Questions tagged [formality]
is for questions about whether a word or phrase is considered formal or informal. Be sure to include as much context as you can, because sometimes how formal or informal a word or phrase is can be different in different situations.
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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 ...
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Is "long since" a conversational phrase?
Is "long since" a conversational phrase? Or is it more likely used in written document?
Even though her parents have long since died, she still talks about them in the present tense.
Have you ...
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Is "to be (couple of pages) in" formal or informal?
For example:
I lost interest after I had been a couple of pages in.
Can we use this sentence in formal situations?
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Make a warning message sound as official as possible [closed]
I am attempting to write a warning message for an email program.
My users have informed me that the message sounds unofficial and somewhat scammy.
WARNING: The sender of this email is from someone ...
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Why do people call you a nickname when you introduce yourself with a proper name
As a rule, I always introduce myself using my proper first name, "Thomas". With this I expect people to refer to me and call me by that name. However, there are a significant number of people who go ...
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How much time does it take to be an English master [closed]
How much time does it take to be an English master I mean how to speak English like your native language and how much time does it take???
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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 ...
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Is 'be to verb' the only case of
any construct getting formal when they get shorter? Normally, when you shorten a phrase, then they feel like informal or colloquial. I heard that 'be to' construct is the short form of 'be going to' ...
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Compliance "to be mandatory"
I want to ask a question about the function of the word "compliance".
I was writing a text regarding politics and wanted to mention whether if the United Kingdom left the EU whether some of the ...
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Is it correct to say "the problem of living cost increasing"?
I'm curious about the right way to say the rising of living cost, because usually I will use:
The problem of living cost increasing
The living cost increasing problem
The increasing of living cost
...
kw88
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191
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How formal is "Recipe for a disaster"
I heard the following phrase in a podcast:
Credit cards are a bit of recipe for a disaster.
I want to know if this phrase "recipe for a disaster" is formal enough to use it in a formal writing? Or ...
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Why is "Don't do such stupid things" unnatural? [closed]
I talked to two native speakers of English, and they did not say anything was wrong with the following sentence:
Don't do stupid shit.
But they said that the following sentence is not ...
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"blame me on it"
I have occasionally heard "blame me/them on it" and thought it was a bit jarring. The more common ways, I think, are "blame me/them for it" and "blame it on me/them."
Some examples:
Alex said in a ...
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"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 ...
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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) ...
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The phrase “in duplicate”
What does the following statement mean ?
Admit card should be submitted in DUPLICATE.
a) 1 original & 1 photocopy.
b) Both originals.
c) Both photocopies.
user99107
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Is "how long are you here for" formal or informal?
What exactly is the difference in meaning of the following sentences?
How long are you here for?
How long have you been here?
Since when have you been here?
How long will you be here?
...
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Is the phrase "Do more harm than good" formal?
I would like to ask about the formality of the phrase "Do more harm than good".
Could I use it in formal writing such as an essay?
Since it is an idiom, and my teacher said that the majority of ...
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Can I pay my credit card?
As far as I know, the direct object of pay (when meaning provide money for something) is who or what you want to pay.
However, I read the following sentence from a (supposedly) native speaker:
Can ...
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Formal form for "let's see"
I want to say:
First, let's see what is the concept of (a word).
The question is how can I write this part of the sentence (let's see) in a formal manner?
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It's a book of my mother's
If we say:
It's a book of my mother's
How could this sentence be identified? Wrong, archaic, formal or something else?
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What would be a formal substitute for the informal quantifiers "a lot of" and "lots of"?
A lot of, lots of with a noun
We use a lot of and lots of in informal styles. Lots of is more informal than a lot of. A lot of and lots of can both be used with plural countable nouns and with ...
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Is it rightly used the semicolon at this paragraph
I appreciate if someone could check whether it is rightly used the semicolon and the word "thereby" at this paragraph, keeping in mind that this is formal english.
If the producer have to assume more ...
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Is "I did not breakfast today" correct?
Is the following sentence correct?
I did not breakfast today
Due to breakfast coming from ‘to break your fast’.
Jesse Obrien
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How to say "does this make a difference?" more formally?
[Some fact about our component.] Does this make a difference for inclusion in the OtherCompany App Store?
Sounds not as formal as I would like a business email to be. It's passable, I think, but I ...
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“Is there...?” or “there is... .”
To solve some problem, I want to confirm our partners whether we have any measures.
Is the following sentence grammatically wrong?
“Please advise is there any procedures we can take?”
