Questions tagged [formal-language]
is for questions about whether a word or phrase is appropriate in a formal context or that are requesting a word or phrase for use in a formal context.
209
questions
4
votes
2answers
82 views
Having terrible spoken English in daily contexts
Short background of me:
I was originally from the Philippines and have learned English for 14 years in school. I came from a family with humble beginnings and grew up surrounded by people who speak ...
0
votes
0answers
30 views
“Please be careful about what you said”
I have a rude student who wrote me a rude email with full sentence in capital. And she said to me that I am trying to challenge her because I did not extend the homework time for her (20 students do ...
1
vote
1answer
45 views
Is there a legal term “murder in concert”?
In the movie Nowhere Alaska (about 68'52" in), the policeman says something about murder in concert. It sounds like a legal term so I googled it. No relevant hit as far I could see - just a bunch ...
0
votes
0answers
30 views
Can I use this sentence in a presentation?
When I start a presentation, can I say this
Let me start with highlighting our achievement last month.
Is this sentence weird? If yes, is there any better?
0
votes
0answers
14 views
What are some softwares or methods to check writing clarity? [migrated]
What are some softwares that can check writing quality, especially clarity and tone. I have checked grammarly but I have to check apart from grammar.
0
votes
1answer
37 views
Look into it - Alternatives
From time to time I receive emails (work-oriented) with offers or sorts of information, in which I can't address immediately, before examining the offer/options or consult a colleague, etc. In the ...
1
vote
3answers
100 views
How do you refer to people in a statement?
When reading articles like magazines and newspapers, we see a lot of people's names there, but how people are referred to varies. The following are some of the most common ones.
First name alone
...
1
vote
2answers
22 views
Omitting “and”, “or” in enumerations
In TV series and films I sometimes come across enumerations that lack the "and" or the "or", and sometimes even have something very different used instead.
What do you want coffee ...
0
votes
2answers
70 views
Is the sentence “It is hoped that the corona virus would disappear soon” correct formal speech?
Today I had my English finals, 12th grade high-school. I live in a third-world country, and so the quality of the questions/answers is not always guaranteed. One of the questions was:
Which of the ...
0
votes
1answer
21 views
I was toxic MYSELF
I've tried looking up 'myself' but the only results I get is 'myself or by myself.' But my problem is a bit different.
I was talking about a few toxic friends who I used to play video games with and I ...
0
votes
3answers
39 views
Formal phrases in scientific texts
I am writing a formal text (thesis) and I would like to use the formulation
... results must be taken with a grain of salt.
Although it seems that it is used in scientific papers (see this question),...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
Choosing between “Summary” and “Closer”
I am in the process of finalising my PhD thesis, and I am currently going through a stage of being unreasonably pedantic about minute details. So please bare with me if this question sounds like a ...
0
votes
2answers
44 views
Formal alternative to 'what are you doing here?'
As far as I know, there is a fixed phrase/idiom for saying what are you doing here? but I have forgotten it.
It is a very formal and polite way of saying that.
What are you doing here? can sound ...
0
votes
1answer
22 views
I can't stress enough how this position/job is appropriate for me
I wrote the following sentence but am not sure enough if it is appropriate to use it in a job interview and if the word "appropriate" is good choice for the sentence to show your willingness ...
0
votes
2answers
31 views
Choosing between “with applications to” and “with application to”
I am in the process of finalising my PhD thesis title, and I am unsure if the second of the following options is grammatically correct:
"A Higher-order VOF Interface Reconstruction Scheme for ...
0
votes
2answers
22 views
How do we build a dialogue?
I struggle a lot with dialogues, and I was wondering if you could tell me which of these sentences is correct. If neither is, could you tell me how to build it correctly? :)
“I told her my secret.” ...
0
votes
2answers
64 views
What’s the difference between “scam” and “rip off”?
I was wondering what was the difference between these two terms:
“To rip off”
“To scam”
Which one is better in this sentence? :
“This store rips off their customers”
“This store scams their customers”
...
