2 questions

[bayan said]

Hello!It`s bayan again & I`d like to ask 2 questions if you don`t mind...
A- explain this grammar " the future progressive is used to ask impersonal questions e.g.Will you be teaching us tomorrow? " what does"impersonal questions" mean? would you explain the example too & add other examples?
B- I have some words That I know their meanings in arabic but I don`t understand them.these are1-" informal/formal" what do we mean when we say " some word is formal or informal"& when do we use formal or informal talk in british english? 2-"natural"what do we mean when we say that a word is natural?

[DavyBCN]

Originally Posted by bayan said

Hello!It`s bayan again & I`d like to ask 2 questions if you don`t mind...
A- explain this grammar " the future progressive is used to ask impersonal questions e.g.Will you be teaching us tomorrow? " what does"impersonal questions" mean? would you explain the example too & add other examples?
B- I have some words That I know their meanings in arabic but I don`t understand them.these are1-" informal/formal" what do we mean when we say " some word is formal or informal"& when do we use formal or informal talk in british english? 2-"natural"what do we mean when we say that a word is natural?

I cannot help you with the phrase "impersonal questions". I am an English teacher but have never seen this phrase - but I do not know everything! Do you have a source?

The example could be asking different things. Perhaps you have different teachers and you want to know if the teacher you are asking will be teaching you tomorrow - will you be..... Or you want to know if the teacher will be teaching you or another class. Or you want to know when the next class will be - Tomorrow or another day.

Formal and informal, for British English speakers, is a way of describing the type of words and structures you use in different situations. In speech, formal language is what you would use with people you do not know well, perhaps people you respect, in situations such as interviews, etc. Informal language is for your friends, family, social acquaintances, etc. Perhaps these examples will help:-

Formal - how can I assist you?
Less formal - can I help you?
Informal (maybe a little rude) - what do you want?
Very informal - what!? only recommended for close friends!


The same distinction is made in written language. A letter of application for a job (formal - normally starting Dear Sir or Madam) will be very different to an email to your best friend (informal - starting Hi!). Formal writing usually follows all the grammar and punctuation rules of English very closely. Informal written English is much more the way people actually speak, with a lot of contractions and colloquial words and phrases. This is also what is meant by natural language.

Finally, what is informal, formal and natural can be very different between British and American English. This is a social/cultural issue more than a language one. Don't worry if this all seems too much - I spend more time on this with my advanced students than anything else! But it can be fun.