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 contact
Its about It concerns, Its 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 someones 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 contact 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 Informal
Words of Latin/French origin
Words of Anglo-Saxon origin
residence
home
 Single-word verbs Phrasal verbs, idioms with get
to arise to get up
to mount / to board to get on
Formal Connecting words Informal connecting words
In addition, furthermore And
However, on the other hand, But
Therefore, consequently So
Active constructions
Impersonal constructions
They say that
it is said that
theyve put the price up
the price has been increased
you never know
one never knows
you can argue
it can be argued

Modal verbs, adjectives, clauses etc

Abstract nouns
Can people be happy when they havent
Is happiness possible during
got a job?
unemployment?
When the bits everyone was getting wrong
After clarification of the problem areas..
had been explained

Not ending with prepositions; use of

Ending with prepositions
whom
Who were you speaking to?
To whom were you speaking?

Complex sentences Simple sentences

The student, who was late for class, The student was late for class. He sprinted
sprinted across the ground. across the ground.
Use of inversions for conditionals and
emphasis
Inversion sometimes used for emphasis
Should you require further information,
Only then did I realise
please contact

No contractions in writing
Contractions is writing
I will, we would
Ill, wed
 Formal Informal Formal Informal
Verbs 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 help amiable friendly
to commence /
to begin vacant empty
initiate

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

Adverbials sufficient enough

subsequently next/later entire / complete whole

principally senior older

consequently /
so
therefore

initially at first
ultimately / finally in the end

. Latin/French based Anglo-Saxon based

(single-word verbs) (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 Ill

we would wed

will not wont

as soon as possible a.s.a.p.

memorandum memo

No exclamation marks Any type of

or dashes punctuation

3. Grammar

I) Passive forms Active forms

Cfr. A meeting has been scheduled for 3 October 2005 at 11 a.m.

Weve 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 We can consider the results from

another from another viewpoint. viewpoint.

It is not clear why such terrible I cant understand why they put up

conditions were tolerated with such bad conditions for so

long.

for so long.

It seems that this is an We think this is an effective plan.

effective plan.

III) Noun phrases Verb phrases

(nominalisation) (verbalisation)

The Presidents speeches 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. Ive described/set out/written below

what Ive found.

 .

Is happiness possible during Can people be happy when theyre

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 havent got any money.

I see no reason I dont see any reason

VI) Complex sentences Simple sentences

Subordination - Coordination

Although/because/if/ and/but/so/for/thus

when, etc.

Although cruises round the Cruises around the Mediterranean

are

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