Formal Verbs 2yz11

Verbs – Informal & Formal Informal

Formal say sorry apologize, apologise go up increase go down decrease set up establish look at examine blow up explode find out discover bring about cause put off postpone, delay rack up accumulate make up fabricate stand for represent find out discover, ascertain leave out omit point out indicate go against oppose get in touch with It’s about It concerns, It’s in regards to need to required think about consider get obtain put up tolerate deal with handle seem appear show demonstrate, illustrate, portray start commence keep retain free release get on someone’s nerves bother ring up call show up arrive let permit fill in substitute, inform block undermine give the go ahead, greenlight authorize, authorise

Transitions – Informal & Formal

Informal Formal Anyways Nevertheless Plus/Also Moreover/ Furthermore But However So Therefore/Thus Also In addition, Additionally ASAP as soon as possible/at your earliest convenience Okay, OK acceptable In the meantime In the interim I think In my opinion, In the end, Finally To sum up In conclusion, In a nutshell/Basically To summarize, Anyway, Notwithstanding All right Acceptable Well, To top it all off, On top of it all, In order to

Emphasis Words – Informal & Formal Informal Formal lots of/ a lot of much, many tons of, heaps of large quantities of, a number of totally completely, strongly really, very definitely

Letter Expressions – Informal & Formal Informal Formal Hi Robert, Dear Sir or Madam Just wanted to let you know… I am writing to inform you… Love, Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, Cheers, Yours Truly, Best regards, kind regards Hope to hear from you soon I look forward to hearing from you

Informal Formal You can call me if you need anything Please do not hesitate to me

Abbreviations – Informal & Formal Informal Formal ASAP as soon as possible T.V. television photo photograph cell cell phone net Internet

Slang – Informal & Formal Informal Formal kids children bad negative good positive really big considerable right correct wrong incorrect smart intelligent cheap inexpensive loaded rich

Formal and Informal Language In order to write clearly and accurately you need to identify the difference between formal and informal English. Here is a list of some of the most characteristic features that differentiate formal and informal English.

Formal  Words of Latin/French origin residence

Informal  Words of Anglo-Saxon origin home

 Single-word verbs to arise to mount / to board  Formal Connecting words In addition, furthermore However, on the other hand, Therefore, consequently  Impersonal constructions it is said that the price has been increased one never knows it can be argued

 Phrasal verbs, idioms with get to get up to get on  Informal connecting words And But So  Active constructions They say that they’ve put the price up you never know you can argue

 Abstract nouns Is happiness possible during unemployment? After clarification of the problem areas..

 Modal verbs, adjectives, clauses etc Can people be happy when they haven’t got a job? When the bits everyone was getting wrong had been explained…

 Not ending with prepositions; use of whom To whom were you speaking?

 Ending with prepositions Who were you speaking to?

 Complex sentences The student, who was late for class, sprinted across the ground.

 Simple sentences The student was late for class. He sprinted across the ground.

 Use of inversions for conditionals and emphasis Should you require further information, please …  No contractions in writing I will, we would

 Inversion sometimes used for emphasis Only then did I realise …

 Contractions is writing I’ll, we’d

Formal

Informal

Verbs

Formal

Informal

Nouns

to depart

to go

deficiency

lack

to retain

to keep

vision

sight

to cease

to stop

residence

home

to function

to work

respiration

breathing

to demonstrate

to show

comprehension

understanding

to reside

to live

to appear

to seem

to abbreviate

to shorten

Adjectives

to terminate

to end

incorrect

wrong

to assist / aid to commence / initiate

to help

amiable

friendly

to begin

vacant

empty

to desire / require

to want

insane

mad

to obtain

to get

inexpensive

cheap

to liberate

to free

animated / vivacious

lively

to consume

to eat

improved /

better

juvenile / infantile

childish

sufficient

enough

entire / complete

whole

senior

older

Adverbials subsequently

next/later

principally consequently / therefore

so

initially

at first

ultimately / finally

in the end

. Latin/French based (single-word verbs)

Anglo-Saxon based (phrasal verbs)

to remove

to take away/out

to retain

to keep back

to consult

to look up

to enter

to go/come in

to descend

to go down

to escape

to get out

to depart

to set out, set off

to arrive

to come along, to turn up, to get to

to despair

to give up (hope)

to provoke

to wind up

to discuss

to talk over

to investigate

to check out, to look into

to arrange

to fix up

to postpone

to put off

to visit

to drop in

to tolerate

to put up with

to restore

to bring back

to elapse

to go by

to claim

to make out

to renounce

to give up

to invent

to make up

to concede

to give in

to diminish

to fall off

II. Uncommon words

Common words

A) Verbs

to purchase

to buy

to obtain/procure/receive

to get

to cease

to stop

to function

to work

to masticate

to chew

to demonstrate

to show

to deteriorate

to get worse

to reside

to live

to abbreviate

to shorten

to terminate

to end

to assist/aid

to help

to commence

to begin

to desire/require

to want

to liberate

to free

to consume

to eat

B) Nouns

carnivore

meat-eater

putrefaction

rot

deficiency

lack

vision

sight

residence

home

respiration

breathing

somnambulist

sleep-walker

comprehension

understanding

perspiration

sweat

C) Adjectives

incorrect

wrong

amiable

friendly

vacant

empty

insane

mad

inexpensive

cheap

vivacious

lively

superior

better

infantile

childish

sufficient

enough

entire

whole

senior

older

D) Adverbials

subsequently

next/later

principally

mostly

consequently

so

initially

at first

finally

in the end

2. Punctuation

Unabbreviated words

Abbreviated and

contracted forms

I will

I’ll

we would

we’d

will not

won’t

as soon as possible

a.s.a.p.

memorandum

memo

No exclamation marks

Any type of

or dashes

punctuation

3. Grammar

I) ive forms

Active forms

Cfr. A meeting has been scheduled for 3 October 2005 at 11 a.m. We’ve set a meeting for 3 Oct at 11 a.m.

II) Impersonal forms

Personal forms

It is said that…

They say that …

It is possible to consider the results another from another viewpoint.

We can consider the results from viewpoint.

It is not clear why such terrible

I can’t understand why they put up

conditions were tolerated long.

with such bad conditions for so

for so long.

It seems that this is an

We think this is an effective plan.

effective plan.

III) Noun phrases (nominalisation)

The President’s speeches

Verb phrases (verbalisation)

The P. was talking rubbish.

were rather unintelligible.

His tone of voice revealed that ….

You could tell from his voice that.....

My findings are outlined below.

I’ve described/set out/written below what I’ve found.

.

Is happiness possible during

Can people be happy when they’re

unemployment?

out of a job?

After clarification of the

When the bits everyone was getting

problem areas….

wrong had been explained…

IV)Not ending with prep.

Ending with prep.

To whom were you speaking?

Who were you speaking to?

V) No, none

Not any

I have no money.

I haven’t got any money.

I see no reason…

I don’t see any reason…

VI) Complex sentences Simple sentences

Subordination -

Coordination –

Although/because/if/

and/but/so/for/thus

when, etc.

Although cruises round the are

Cruises around the Mediterranean

Mediterranean are fairly expensive,

fairly expensive, but they seem to be very

they seem to be very popular.

popular.

VII) Use of inversion

Inversion only for emphasis

Should you require

Only then did I realise…

further information…