How to Teach Formal and Informal Language

The universal you, for example, is often used when it comes to giving instructions in everyday language (“You get used to the stop sign on the right”). In addition, in informal language, it may also be acceptable to break grammatical rules. Although the word “real” is an adjective and not an adverb, it`s not uncommon for people to use it instead of “really” on informal occasions – a cake could be described as “really good” or on a “really hot” day. In some cases, informal use in everyday language may even be so widespread that the use of formal language may be inappropriate. The first thing students need to be able to do is identify both types of language. A good game for this is to give each student a card with “Formal” on it and another with “Informal” on it. They listen to phrases that the teacher reads aloud, such as “What`s going on?” and “I hope this email finds you good,” and hold up the cards to indicate what they think of the formality they`re hearing. You can then label the same expressions in a spreadsheet and try to create rules for both formal and informal language from these examples. As voice users, we are constantly changing our style based on the contexts in which we speak or write.

Similar to code change, style change is often lower than our level of consciousness as speakers or authors, but can be problematic for us as listeners or readers. Instead of asking students to leave their personality and multilingual style outside the classroom, this lesson plan seeks to draw inspiration from students` different language styles to compare and contrast them. Such meta-analyses of language give students greater control and choice over the styles they want to use in academic activities. In addition to these rules, which govern the use of formal and informal language, some words and phrases are sometimes also arbitrary or for reasons that are difficult to explain classified as informal or formal, and in these cases, small notes can be taken at the formality level when relevant. For example, if you learn how to write letters, you can compare the formal greeting letter “Dear” with the less formal letter “Hello.” Informal language is more casual and spontaneous. It is used when communicating with friends or family, whether in writing or in conversation. It is used in the writing of personal emails, text messages and in some commercial correspondence. The tone of informal language is more personal than formal language. Blog / Alumni Experiences » Teaching formal and informal language in the ESL class Sort these types of text according to whether they should be written formally or informally. In this activity, students take six ways of saying the same thing and arrange them from the least casual to the most formal. Responses vary depending on the activity.

The discussion of the exercise is excellent. The goal is to make students think. You can also introduce common mistakes when you make this point by giving them cards this time that say “Informal” and “False” to remember them when they hear “Wait forward to hearing from you” and “I can`t wait to hear from you.” Informal: The research project will not be continued next year. While the actual production of formal language or local slang are skills that require a lot of time and experience to perfect oneself, the introduction of rules for formal language and informal stylistic conventions, as well as attention to the level of formality of the various words and phrases that students encounter, provide a good foundation for a deeper understanding. In turn, re-read the sample paragraph on Thurgood Marshall and note the parts that have formal language features. Informal: Lecturers always rely on students to use correct grammar and punctuation in essays. One way for a teacher to introduce this topic is to dedicate a single class to defining formal language and distinguishing it from informal language, and then supplementing this lesson with examples of colloquial language and formal expressions in subsequent lessons. While it is important for students to know the basics of formality in English, most TEFL students, especially those below an advanced level, cannot expect to have a perfect understanding, as the rules of formal writing are numerous and complex, and even most native speakers struggle with formalities. A more well-known activity is to get students to correct formality errors. I think it works best when formality issues are mixed with spelling mistakes, paragraph issues, etc. You can give them a conversation or email exchange with a mix of these problems that they need to solve, or give them a series of tasks that have only one type of problem that they should identify and then fix. For example, the first email and the first reply you give them contain 15 spelling mistakes.

Once they`ve found them all and fixed them, give a similar spreadsheet with 15 formality issues. While this is a sign of a truly advanced learner to really get the right formality (and also the last thing native teens pick up), even beginners can benefit from the formality differences between “Can you…?” / “Could you…?”, “Hello”/”Hello”/”Hi”, etc . and even more so these days, where students with limited English often have to use it at work and while traveling. Even though people who talk to them are likely to understand that it`s a lack of knowledge that makes them say to the secretary, “Please give me a coffee,” it`s unlikely to take away the insult completely. There is also the less common danger of appearing hostile by being too formal, e.B. continue to address people with “Dear M. Smith” long after the answers abroad changed to “Dear Yuji.” There are several other ways to follow this type of TTT (Test Teach Test) approach. One is to give them mixed formal and informal conversations or emails to sort them out. It can be a formal and informal exchange to separate and then put things in order, or an email exchange (which becomes more and more informal over time) that you ask to organize in chronological order. Worksheets should be designed in such a way that students can use meaning and contextual cues to help them, even if they are unsure of differences in formality. You can then work together to identify the points that make the differences in formality obvious. Informal: We believe that the practice is not sustainable.

Perhaps my favorite hobby for presenting or practicing formality is giving students very informal sentences that they should compete to make them more and more formal. B s, for example from “Give me the salt, will you?” to “Could you give me the salt for a while or two if it`s not too much effort?” and beyond. If they give up or if the last sentence was actually less formal than the previous one, the last person gets a period and they do the same with another sentence. Use the discussion questions provided to determine whether these short excerpts from well-known novels were written formally or informally. Examples of formal and informal language are listed below: Informal: I don`t think the results are correct. It literally takes a few minutes to create this anchor diagram. A header and T-chart are all you need. During class, ask students to name texts or situations that require formal or informal language. When students give examples, write them down on the board. Adding clip art “disguises” the graphic, but is not essential. The type of language you use when writing depends on your goal and target audience. Informal: The balloon was inflated for the experiment.

However, a teacher can cover one of the following basic rules: avoid first- and second-person pronouns, avoid contractions, avoid abbreviations, avoid slang and idioms, avoid passive voice, avoid too many simple sentences, avoid overly emotional words or punctuation, and strict adherence to grammatical rules. Formal language is usually used on occasions that have great social significance, such as giving a public speech, writing a cover letter, or writing a scientific article. As a general rule, on formal occasions, a speaker is expected to avoid speaking and follow strict social protocols. Formal language tends to follow more closely prescribed grammatical rules as well as specific stylistic conventions. As language users, we constantly move between language communities and adapt our language accordingly. As students progress in their academic careers, they engage in more complex tasks at school, both oral and written. Therefore, their ability to change style becomes more important, as they are often judged on the relevance of their language choice. This lesson plan asks students to compare formal and informal language styles and articulate the specific characteristics common to each style.

Students examine their own use of language to determine how it differs from context to context. By becoming aware of changes in their own language use, students can gain greater control over the language styles they adopt in different contexts. Informal: The crowd was very loud during the demonstration against the cuts in university funding. While there are some formal and/or informal phrases that students are likely to need often, there is also a memory game called Grammar Reversi that they can play. Create a set of about fifteen to twenty cards that have a formal sentence on one side and an informal version of the same on the other (for example.B. “Dear Mr. Smith” and “Hi John”). .