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ELA 4: Formal vs. Informal English 1022 Views


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Description:

We do say, dear chaps, today's lesson is concerned with formal and informal English. So, uh...yeah check out the video to learn stuff.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

Believe it or not, you’re constantly making decisions about the language you use. [Man thinking about language]

00:18

Whether you're with friends, family, an employer, or even babies, the way you speak changes

00:24

depending on your surroundings.

00:26

And it should, right? [Girl using laptop to speak to her Grandma]

00:27

Because your grandma has no idea what it means when you comment on her picture, "YAAAS queen!!!

00:31

10/10 #slay".

00:34

But she'll probably like it anyway.

00:36

Anyway, the decisions you make about language often come down to two choices: [Dino and Coop holding informal and formal signs]

00:40

formal or informal.

00:42

In short, informal English is the sort of language you and your friends might use during [Boy and girl playing catch in a park]

00:46

recess…

00:47

While formal English is the sort of English you might use during recess…with your pal,

00:51

the Queen of England…

00:53

But what do these two types of English really describe?

00:55

Well, let's begin with formal. [Dino discussing formal English]

00:57

Formal English is exactly what it sounds like – formal.

01:00

No jokes, no slang, no weird punctuation or short-hand, no hashtags….

01:04

nothing like that.

01:06

Formal English is all about complete sentences with correct structure and tone.

01:10

So let’s say you were at your grandma’s house for dinner. [Boy having dinner with Grandma]

01:13

You probably wouldn’t say to her, “Yo granny, dope casserole, y'heard?”

01:17

Since she’s your sweet grandma and you respect her, you might want to say something like,

01:21

“Grandma, I enjoyed that exquisite bean casserole, you'll have to give me your recipe.”

01:26

Now that's formal English.

01:28

And so polite!

01:30

Informal English, on the other hand, is more conversational. [Coop talking about informal language]

01:33

It's less neat and tidy.

01:34

It can be fun, casual, and even a little bit, well, grammatically incorrect.

01:38

It's for when you're just speaking to friends and family with no concern about sounding

01:41

super-duper serious.

01:43

If you're kicking back with your best buddies and you want to suggest you all order a pizza, [Guy friends playing video games]

01:47

you might sound a little weird if you say “Dearest sirs, wouldst thou be interested

01:50

in procuring a deliverable pizza-pie?”

01:53

Sometimes, being ultra-formal can be, well, ultra-weird. [Two friends move away from friend wearing a monocle and tophat]

01:57

In a setting like this, you're probably going to go with something a whole lot more informal,

02:01

like, “Any of you dudes wanna go in on some 'za?”[Man asking friends for pizza]

02:05

Okay, so you sound a little bit like a '70s surfer, but at least you’re keeping it casual.

02:10

So when you're, say, giving a speech to tell people something important, what kind of English [Girl thinking about what type of english to use in a speech]

02:13

do you think you should be using?

02:15

That's right!

02:16

Formal.

02:17

Formal English sets the tone for being serious and let's people know that they should listen

02:20

carefully.

02:21

When you're there to teach, to inform, to lecture and to explain: formal English is [Coop discussing when to use formal English]

02:25

your friend, your chum, and your acquaintance.

02:27

And informal English is your pal, bud, or your bro.

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