Part 7 Formal and Informal Styles课件

1、 English Writing Part 7:Formal and Informal Styles I I. The Meaning of Style. The Meaning of Style II II. Formal and Informal Styles. Formal and Informal StylesLanguage 语言语言w 语言同文字相比时，指的是口头的交际活动。 讲话离不开舌头，因为舌头是最根本的发音器官，这一点，中国人自古以来就是很清楚的。汉语的“话”字本身，就含有“舌”字，说一个人能言善辩，叫“有三寸不烂之舌”；激烈的辩论叫“舌战”；信口胡说叫“嚼舌根”；说话油滑

2、叫“油嘴滑舌”等等。总之，不少和说话有关的词语都带有一个“舌”字。 Language一词原义即是“舌头”的意思，是从拉丁词lingua（舌头）变化而来。同出一源的linguistics（语言学）则更接近原词。 另外，英国本民族的词tongue，既可作“舌头”解，又可作“语言”讲。Grammar 语法语法w 这个词起源于希腊语的gramma，意思是“字母”。希腊语把“语法”叫作gramrnatike teche，意思是“字母的技巧”。这个词进入拉丁语后写作grammatica，进入古法语写作grammaire，进入英语后写作grammar。 在英国，有许多世纪拉丁语是作为上流社会的语言的，而这个

3、时期，grammar也仅仅指拉丁语的语法而已，是当时受教育者的最重要的一门课程。 美国至今仍有grammar school（初级中学），其中一项主要的训练内容就是拉丁语法。Style 文体文体w 古罗马人用一种叫做stylus的尖头铁笔在蜡板上写字的，要写得好，就需要有驾驭铁笔的能力。w Style一词就是从stylus来的，现在用来指一位作家的“文体”、“文风”，其实也就是他驾驭钢笔的能力。differences between different types of writing. w In a personal letter, short and simple sentences, ev

4、en incomplete, and most words used in daily conversation, essay, and even slangy. w In a legal document, long and involved (冗长，冗长，复杂难懂的复杂难懂的）, and polysyllabic, with special terms difficult for ordinary people to understand.1.2 w 2.1 The purpose of discussing formal and informal styles:1) To help di

5、stinguish these two styles, 2) To use formal English appropriately.w 2.2 Some specific features that distinguish the two styles of English:w 1) Contractions like dont, mustnt, hes, Ive, etc., are generally used in informal writing. In formal writing the full forms are preferred: do not, must not, et

6、c.w 2) For indefinite reference you is often used in informal English while one is often used in formal English, as:w You never know what new measures the president will take.w One never knows what new measures the president will take.3) In formal English who can be used instead of whom as an object

7、 in questions, e.g. Who (Whom) did you see in that room? Who is the secretary talking with? With whom is the secretary talking?4) In informal English that can often be left out before an object clause, especially after verbs of saying or thinking, e.g. He said (that) she would come. I think (that) i

8、ts a good idea.5) In informal style they is often used as pronoun referring to everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, no one nobody, e.g. Has everyone finished doing their exercises? (informal) Has everyone finished doing his or her exercises? (formal) Anyone can take a brochure if

9、 they want it. (informal ) Anyone can take a brochure if he or her wants it. (formal)6) When the subject is I or he (she, it), was can be used instead of were in the subjunctive mood in informal style. e.g. The old lady treated him as if he was her own son. I wish he was here with us.7) Participial

10、phrases are generally used in formal style: Having been 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 voyage. (less formal)8) Nominative absolute construction are generally used in formal style: The

11、 weather being fine, a large number of people went to climb the Western Hills. As the weather was fine, a large number of people went to climb Western hills. (less formal)9) Adjective and adverbial phrases placed before the subject often make the sentence formal: A famous professor of biology, Dr. J

12、ones was the new president of the university. Eager to finish the work, he continued to do it until midnight. 10) Parenthetical remarks often make a sentence formal: This village has built, in less than ten years, several small factories that bring in more income than the farm produce every year. He

13、 shaved very slowly and carefully, as was his custom, in front of the mirror above the sink.11) A series of nouns, verbs, or adjectives may make a sentence sound formal: His anger prevented him from doing, saying, and listening to anything. She has experienced love and hate, grief, and happiness.12)

14、 As we discussed in part III, the following types of sentences are often used in formal style: Long sentences; Compound complex sentences; Sentences with parallel construction; Balanced sentences; and Periodic sentences. 13) As for vocabulary, everyday words are mainly of Anglo-Saxon origin, while w

15、ords of Greek, French and Latin origins are mostly formal or learned words It would be helpful, when you learn a formal word, to remember an informal word with the same or nearly the same meaning, for example: Formal Informal commence begin profound deep (see p.290)14) Phrasal verbs are colloquial a

16、nd often used in conversational style: Phrasal verbs single verbs go on continue (vi) carry on continue (vt) look into investigate come across meet (see P.290)15) Shortened words like photo, ad, bike, gym, prep, pop, and vet are commonly used in everyday conversation. They are not often used in form

17、al Writing.16) Slang words and expressions are often too casual and informal to be used in formal writing. Many slang words have short lives and may disappear in a few years; some of them may become a part of the colloquial vocabulary.Examples: Slang Common lousy bad, terrible swell good, excellent

18、mighty very extremely neat, cool fine, pleasant in hot water in trouble make a hit succeed in doing sth. shoot the breeze spend time chatting Talk someones head off speak too muchWrite F in the parenthesis for formal sentences and I for informal sentences: 1. ( ) I havent seen him for a long time. D

19、o you know where he is?2. ( ) He said she would come.3. ( ) Has everyone finished doing his or her exercises? 4. ( ) The old lady treated him as if he was her own son.5. ( ) Badly defeated in the match, the team returned in low spirits.6. ( ) There are many photos in his drawer.7. ( ) The weather be

20、ing fine, a large number of people went to climb the Western Hills.8. ( ) This village has built, in less than ten years, several small factories that bring in more income than the farm produce every year.9. ( ) His anger prevented him from doing, saying, and listening to anything.10. ( ) We should

21、help those who are in hot water.2.3 Analysis of the stylistic features in the passages:1 Future shock-the disease of change-can be prevented. 2 But it will take drastic ( (猛烈的猛烈的),), social, even political action. 3 No matter how individuals try to pace ( (步测步测) )their lives, no matter what psychic

22、（精神的）（精神的）crutches ( (拐杖拐杖) ) we offer them, no matter how we alter education, the society as a whole will still be caught on a run-away ( (失控的失控的) ) treadmill ( (踏车踏车) ) until we capture control of the accelerative thrust ( (推推力力) ) itself. 4 The high velocity of change can be traced to many factor

23、s. 5 Population growth, urbanization, the shifting proportions of young and old-all play their part. 6 Yet technological advance is clearly a critical node (结点结点)in the network of causes; indeed, it may be the node that activates ( (触发、激活触发、激活) ) the entire net. 7 One powerful strategy in the battle

24、 to prevent mass future shock, therefore, involves the conscious regulation of technological advance. -Alvin TofflerIn this passage: 1) a few long sentences, the longest one, Sentence 3 with over 40 words. 2) parallel constructions ( three clauses beginning with “ no matter” and three noun phrases used as the subjects of “ play their part”),3) A paren