- •Written work requirements
- •Introduction
- •Impersonal constructions
- •Discursive essay writing
- •1.0 Discursive essays: do’s and don’ts
- •1.1 Introductions and conclusions
- •1.2 Techniques for beginnings and endings
- •1.0 Planning and organizing
- •1.1 Points to consider
- •1.2 Sample essays
- •1.0 Planning and organizing
- •1.1 Points to consider
- •1.2 Sample essays
- •Descriptive essay writing
- •2.0 Descriptive detail
- •2.1 The five senses
- •2.2 Adjectives and adverbs
- •2.3 Grammatical structures
- •2.4 Varying your sentences
- •2.0 Order of adjectives
- •2.1 Points to consider
- •2.2 Sample essays
- •My Most Treasured Possession …
- •2.0 Planning and organizing
- •2.1 Interpreting the topic
- •2.2 Points to consider
- •2.3 Expressing impressions and reactions
- •2.4 Explaining impressions
- •2.5 Techniques to make your description more vivid
- •2.6 Sample essays
- •An Ideal Seaside Resort
- •2.0 Planning and organizing
- •2.1 Points to consider
- •2.2 Techniques for describing events
- •2.3 Sample essays
- •Letter writing
- •3.0 Style in letters
- •3.1. Formal letters: planning and organizing
- •Notes on the layout of a formal letter
- •3.0. How to write a complaint letter
- •Include your contact information
- •3.1. Planning and organizing
- •3.2. Points to consider
- •3.3. Sample letters
- •3.0. Planning and organizing
- •3.1. How to say I’m Sorry
- •3.2. How to write a personal apology letter
- •3.3. How to write a business apology letter
- •3.4. Apology letter tips
- •3.5. Guidelines to find your best written apology options
- •3.6. Points to consider
- •3.7. Sample letter
- •Article writing
- •4.0. Planning and organizing
- •4.1 Writing for magazines: things to remember
- •4.2. Ideas for attracting and holding readers’ attention
- •4.3. Points to consider
- •4.4. Guidelines for writing titles/ headlines
- •Revision Revision Box 1 (paragraphs)
- •Revision Box 2 (style)
- •Revision box 3 (discursive essays)
- •Revision Box 4 (descriptive essays)
- •Revision Box 5 (letters)
- •Revision Box 6 (articles)
- •Writing topics bank
- •For letters of complaint
- •Other useful phrases for letters of complaint
- •For letters of apology
- •To introduce points/ arguments for or against
- •To make contrasting points
- •To list advantages
- •To list disadvantages
- •To list points
- •For conclusion expressing opinion directly
- •Students’ Key to Marking Symbols
- •Письменная речь английского языка
- •614990, Г. Пермь, ул.Сибирская, 24, корп. 2, оф. 71,
- •614990, Г. Пермь, ул.Сибирская, 24, корп. 1, оф. 11
Introduction
Writing essays, letters, articles you should of course aim to write grammatically correct English. But is that enough? For example, it is grammatically correct to write ‘Give me a job!’, but that is not the way to write a successful job application. In fact the employer is more likely to forgive a number of grammar or spelling mistakes than to employ an applicant whose letter was too rude or too informal. So writing is assessed with this in mind: what effect would the piece of writing have on the person who is going to read it? But perhaps style is not the best word: you do not necessarily have to write stylishly. We could instead speak of register: the style appropriate to a particular kind of writing. Making mistakes with register can have unintentionally comic results as well.
One of the most important areas to master in terms of register is the difference between formal and informal English. Of course, there are many degrees of formality, and most written English is situated somewhere between the two extremes.
(Advanced Writing with English in Use CAE. St’s book. p.14)
Formal and informal
Here is a list of some of the most characteristic features that differentiate formal and informal English.
|
Formal
‼ You should revise the use of colons, semi-colons and dashes as useful punctuation for longer sentences. |
Informal
|
(Advanced Writing with English in Use CAE. St’s book. p.14)
(Successful Writing. Intermediate. St’s book. p.13)
(Successful Writing. Upper-Intermediate. St’s book. p.15)
(New Proficiency Writing. St’s book. p.108)
The table below compares relatively formal words of Latin/ French origin with their less formal alternatives, many of Anglo-Saxon origin. It is an illustration of a general tendency, not a conversion table: the choice of vocabulary always depends on the context.
|
Formal (academic word) ______________ Verbs to append
to conceive to depart to retain to cease to convene to function to masticate to demonstrate to reside to contradict to appear to abbreviate to terminate to assist/ aid to commence/ initiate to desire/ require to obtain to liberate/ release to consume to ponder to raise to denote
to negate
to perceive to trigger to utilize
Adverbials subsequently principally consequently/ therefore initially ultimately/ finally notwithstanding thereby
|
Informal (everyday synonym) ______________
to add (at the end) to think up to go to keep to stop to meet to work to chew to show to live/lie to go against to seem to shorten to end to help to begin
to want to get to free
to eat to think to bring to be a sign of/ stand for to make useless/ wipe out to see to cause to use
next/ later mostly/ mainly so
at first
in the end despite this in this way |
Formal (academic word) ______________ Nouns carnivore putrefaction deficiency vision residence respiration somnambulist comprehension perspiration converse
Adjectives incorrect amiable vacant insane inexpensive vivacious/ animated superior/ improved infantile/ juvenile/ immature/ puerile sufficient entire/ complete senior crucial
|
Informal (everyday synonym) ______________
meat-eater rot lack sight home breathing sleep-walker understanding sweat opposite
wrong friendly empty mad cheap lively
better
childish
enough whole older very important |
(Advanced Writing with English in Use CAE. St’s book. p.14)
(English Vocabulary in Use. Advanced. p.182)