Register: degrees of formality CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE ADVANCED

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE ADVANCED

UNIT 97

Register: degrees of formality

A	Formal and informal words Some words are formal or informal, and others are quite neutral. Is your partner (neutral) / other half (informal) not with you today? [husband/wife] Rick’s a really nice bloke/guy. [man; informal] She is able to converse with everyone, which is a great gift. [have a conversation; formal] Sometimes it is possible to arrange words into sets of neutral, formal and informal words. neutral formal informal TV/television the box / (the) telly glasses spectacles specs clothes clothing/garments gear use employ/utilise try endeavour/attempt have a go/stab/bash/crack/shot a Language help Register is concerned with the overall tone of a text or conversation, and the relationship that is built between the speaker and listener, or reader and writer. It is important to speak and write in the appropriate register for the situation.
B	Speech and writing Some words are more associated with either spoken or written language. It is worth noting if a word has a particularly strong association with speech (S) or writing (W). word/phrase S/W comment and example subsequently W Linking adverb: (in speech, more likely to be ‘later’ or ‘afterwards’) e.g. The police found some important clues. Subsequently, three people were arrested. in sum W Linking expression: means ‘to sum up’, e.g. In sum, we may say that most, but not all, English adverbs end in -ly. whatsisname/whatsername S vague word: used when we cannot remember the name of a person, e.g. I met whatsername at the party, you know, the woman who works at the university. thingy S vague word: used as a noun, of people and things whose name one cannot remember, e.g. Give me that thingy there, yes, that bottle opener. mind you S discourse marker: used to bring attention to an important point, e.g. He’s a good actor. Mind you, he should be – he went to the best drama college. now then S discourse marker: used to get people’s attention when you want to ask or tell them something, e.g. Now then, is everybody’s luggage here?
C	Outdated words Some words and expressions may be correct, but may sound archaic (outdated) or old-fashioned, e.g. asylum [hospital for the mentally ill], frock [dress], wireless [radio], consumption [tuberculosis/TB], eyeglasses [glasses].

EXERCISES

97.1	Make the underlined words in these sentences formal or informal, as instructed. 1 She works in a shop that sells women’s clothes. (formal) 2 I’ve got some new spectacles. Do you like them? (informal) 3 Did you see that documentary about Wales on TV last night? (informal) 4 Gerry’s a decent man. I wouldn’t want to upset him. (informal) 5 I spent the morning talking with the Director. (formal) 6 Molly was there with her other half. He’s a nice guy. (neutral; neutral)
97.2	Complete the table using the words from the box. Do not fill the shaded boxes. shades kids endeavour cop really useful ensure umbrella employ children neutral formal informal offspring sunglasses policeman/woman police officer brolly invaluable make sure try use
97.3	Decide whether these words are more likely to be associated with everyday spoken or everyday written English. Write S or W next to the word. 1 frequently 2 start 3 begin 4 maybe 5 moreover
97.4	What do you think are the present-day equivalents of these now-outdated English words? Use a dictionary if necessary. 1 apothecary 2 damsel 3 poesy 4 whither
97.5	Look at these text extracts and decide which register types you would classify them in. Underline key words which help you decide the register. For example, if you think the text is ‘written, formal, poetic and archaic’, which word(s) make you think that? Some register types: literary / poetic / non-literary                        academic / non-academic archaic / modern                  technical / non-technical         spoken / written               formal / informal

ANSWER KEY

97.1 1 She works in a shop that sells women’s clothing. (Ladies’ garments might be an even more formal equivalent.) 2 I’ve got some new specs. Do you like them? 3 Did you see that documentary about Wales on the telly / on the box last night? 4 Gerry’s a decent bloke / guy. I wouldn’t want to upset him. 5 I spent the morning conversing with the Director. 6 Molly was there with her husband / partner. He’s a nice man. 97.2 97.3 In a database from the Cambridge International Corpus totalling ten million words of everyday spoken and written English texts, the words in the list occurred approximately in the ratios given in the second column (for example, frequently is 11 times more frequent in written English than in spoken).   97.4 1 pharmacist / chemist 2 girl (or young unmarried woman) 3 poetry / poem 4 to where / where to 97.5 1 This computer text could be called written, modern, technical. Terms such as shared folder and server are technical. The style is typically written, especially with the use of passive voice verbs and the word located; in non-technical spoken language, we would probably just say ‘one that is on a server’. 2 This is typical modern, written academic text; above indicates it is written. Typical academic words are paradigm (which means a dominant set of beliefs or methods in an academic field) and the initials SLA (which mean Second Language Acquisition). 3 This is rather archaic poetry (by the English poet John Donne, 1572–1631). Thee is an archaic form of singular you; ’tis is an archaic form of it is; in jest is rather formal and/or literary and means ‘as a joke / not serious’. Other rather formal or literary words are weariness and feigned (pretended). 4 This is formal spoken language. It is from a speech by US President John F. Kennedy (1917–1963). Key items are the formal ask not instead of ‘don’t ask’, my fellow, and the freedom of man instead of human freedom or freedom for everyone. Formal speeches and lectures are often very close to formal written texts, and this text could possibly also have been a written text (e.g. a political pamphlet or electioneering literature). 5 This is informal, modern conversation. Key items are mind you (rare in written language), telly instead of television, cos instead of because, and yeah instead of yes. The text is quite fragmented too (the Rhine. Yeah, the river in Bonn). Written registers tend to be more integrated (e.g. the River Rhine in Bonn).