[General] Formal or informal?

[Grammar is confusing]

I am asked to rewrite some sentences, making some formal and some informal.
My question is, what is appropriate when trying to make a sentence informal?
Am I allowed to use phrasal verbs or must I stick to just diminutives?
(I understand what is formal and informal, but I am seeking clarification as to what is acceptable in classroom assignments.)

For example, is using phrases like 'help me out' or 'give a hand' in informal sentences okay?

 

[Rover_KE]

Have you read the Similar Threads below?

 

[Raymott]

"(I understand what is formal and informal, but I am seeking clarification as to what is acceptable in classroom assignments.)"

I'd assume that any correct answer to the question is acceptable. Since you know the difference, this should be easy. The only thing I wouldn't do is use swear words, or anything your teacher could reasonably object to.

 

[Grammar is confusing]

Have you read the Similar Threads below?

I read some of them, they did not mention phrasal verbs, diminutives or sentence structures. Hence the question.

 

[Rover_KE]

Some phrasal verbs are informal, but many are neutral and can be used in any kind of writing.

In general, avoid contractions in formal writing (isn't/won't/didn't/can't).

 

[Grammar is confusing]

I asked because my writing came under a lot of criticism for using too many phrasal verbs, I was told they made my writing appear unprofessional.
Having written in a country where the first language is not English, I suppose it made my writing look a little odd. I was taught from my childhood that formal writing is the safest way to be grammatically correct (haven't explored neutral yet). But after reading a lot of books, I started using phrasal verbs in my writings, to make it appear less stilted.

I suppose it's more of a cultural difference. Since I only catch glimpses of yours from books and movies, there are times when it is unclear what is appropriate and what isn't.:roll:

 

[emsr2d2]

Understanding the differences to which you refer comes with years of practice and from becoming a near-native speaker. Living in an English-speaking country will, eventually, help you to distinguish between these various forms.

 

[Olympian]

This (formal vs informal) is somewhat confusing for me too. I remember listening to a speech by President Ronald Reagan on Voice of America in 1984. He ended the speech by saying "you ain't seen nothing yet" (or perhaps "you ain't seen nothin' yet"). I was very surprised because to me a presidential speech is very formal and this phrase seemed to be far from formal. The speech is now on youtube. The phrase occurs at the end (22:20 - 22:25).

The last sentence of his speech was - “We can say to the world and pledge to our children, America’s best days lie ahead, and you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Use of this informal phrase at the end of a sentence with a formal word such as "pledge" seemed incongruous to me. But I am sure he struck a chord with the audience. ;-)

 

[Grammar is confusing]

Exactly! Here, I cannot imagine people addressing large crowds so informally.

 

[emsr2d2]

This (formal vs informal) is somewhat confusing for me too. I remember listening to a speech by President Ronald Reagan on Voice of America in 1984. He ended the speech by saying "you ain't seen nothing yet" (or perhaps "you ain't seen nothin' yet"). I was very surprised because to me a presidential speech is very formal and this phrase seemed to be far from formal. The speech is now on youtube. The phrase occurs at the end (22:20 - 22:25).

The last sentence of his speech was - “We can say to the world and pledge to our children, America’s best days lie ahead, and you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Use of this informal phrase at the end of a sentence with a formal word such as "pledge" seemed incongruous to me. But I am sure he struck a chord with the audience. ;-)

Such phrases are used by people making public speeches because those phrases are so well-known. That one comes from a very famous pop song by Bachman Turner Overdrive in 1974. Just about everyone in the English-speaking world would recognise it. It has the added benefit (some would say) of making politicians appear to be in touch with popular culture.

 

[Grammar is confusing]

I used phrasal verbs for the informal sentences. For the formal sentences, I changed the sentence structures and reworded the neutral sentence. My assignment was accepted.

If anyone is interested, this is the article that I read for reference: 'http://www.macmillandictionaries.com/MED-Magazine/October2005/34-Feature-PV-Spoken-Written.htm'. It does not talk about what phrasal verbs are, instead it discusses the usage of phrasal verbs and I found it really useful for my assignment.

Thank you Rover_KE, Olympian, emsr2d2 and Raymott for answering.

 

[Grammar is confusing]

Such phrases are used by people making public speeches because those phrases are so well-known. That one comes from a very famous pop song by Bachman Turner Overdrive in 1974. Just about everyone in the English-speaking world would recognise it. It has the added benefit (some would say) of making politicians appear to be in touch with popular culture.

So it was a song! That makes more sense. I suppose politicians make song/movie references to try and elicit the same feelings the songs/movies do.

 

[emsr2d2]

You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (for anyone who's never heard or seen it).

 

[Eckaslike]

This (formal vs informal) is somewhat confusing for me too. I remember listening to a speech by President Ronald Reagan on Voice of America in 1984. He ended the speech by saying "you ain't seen nothing yet" (or perhaps "you ain't seen nothin' yet"). I was very surprised because to me a presidential speech is very formal and this phrase seemed to be far from formal. The speech is now on youtube. The phrase occurs at the end (22:20 - 22:25).

The last sentence of his speech was - “We can say to the world and pledge to our children, America’s best days lie ahead, and you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Use of this informal phrase at the end of a sentence with a formal word such as "pledge" seemed incongruous to me. But I am sure he struck a chord with the audience. ;-)

I agree with emsr2d2, with the addition that, this is a device used in writing and speaking whereby you set your audience up to expect a formal ending to the sentence, because all the rest has been so formal. It's done for contrast and to give a mild surprise or shock to the crowd, who are probably so bored of hearing the same old speeches.

However, it is a very risky strategy to mix formal with very informal, or even slang, unless you know what you are doing. Even then, you take a risk by using it. At the wrong time and in the wrong circumstances it could fall flat on its face. His supporters probably thought it was brilliant and inspirational, while his opponents probably thought it was cringe-makingly awful, and corny. This is why it is risky to use it the technique, because you can divide opinion, some will think it's alright, others not. This is why using the formal or semi-formal are acceptable to most people, in most ordinary settings, unless you absolutely know that informal use is ok. Even then, in an informal setting, you wouldn't normally mix the informal and the formal.

I expect he had the speech tested multiple times on his closest supporters before finally broadcasting it.......because sometimes things like this can fall flat even if you are only speaking to your own supporters.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Great song and great group, ems.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Ronald Reagan was not a very formal guy, but he was an excellent speaker. In my opinion, he knew exactly what he was doing.

 

[Barb_D]

I can't comment on what was in Reagan's mind (or his speech writer's mind, actually), but I suspect it was more related to the Al Jolson phrase "You ain't heard nothing yet" -- this would be more in line with Reagan's age and background than the BTO song.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I agree about the song, but to the best of my knowledge the phrase predated Al Jolson.