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Academic Writing
Exercise: Formal or Informal
Introduction|Words|Structures|Conventions|Summary

Formal or Informal1

Having assessed the degree of formality of the different texts, now select the language features you feel are responsible for the formality or informality of the text from the choices available.

Text A Complete the question (There may be several correct answers.)
Why write essays? In the modern world our thinking is largely transmitted by speech and through radio and television. At the university, however, you are required to do much of your thinking through writing. In the Humanities and Social Sciences you are inevitably required to produce a considerable number of essays. 2

 use of formal words
use of informal & colloquial words
use of technical & specialist words
use of personal language
use of emotive language
use of impersonal language
use of nominalisations
use of extended noun phrases
text directly addresses the reader

1 This exercise has been adapted in part from material developed for A text based guide to academic writing, CD-ROM, Department of Modern Languages, University of Wollongong, 2000.
2 Clanchy, J. and Ballard, B. (1981) Essay Writing for Students, Melbourne: Longman Cheshire

 



 


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