einem Vorstellungsgespräch bei der zweiten Art von Unternehmen gehen, wo die Dinge

are more relaxed, it wouldn't be appropriate to speak very formally.

So, always think about the actual situation in front of you. |||||current||||| Denken Sie also immer an die tatsächliche Situation vor Ihnen.

If you're not sure, try to listen to other people around you. Wenn Sie sich nicht sicher sind, versuchen Sie, anderen Menschen in Ihrer Umgebung zuzuhören.

If people around you are speaking informally to each other, you probably shouldn't try Wenn Leute um Sie herum informell miteinander sprechen, sollten Sie es wahrscheinlich nicht versuchen

to sound very formal. sehr förmlich klingen.

Also, if you don't know, then use neutral language. Wenn Sie es nicht wissen, verwenden Sie eine neutrale Sprache.

Neutral language is safe. Neutrale Sprache ist sicher.

You can use it in any situation.

Informal language is very important in spoken English, but you need to be careful. Informelle Sprache ist im gesprochenen Englisch sehr wichtig, aber Sie müssen vorsichtig sein.

Using informal language at the wrong time could sound disrespectful or rude. |||||||||不尊重|| |||||||||disrespectful|| Eine informelle Sprache zur falschen Zeit zu verwenden, könnte respektlos oder unhöflich klingen.

Next, let's consider some of the main differences between formal, neutral and informal English. Betrachten wir als Nächstes einige der Hauptunterschiede zwischen formellem, neutralem und informellem Englisch.

Formal English tends to use longer, more complicated sentence structures. Formales Englisch verwendet tendenziell längere, kompliziertere Satzstrukturen.

Informal and neutral English tend to use shorter, simpler sentence structures. Informelles und neutrales Englisch verwendet tendenziell kürzere, einfachere Satzstrukturen.

For example:

I was wondering if you could make yourself available on Wednesday to provide more detailed ||||||||||Wednesday|||| Ich habe mich gefragt, ob Sie sich am Mittwoch zur Verfügung stellen könnten, um genauere Angaben zu machen

guidance on these matters. 指导意见||| guidance||| Anleitung zu diesen Themen.

--> This is a formal sentence.

You can see that it's quite long, with a complex structure.

Do you have time on Wednesday to help us with these problems? Haben Sie am Mittwoch Zeit, uns bei diesen Problemen zu helfen?

--> This is neutral.

You got some free time on Wednesday to talk about this? Hast du am Mittwoch etwas Zeit, um darüber zu reden? 水曜日にこの件について話す時間があるか?

--> This is more informal.

You can see that the neutral and informal sentences are much shorter and simpler.

Let's do one more example. Machen wir noch ein Beispiel.

I'll give you three sentences. Ich gebe Ihnen drei Sätze.

Can you see which one is formal, which is neutral, and which is informal?

We should have a word with him first. Wir sollten zuerst mit ihm sprechen. まずは彼と話をするべきだ。

It may well be necessary to contact him before we make a decision. Es kann durchaus notwendig sein, ihn zu kontaktieren, bevor wir eine Entscheidung treffen.

We need to talk to him before we decide.

Which is which?

The first sentence is informal.

The second sentence is formal.

The third sentence is neutral.

Did you get it right? Hast du es richtig verstanden?

Again, you can see that the formal sentence is longer and more complex.

Another point is that we sometimes leave out words in informal English, especially in questions. ||||||省略|省略||||||| Ein weiterer Punkt ist, dass wir manchmal Wörter im informellen Englisch weglassen, besonders bei Fragen. もうひとつのポイントは、インフォーマルな英語、特に質問文では単語を省略することがあるということだ。

For example, in the question Are you sure? it is possible to leave out the word are and Beispielsweise in der Frage Sind Sie sicher? es ist möglich, das Wort sind und wegzulassen

just say You sure? sag einfach Bist du sicher?

In fact, you could even leave out the word you and just ask a question with one word: 実際、youという言葉を省いて、一言で質問することもできる:

sure?

Let's see some more examples of this:

Will you be joining us? Werden Sie sich uns anschließen? 参加されますか?

(Formal—full form) Are you coming? (Formell – vollständige Form) Kommst du?

(neutral—full form) You coming?

(Informal—short form)

Do you have any suggestions? Haben Sie Vorschläge?

(Formal—full form) Have you got any ideas?

(neutral—full form) Any ideas?

(Informal—short form) (Informell – Kurzform)

Do you notice any other differences between the formal, neutral and informal sentences

you've seen in this section? 你|||| Sie haben in diesem Abschnitt gesehen?