Since “...
danjy ulshat
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Is it informal to use "so on " in the article?
I have written this phrase
The input of the DNN is the features extracted automatically by feature_extractor model, which are given to the first hidden layer, and the outputs of this layer are ...
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'May I know...' if 'May I know when this group was established?' sounds natural? May I know other ways to ask this question?
May I know when this group was established?
Hello. I learned in a text that we can say 'May I know...?' in formal situations. But an American teacher of English told me it sounded unnatural. He said '...
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Formal connectors of results ("in this way", "hence", "thusly" and "as follows") [closed]
In the following examples, are the terms ("in this way", "hence", "thusly" and "as follows") synonyms sufficiently formal to be used in academic work with a sense of result?
In this way, as this ...
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Which of “Will you just go?” or “Can you just go?” works better?
One of my students barged into my classroom one day and was
getting on my nerves because I needed to clean up the mess he had
himself made earlier, so I wanted to ask him to leave me alone
and ...
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"walking recovery in patients who suffered a stroke" or "the recovery of the ability to walk in patients who suffered a stroke"? [closed]
Tell me please which phrasing sounds more natural in the following context:
The necessary information can be found in the article with the title WALKING RECOVERY IN PATIENTS WHO SUFFERED A STROKE.
...
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Tasty, lovely, delicious, yummy, ...?
I know different English words for good tasting foods or drinks: tasty, lovely, delicious, yummy... But unfortunately the dictionary entries do not enable me to decide which one to use in which ...
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Is "he will be come around 1pm" or "he will come around 1pm" more formal?
I would like to know which sentence is more formal in "he will be come around 1pm on tomorrow afternoon" and "he will come around 1pm on tomorrow afternoon"
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Difference between 'humid' and 'muggy' [closed]
Could you let me know the difference between these two adjectives? In my book they seem to be slightly different(by it's not clearly explained) while on the internet most people say that they've the ...
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What's the meaning of "joint" here? [closed]
You have the Diners Club, you sign for it. You go first class in those joints, I know that, yeah."
What's the meaning of "joint" here? I checked the O.D. didn't find anything useful...
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Phrasing and word usage
"I'm the best from all the crowd
See me deeper and scream loud,
Catch good vibes and inspiration
Feel the power and my relation"
This short lyric is a matter of argument between me and the ...
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Difference in meaning between "use", "employ" and "utilize" [duplicate]
I am confused with the words "use", "employ" and "utilize".
What is the difference in their meanings, and where they are supposed to be used?
There is another topic with the same question, but it is ...
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"inclusive of" and "including"
Are "inclusive of" and "including" interchangeable in the following?
a. We all liked the show, inclusive of / including Sarah.
b. Five passengers were injured in the accident, inclusive of / ...
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"worthy of mention(ing)" or "worthy of a mention(ing)"?
That kind of happening would have definitely been worthy of mention.
or
That kind of happening would have definitely been worthy of a mention.
or
That kind of happening would have definitely ...
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What does "no more Dutch" mean? "No more words"?
"Red Dead: Redemption"
No more Dutch, and no more you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zvPMrrps6o
12:15 / 11:40:13
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Overuse of pronouns [closed]
In the paragraph:
"Company with 8 years of commercial experience, they are in the growth stage within the primary sector of the economy, they have a workforce of approximately 200 employees, ...
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What does "let's shoot the shit" mean?
English lyrics by Halestorm rock band:
Here's to us:
Get another bottle out
Lets shoot the shit //What does it mean?
Sit back down
For just one more drink,
oh yeah
In some sites it's translated ...
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A specific way of asking for a meeting?
Can one say "... if you(I) could see me(you) on Friday..." when requesting a meeting?
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"made him" or "made for him"
Ann made (for) him a cup of tea.
He drank the tea Ann had made (for) him.
Are both sentences correct, with or without "for?
If yes, is there any difference in register?
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Use of the conjunction "that" to express an intentional consequence
First an example; just to make clear what I'm referring to.
He wrote a note on the calendar, that he might remember to call his friend on his birthday.
Meaning:
He wrote a note on the calendar, ...
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Is your coffee bottomless?
Which of the following is more natural for a customer to use at a coffee shop?
a. Do you offer free refills on coffee?
b. Is your coffee bottomless?
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WILL or continuous forms for habits - which is more common?
Which of the following is more common in everyday speech:
She is always mumbling to herself when she's reading.
She WILL always mumble to herself when she reads.
Is that the emphatic WILL (...
