Levels of Formality

Academic writing is formal in style. It is not, however, possible to neatly divide English styles into 'formal' and 'informal' compartments. The relationship is more like a continuum with two extremes, as in this diagram:

For convenience, the continuum of formality can be cut up into various compartments in order to grade various texts and styles:

very informal

quite informal

neutral

quite formal

very formal

A large number of factors such as grammar, vocabulary, style, and punctuation contribute towards the 'tone' of a piece of writing.

Formality and informality are complex matters, but for general purposes the following scale of examples may be useful:

1. 'This thing doesn't work right,' he told us.	very informal
2. He told us the thing didn't work right.
3. He told us that the machine wasn't/was not working or functioning properly.
4. We were informed that the machine was not functioning properly.
5. According to information received, the machine was defective.	very formal

Exercise 4. Organize the following sets of sentences in the order of formality as shown in the example above. The first one is done for you as a guide.

1.

a) __ She told them later that she had not known about it while it was happening.

b) __ Her later verbal report indicated that at the time she was completely unaware of what was transpiring.

c) 1. 'I didn't know about it while it was happening,' she told them later.

d) __ She informed them later verbally that she had not known about the event while it was taking place.

e) __ They were informed in her subsequent verbal report that she had had no knowledge whatever of the event at the time of its occurrence.

2.

a) __ He asked whether she could come and pick the stuff up at his place.

b) __ He wondered if it was possible for her to come and collect the material at his house.

c) __ "Can you come and pick up the stuff at my place?" he asked her.

d) __ His request was that, if possible, she should collect the material at his place of residence.

e) __ She was asked if there was a possibility that she might collect the material at his house.

3.

a) __ According to the astronomer, the name Capella refers to a star.

b) __ "Capella’s a star," said the astronomer.

c) __ The group was informed by the astronomer that the name Capella refers to a star.

d) __ The astronomer said that Capella is a star.

e) __ The astronomer said Capeila’s a star.

4.

a) __ Chinese food is tasty.

b) __ The cuisine of China appeals to most people’s taste buds.

c) __ One’s gustatory proclivities are very pleasantly stimulated by the traditional cuisine of China.

d) __ Chinese food’s tasty.

e) __ One’s taste buds are stimulated very pleasantly by Chinese food.

5.

a) __ The historian said: ‘Hasan-e-Sabbah trained his assassins to kill his religious and political enemies.’

b) __ The assassins of mediaeval Persia were, according to the historian, trained by Hasan-e-Sabbah to kill his religious and political opponents.

c) __ The historian said that the assassins were trained by Hasan-e-Sabbah to kill his religious and political foes.

d) __ According to the historian, the members of the mediaeval Persian Sect of the Assassins were trained by their founder and leader, Hasan-e-Sabbah, to eliminate those who were religiously and politically opposed to him.

e) __ The members of the mediaeval Assassin Sect in Persia, according to the historian, were organized so as to facilitate the liquidation of all religious and political opposition to its founder and leader, Hasan-e-Sabbah.

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