You might notice that we use different words in formal, neutral and informal English.

Vocabulary is another important difference between formal and informal language.

Let's look!

Formal English tends to use more literary, rare or old-fashioned vocabulary. ||||||文学的||||| ||||||literary|rare|||| Formales Englisch verwendet eher literarisches, seltenes oder altmodisches Vokabular. フォーマル・イングリッシュでは、より文学的な、珍しい、あるいは古風な語彙が使われる傾向がある。

Generally, if you want to be formal, you need to be very precise with your use of vocabulary. ||||||||||||precise||||| 一般的に、フォーマルでありたいのであれば、語彙の使い方を非常に正確にする必要がある。

Neutral English tends to use simpler, more common words.

Informal English, like neutral English, uses simple and common vocabulary.

However, informal English also includes slang, phrasal verbs and colloquial language which |||||slang|||||| Zum informellen Englisch gehören jedoch auch Slang, Phrasal Verbs und Umgangssprache, die

are not features of neutral English. は中立的な英語の特徴ではない。

Informal English is also generally looser. |||||更随意 |||||lockerer |||||looser Informelles Englisch ist im Allgemeinen auch lockerer. インフォーマルな英語も一般的に緩い。

It uses more general words, and the meaning is understood from the context. より一般的な言葉が使われており、文脈から意味が理解できる。

Let's look at this in some more detail:

We need to verify the data before we proceed. |||验证|||||进行 |||verify|||||proceed 先に進む前にデータを確認する必要がある。 在我们继续之前,我们需要验证数据。

We need to check the data before we continue. Wir müssen die Daten überprüfen, bevor wir fortfahren. 在我们继续之前,我们需要检查数据。

We need to check everything before we carry on. Wir müssen alles überprüfen, bevor wir weitermachen. 続ける前にすべてをチェックする必要がある。 在我们继续之前,我们需要检查所有内容。

You can see that the formal sentence uses more literary vocabulary: verify instead of

check, and proceed instead of continue.

The neutral sentence uses simple, common words.

The informal sentence is less precise: instead of saying the data, we say everything.

It also uses a phrasal verb: carry on instead of proceed or continue.

In informal English, it's common to use vocabulary in a less precise way. インフォーマルな英語では、語彙をあまり正確に使わないのが一般的だ。

For example, you might use words like stuff or things to refer to specific things. Du könntest zum Beispiel Wörter wie stuff oder things verwenden, um dich auf bestimmte Dinge zu beziehen. 例えば、特定の物事を指すのにstuffやthingsといった単語を使うかもしれない。

You wouldn't do this if you were speaking formally. Sie würden dies nicht tun, wenn Sie formell sprechen würden.

For example:

You are required to collect your belongings and vacate the premises. ||||||个人物品||腾出||场所 ||||||belongings||leave||premises Sie müssen Ihre Sachen abholen und das Gelände verlassen. あなたは荷物を回収し、施設を明け渡す必要があります。 您需要收拾好您的物品並搬出房屋。

You need to take your personal possessions and leave the building. ||||||个人物品|||| ||||||belongings|||| Sie müssen Ihre persönlichen Sachen mitnehmen und das Gebäude verlassen. 所持品を持って建物を出てください。

You need to get your stuff together and get out. Du musst deine Sachen zusammenpacken und raus. 荷物をまとめて出て行くんだ。

Again, you can see more literary vocabulary in the formal sentence (required, collect, |||||文学的|||||||

belongings, vacate, premises). 财物|| Eigentum, Räumung, Räumlichkeiten).

On the other hand, the informal sentence uses more basic vocabulary, including multi-part ||||||||||词汇||| Auf der anderen Seite verwendet der informelle Satz grundlegenderes Vokabular, einschließlich mehrteilig 另一方面,非正式的句子使用了更基础的词汇,包括多部分。您训练的数据截止到2023年10月。

verbs like get…together or get out. 动词|||||| Verben wie get…together oder raus. get...togetherやget outのような動詞。 像 get...together 或 get out 这样的动词。

The informal sentence is also much less precise. Der informelle Satz ist auch viel ungenauer. インフォーマルな文章は、より正確さを欠く。 这个非正式的句子也不够精确。

It simply refers to stuff, instead of belongings or possessions. Es bezieht sich einfach auf Dinge, anstatt auf Gegenstände oder Besitztümer. 持ち物や所有物ではなく、単に物を指す。 它只是指东西,而不是财物或拥有物。

It also says …get out, without specifying the place (the premises or the building). |||||不|指定||||||| ||||||specifying||||||| Es heißt auch … raus, ohne den Ort (das Gelände oder das Gebäude) anzugeben.