1
vote
0answers
15 views
Do we say “given” or “given that“?
Which is the formal one?
“Given I’m tired, I won’t be there.”
“Given that I am tired, I won’t be there.”
Can we omit the “that” after “given” or it won’t be formal anymore?
Other examples:
I don’t ...
1
vote
2answers
53 views
Damning problem
As a task at my university, I am proofreading and commenting on an academic paper of my groupmate. I came across the word combination "damning problem" in the following context:
The most ...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
What do you say at the end of an E-Meetings? [closed]
Let's say, in our office, we used to take calls/meetings through Zoom & Webex. Usually, people say "Thank you. Thanks", at the end of the meeting. What else can we say in a polite and formal way? ...
0
votes
0answers
28 views
How to avoid the repetition of the word “goal” in this sentence?
The macro goals are set based on what you wanna achieve in next few weeks or months. What's the overall purpose of your work. It can have many layers, such as a week goal based on a month one which in ...
0
votes
2answers
33 views
Preference of separate clauses over complex noun phrases in formal writing?
Both in my native tongue (Hungarian) and in my originally first foreign language (German) it is common in formal texts to use complex noun phrases instead of multiple separate clauses. At least this ...
1
vote
2answers
48 views
What's the difference of the subject being “one” and “we” in math articles?
I see both of them used in mathematical articles as subjects, for example:
Examples from book Renormalization and effective field theory of Kevin Costello, who is an Irish mathematician.
If we do ...
0
votes
0answers
24 views
Is the phrase “with flying colours” informal
As suggested in the title, I wonder if i can use it in my thesis?
I'm discussing the education of spoken English in China, I just thought about the phrase just now, probably I'll be using it like ...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
How to inform the link of a scheduled online meeting in formal emails?
I am writing a formal email to someone to send him the link of a scheduled online meeting. I have already acknowledged him before about the meeting. I can not figure out the most appropriate and ...
6
votes
2answers
2k views
“in the meanwhile” vs. “in the meantime”
I found that "in the meanwhile" is correct, although it is strange for native!
This expression can be used instead of "in the meantime"?
If the "in the meanwhile/ meantime" use in the initial ...
0
votes
1answer
31 views
“I'm not too sure” colloquial?
I've heard people saying "I'm not too sure" on the internet. I guess it means the same as "I'm not very sure".
Is such a usage of the word "too" actually colloquial or could you also use it in a ...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
A “CERTIFICATE” containing odd language
Few lines from a NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE are as follows:
This certificate is presented to claim no objection on Mr./ Mrs.___________________, in case, if some other company is hired services for ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
Teacher said I write in a pompous register? Why? Could you help me understand? [closed]
Okay, so I've submitted a proposal to my teacher. I get the part that I've made inaccurately structured sentences, also I understand that I have missed to an extend the point of the given task. But I ...
1
vote
1answer
40 views
Is this expression informal?
My boss asked me the send him some documents, I immediately attached the documents and send him an email with the following body:
Dear Thomas,
I hope all is well with you. Thank you very much for ...
2
votes
1answer
589 views
Is my nationality Dutch or Netherlands?
I'm from the Netherlands. English has taught me to say "I'm Dutch". But through many travels I've noticed that non-native English speakers confuse this with "Deutsch", which is German for, well, ...
0
votes
3answers
31 views
Does “entity number” sound natural to NSE as an ID despite not being a numeric value?
I'm translating our project vocabulary to English and I got uncertain if the particular item below is truly English or only Englishish.
Registry number
The concept it's supposed to convey is the ...
0
votes
1answer
29 views
A noun between an article and an auxiliary, and a verb between an auxiliary and a noun
Suppose I have the following two cases somewhere in an English text:
... the (article) + WORD (?) + can (auxiliary) ...
... can (auxiliary) + WORD (?) + cats (noun) ...
Is there any possibility that ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
What is the formal mode to say Hello in an mail?
