Formal and Informal Formal and Informal StyleStyle

Formal and Informal Formal and Informal StyleStyle外国语学院外国语学院邢元平邢元平

Chapter Objectives★To know the basic knowledge

about style;★To have the right notion on style;★ To distinguish between formal

style and informal style★To grasp the application of style

and learn to improve one’s own style

Recommended References1. 丁往道，吴冰 . 英语写作基础教程 [M].北京：高等

教育出版社， 2005： 17-19.2. 毛立群等 . 英语写作修辞 [M].上海：复旦大学出版

社， 2006： 350-375.3. 关慧 . 正式语与非正式语—浅谈语体风格的区别 [J].

大连理工大学学报（社会科学版）， 2002， 23（ 1 ） .

4. 芮婷 . 英语口头语和书面语的语体特征—兼论培养学生学会使用英语两种语体的教学原则 [J].贵州教育学院学报， 2001， 17（ 5 ） .

5. 王茹勤 . 英语语体及其构成特点 [J].郑州工业大学学报， 2000， 18（ 3 ） .

Contents

Definition of Style2

Formal and less formal4

Leading-in31

Classification of Style33

Definition of Style

写作风格

李白鲁迅

Shakespeare

想象神奇，变化无端，结构纵横跳跃，句式长短错落，形成了雄奇飘逸的风格。

凝练 , 简洁 ,顿挫而又富有回味的语言风格

善于从生活真实出发，展示广阔的社会背景现实主义的刻画和浪漫主义的氛围要巧妙结合

☆Misconceptions of Style

★Style is only a surface decoration.

★ Style is only confined to literature.

★ The ability of using style is innate.

★ Style is merely a fancy way of content.

★ Style is only possessed by the famous writers.

☆Tentative Definitions of Style

★

Style includes the writer’s way of thinking about his subject and his characteristic way of presenting it for a particular purpose or reader.

★ Style results from linguistic choices; the

more frequently those choices are exercised and the more wide-ranging they are, the higher the probability they will effectively express the writer’s unique thought and feelings.

★ Style is a means of discovery, for both the writer and the reader.

★Style is not mere ornament; rather it conveys important subtitles for meaning and evaluation, especially as they define the nature of the writer, his basic attitudes, his presuppositions, his moral stance, and his relation to his subject and his reader.

Classification of Style☆Classification based on the media of

communication: spoken and written style☆Classification based on register business style scientific style news style advertising style …

☆Classification given by the American Linguist—Martin Joos: “The five clocks”

– The most influential and widely accepted classification of style

Frozen Style 庄严体

Formal Style 正式体

Consultative Style 商洽体

Causal Style 随意体

Intimate Style 亲密体

＊May we respectfully remind our

distinguished guests that there is a V. I. P. cloakroom for their exclusive use on the first floor.

＊The management respectfully

requests the audience to kindly refrain from smoking in the auditorium.

＊ Excuse me, I am trying to get to the Post Office. Could you possibly tell me the way?

＊ Hi! Haven’t seen you for ages! How about going for a coffee, then we can catch up on all the news?

＊ Come on lazy bones! Up you get!＊ Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

have you reached the verdict?

A Contrastive Study of Formal and less formal Style

from the Perspective of Linguistics

☆ At the Phonological level Formal style: standard, clear,

solemn Informal style: vague, liaison,

assimilation

☆At the lexical level Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me

great pleasure to be present here tonight.

Ok, everybody, I am very pleased to be here with you tonight.

＊ The origin of vocabulariesFormal style: Latin, French, Greekless formal Style: old EnglishCompare: The police are investigating the

case of murder. The police are looking into the

murder.

＊ The use of vague expressions and hedges

Formal style: seldom less formal style: whenever

necessary

Can you help me? There is a sort of noise thing that sounds wrong to me. I’ve looked, and I think the little whatsit that is usually on the top of the round thing has come off, and I am afraid it must have got into the thingumajig.

＊ The use of colloquialism, vogue words, current slang and abbreviations

Formal style: seldom less formal style: rich

Save your sweet talk. It won’t work on me.

We’ve been pals for years. I’ve walked so much today my

dogs are really killing me. My wife always has a card up her

sleeve.

☆ At the grammatical level＊ The use of comparative sentenceIs he as tall as that?Is he that tall?Bill can speak French more fluently

than me.Bill can speak French more fluently

than I.

＊ The expressions indicating concession

Formal style: yet, however, nevertheless, in spite of, despite, notwithstanding

less formal style: but, anyway, all the same, though

A wolf, after all, is a wolf in spite of his artful disguises.

He tried to prevent the marriage but it took place all the same.

＊ The use of adverbial of mannerHe spoke confidently.He spoke in a confident manner.He spoke with confidence.＊ The use of adverbial of purposeFormal style: in order that, lest, in

caseless formal style: in order to , so as

to

He left early so as not to miss the train.

He left early in order that he would not miss the train.

＊ The use of expressions indicating cause and effect

Formal style: on account of, accordingly, thus, hence, consequently, owing to, the fact that

less formal style: so, because, since, as＊ The use of participial phrases and

absolute constructionFormal style: frequent useless formal style: rare useThe weather having improved, we

decided to go swimming.Being a man of fixed views, he refused to

listen to our arguments.As he was a man of fixed views, he

refused to listen to our arguments.

＊ The use of subjunctive moodHad I known, I would have helped

him.If I had known, I would have helped

him.＊ The use of passive voice＊ The use of elliptical sentences

and sentence fragment

Exercise

It has been noted with concern that the stock of books in the library has been declining alarmingly. Students are asked to remind themselves of the rules for the borrowing and return of books, and to bear in mind the needs of other students. Penalties for overdue books will in the future be strictly enforced.

The number of books in the library has been going down. Please make sure you know the rules for borrowing, and don’t forget that the library is for everyone’s convenience. So from now on, we’re going to enforce the rules strictly. You have been warned.

Exercise And then, in the blowing clouds, she

saw a band of faint iridescence coloring in faint shadows a portion of the hill. And forgetting, startled, she looked for the hovering color and saw a rainbow forming itself. In one place it gleamed fiercely, and her heart anguished with hope, she sought the shadow of iris where the bow should be. Steadily the color gathered, mysteriously, from nowhere, it took presence upon itself, there was a faint, vast rainbow.

And then she saw a band of faint colors, something like the colors of a rainbow. It’s coloring a part of the hill in faint shadows. And she was startled at this. She tried to find the hovering color. She found it. The colors gradually gathered—and she did not know where they came from—to form a vast rainbow.