The neutral sentence is somewhere in between. Der neutrale Satz liegt irgendwo dazwischen.

In neutral language, you generally choose the simplest word you can. ||||通常|||最简单的||| |||||||simplest||| In neutraler Sprache wählen Sie im Allgemeinen das einfachste Wort, das Sie können.

So, you would say take instead of collect, leave instead of vacate, and so on. Sie würden also sagen, nehmen statt sammeln, verlassen statt räumen und so weiter.

You can also see that the informal sentence is much more direct than the other two.

This is an important part of formality in English.

Formal language tends to be much more indirect. Die formale Sprache ist in der Regel viel indirekter. 形式的な言葉は、より間接的になる傾向がある。

Formal language often sounds quite impersonal, because it uses fewer personal pronouns like |||||客观的||||||| |||||unpersönlich||||||| |||||impersonal|||||||

I, you, he, she, etc.

Informal language tends to be more direct and personal. ||||||||个人化 Informelle Sprache ist tendenziell direkter und persönlicher.

Informal language can be so direct that it can sound aggressive or rude if you use it ||||||||||攻击性|||||| ||||||||||aggressive|||||| Informelle Sprache kann so direkt sein, dass sie aggressiv oder unhöflich klingen kann, wenn Sie sie verwenden

in the wrong situations.

Neutral language is in the middle, similar to other situations you've seen.

For example:

Lessons need to be learnt from the mistakes which were made. Aus den gemachten Fehlern müssen Lehren gezogen werden. 犯した過ちから教訓を学ぶ必要がある。 需要從所犯的錯誤中學習。

--> formal I hope you can learn from where you went wrong. --> formal Ich hoffe, Sie können daraus lernen, was Sie falsch gemacht haben.

--> neutral You made a mess of this and you need to do |你|||||||||| --> neutral Du hast das hier vermasselt und das musst du tun --> 中立的な立場→あなたはこれを台無しにした。

better next time.

--> informal

You can see that the formal sentence is impersonal. ||||||||无人称 Sie sehen, dass der formelle Satz unpersönlich ist.

How does it achieve this? Wie wird dies erreicht?

First, the formal sentence uses the passive. Erstens verwendet der formale Satz das Passiv. まず、正式な文章では受身が使われている。

This makes it possible to avoid using personal pronouns. Dadurch kann auf Personalpronomen verzichtet werden. そのため、人称代名詞の使用を避けることができる。

The other two sentences include the word you, but the formal sentence doesn't.

This makes it possible to express the idea without mentioning or blaming a specific person, |||||||||||指责||具体的| |||||||||mentioning||blaming||| Dies ermöglicht es, die Idee auszudrücken, ohne eine bestimmte Person zu erwähnen oder zu beschuldigen.

which can be useful in certain situations. was in bestimmten Situationen nützlich sein kann.

The neutral sentence is personal, because it uses you to refer to the listener. ||||||它||||||| |||||||||||||listener Der neutrale Satz ist persönlich, weil er Sie verwendet, um sich auf den Zuhörer zu beziehen. 中立的な文章は個人的なものである。

However, it's not very direct, and wouldn't generally be considered rude, even in a professional ||||||||||||||专业环境 Es ist jedoch nicht sehr direkt und würde im Allgemeinen nicht als unhöflich angesehen, selbst bei einem Profi 然而,這不是很直接,即使在專業人士中,通常也不會被認為是粗魯的。

setting.

The informal sentence is very direct.

If you say this to someone, you're not hiding what you think!

This can be useful if you need to make yourself clear, but it could also sound rude or aggressive.

It's not appropriate in all situations.

Let's do one more example.

Look at three sentences.

Can you tell which is formal, which is neutral, and which is informal?

We won't be able to do anything until we deal with these issues. 我们|||||||||||| Wir werden nichts tun können, bis wir uns mit diesen Problemen befasst haben.

We won't be able to get anywhere until you sort this out. Wir werden nirgendwo hinkommen, bis Sie das geklärt haben. 在你解決這個問題之前我們將無處可去。

It may be difficult to make progress until these matters are resolved. |||||||||||解决 |||||||||||resolved Es kann schwierig sein, Fortschritte zu erzielen, bis diese Angelegenheiten geklärt sind.

Can you tell which is which?