With an example:
I want to write the mail an important person, with this form
Hello Satoshi.
Some text
Regards.
Vincent.
I want to say to the formal salute, or if I use the Hi/Hello don't is an ...
0
votes
0answers
53 views
Can we call someone who teaches at a university a “teacher”? [duplicate]
For example, like someone who is teaching people at a university. Is he still called a "teacher" or not?
1
vote
2answers
695 views
How can I ask a question about the timing of a meeting so that the audience understands that they do not have to accept it?
How can I ask a question about the timing of a meeting so that assumes there is a possibility to not accept it?
For example, I'm scheduled an appointment for Monday. Something has happened and it ...
1
vote
1answer
70 views
“My…” Vs. “of mine”
Recently I noticed that there are people that instead of saying "My client" or "My friend" they say "a client of mine" or "a friend of mine". Initially, a couple of months ago I heard it from a German ...
0
votes
1answer
580 views
Differences between Going to and Will in Informal and Formal English
In formal English (or written English), I'm super sure that the Be going to and Will rules are "respected". (Correct me if I'm wrong) For example, probably in formal English, they probably use "Going ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
Difference between not and don't in the next sentence [closed]
“In the period we not enter, Romanticism, the Account became the
preeminent formula for literary production.”
In the sentence above, does the ‘not’ make sense? Should I use ‘don’t’ instead?
-4
votes
2answers
89 views
Translation of 衣冠禽兽 to English
How to say a man who in human clothe but acts just like a total beast, means this man is an animal, hated people.
In Chinese words: 衣冠禽兽, which Google tranlates to crowned beast, but I don't know ...
0
votes
1answer
29 views
Why should I use the word “we” instead of “I” in scientific papers written alone?
In many scientific articles there are sentences of the form "In this paper we will show ..." For me that sounds natural if there are many authors. But if a researchers writes an article such that she ...
1
vote
1answer
21 views
Coinciding actions in the past
I have a question:
It is correct to say " I was doing x when y happened"
Also it is correct to say " While I was doing x, y happened"
BUT is it right to say " When I was doing x, y happened "
In ...
0
votes
2answers
3k views
“Please, tell me” vs. “Could you tell me”
I am not a native English speaker. Last week, I sent Email to my manager saying "Please, tell me the meeting date".
My manager replied: You meant "Can you tell me the meeting date"
So, I am not sure ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
“that is” in speech
When "that is" means "in other words," can it be used in colloquial speech? Or is it more suited to a formal register? Does the following sound natural in daily speech?
We, that is, my brother and ...
3
votes
1answer
82 views
Are contractions discouraged in formal writing? [closed]
I remember reading something long ago that says people should avoid contractions in formal writing. I wonder whether that is true. And by formal writing, I mean specifically the four types:
(1) ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
The word “oblige” in this context
In formal applications it is quite obvious:
Kindly grant me three days of leave and oblige.
Can I write it simply as:
Kindly oblige me with three days of leave.
(As we have the construction--
...
0
votes
2answers
2k views
take so long vs taking so long
I've worked in a market. Suddenly they stopped my work for verification purpose. They requested me to provide a student ID card. I've sent a scanned copy of my Student ID card for verification. One ...
-1
votes
1answer
21 views
How to describe the following situation?
There are four assumptions:
User 1's location is initially x1, and is changed at speed of 5 m/s in a counterclockwise direction along a circular path with a radius 100 centered at O1.
User 2's ...
0
votes
2answers
528 views
Which is formal; “In this paper I argue” or “This paper argues”?
In this paper I argue that small incentives can lead to greater participation in surveys.
OR
This paper argues that small incentives can lead to greater participation in surveys.
According to ...
1
vote
3answers
189 views
The formal way of saying “keep away from”
What's the legal term for "keep away from" / "keep a distance from"? I'm looking for a verb that means/expresses such a concept.
What I really want is not the legal term but what those people says ...