The first sentence is neutral, the second is informal, and the third sentence is formal.

You can see that the formal sentence uses an impersonal structure (with it), rather Sie können sehen, dass der formale Satz eher eine unpersönliche Struktur (mit ihm) verwendet

than a personal pronoun (we or you). |||pronoun||| als ein Personalpronomen (wir oder du).

Again, this is useful if you want to be respectful and indirect, because it isn't clearly directed |||||||||尊重|||||||指向 ||||||||||||||||directed Auch dies ist nützlich, wenn Sie respektvoll und indirekt sein möchten, da es nicht klar zielgerichtet ist 再说一次,这在您想要保持尊重和间接时很有用,因为它并不是明确针对一个人。

at one person. ||一个人 这句话是中性的,更加个人化。

The neutral sentence is more personal. 中性句子更具个人性。

Can you see the important difference between the neutral and informal sentences?

The neutral sentence uses we in both parts, while the informal sentence is more direct: Der neutrale Satz verwendet wir in beiden Teilen, während der informelle Satz direkter ist:

...until you sort this out. ... bis Sie das geklärt haben. ...これを解決するまで

The points you've seen so far in this lesson are true for both spoken and written English. Die Punkte, die Sie bisher in dieser Lektion gesehen haben, gelten sowohl für gesprochenes als auch für geschriebenes Englisch.

However, there are some features of formality which apply only to written English. Es gibt jedoch einige Formalitäten, die nur für geschriebenes Englisch gelten. しかし、書き言葉にのみ適用される形式的な特徴もある。

Let's take a look. Lass uns einen Blick darauf werfen.

In writing, informal language uses contractions like he'll, it'd, or we're. ||||||||it would|| Beim Schreiben verwendet die informelle Sprache Kontraktionen wie he'll, it'd oder we're.

In informal written English, you can also use abbreviations, like btw for by the way, ||||||||||顺便说一下|||| ||||||||||by the way||||

ttyl for talk to you later, etc. 稍后聊|||||| ttyl|||||| ttyl für ein späteres Gespräch usw. ttyl for talk to you later, etc.

In formal writing, you generally wouldn't use contractions or abbreviations.

In neutral writing, you can use contractions and some abbreviations.

However, some abbreviations, like plz for please, are informal and shouldn't be used ||||请|||||||| ||||please||||||||

if you want to sound neutral.

There are also some abbreviations which are possible in formal English.

For example, HR for Human Resources would be okay in formal language. 例えば、Human ResourcesのHRはフォーマルな表現で問題ないだろう。

If you want to write something in formal English, and you aren't sure whether an abbreviation |||||||||||||||缩写形式 |||||||||||||||abbreviation

is appropriate or not, then it's best to write the full form. angemessen ist oder nicht, dann ist es am besten, die vollständige Form zu schreiben.

Let's see some examples:

Just for your information, we would like to schedule another meeting in October. Nur zu Ihrer Information würden wir gerne ein weiteres Treffen im Oktober ansetzen.

(Formal—there are no contractions or abbreviations)

Just for your information, we'd like to arrange another meeting in October.

(neutral—uses contractions, but no informal abbreviations).

Just FYI, we'd like to fix up a meeting in Oct. |仅供参考||||安排|||||十月 |for your information|||||||||October Nur zur Info, wir würden gerne ein Treffen im Oktober arrangieren. 参考までに、10月にミーティングを開きたい。

(Informal—with contractions and abbreviations)

Written language is often held to a higher standard than spoken language, so it's important

to get the tone right. um den Ton richtig zu treffen.

In particular, don't use language which is too informal. Verwenden Sie insbesondere keine zu informelle Sprache.

If you're not sure, aim for a neutral tone. Wenn Sie sich nicht sicher sind, streben Sie einen neutralen Ton an. よくわからない場合は、ニュートラルなトーンを目指してください。

Let's look at one more example:

Thank you for all the hard work you have done. 本当にお疲れ様でした。

(Formal—there are no contractions or abbreviations)

Thank you for the hard work you've done.

(Neutral—uses contractions, but no informal abbreviations).

Thx for everything you've done. 谢谢|||| thanks||||

(Informal—with contractions and abbreviations)

Hopefully, now you have a good understanding of formality in English, and how to use formal, Hoffentlich haben Sie jetzt ein gutes Verständnis für Formalitäten auf Englisch und wie man formale,

neutral and informal English.

Don't forget to check out our website for more free English lessons: Oxford Online English

dot com.

Thanks for watching.

See you next time!