This tag is for questions regarding formal, versus informal words and usage.
36
votes
5answers
2k views
Is “data” considered singular or plural?
Related to this question and this question.
My non-native English speaking friend just asked me:
Data is ...
or
Data are ...
I said both but that's because I've been desensitized from ...
30
votes
3answers
2k views
Alternatives to “and/or”?
As a programmer, I have no problem with seeing or using "and/or" in technical documentation. For example,
I can upvote an answer that satisfies me and/or mark it as accepted.
That's perfectly ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
Should contractions be avoided in formal emails?
In a formal email of the kind where you begin with "Dear Mr. Surname" and finish with "Best regards", for example, should we use the following contractions? Or are the non contracted forms more ...
47
votes
20answers
98k views
What are some expressions that can be used to end an email?
At the end of every email, we use ending expressions like
Best regards,
Kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
Yours faithfully,
What other expressions can be added to this list?
Which ones should ...
16
votes
6answers
9k views
Which is correct: “prefer X to Y” or “prefer X over Y”?
Many say that "prefer X to Y" has a more formal ring to it than "prefer X over Y". Are there any dialects where you wouldn't use "prefer X to Y" in colloquial speech at all? Conversely, are there any ...
2
votes
3answers
641 views
What does “ain't” mean?
What does the contraction ain't mean? Is it appropriate to use it in formal settings?
3
votes
3answers
258 views
What are the guidelines for usage of “will” and “is/are going to”?
I use them interchangeably, however I'd like to know when one is better or more appropriate than the other.
18
votes
3answers
995 views
The times they are a-changin'
I have always been intrigued by the word usage in the title of this Bob Dylan song. Wikipedia mentions that the song was influenced by Irish and Scottish ballads:
Dylan recalled writing the song ...
5
votes
5answers
2k views
Why is “ain't” not listed in dictionaries?
Google finds 52,000,000 matches for ain't but non-natives simply can't look up this word. Wiktionary isn't helpful.
Is it some kind of 'wildcard' for am/is/are not?
11
votes
3answers
9k views
Were contractions less common in olden days?
We just viewed the new movie True Grit. The language of the characters was more formal sounding than we are used to, largely because of the absence of contractions. Is this historically accurate? Do ...
9
votes
7answers
2k views
How do you decide which phrase to use when asking people to repeat what they said?
There are many different ways to ask people to repeat what they have just said. For example:
Huh?
What?
Sorry?
Pardon?
What's that?
Say that again, please
I beg your pardon?
I've ordered them ...
14
votes
4answers
7k views
What's the difference between “informal”, “colloquial”, “slang”, and “vulgar”?
It seems many people get confused about the differences (and similarities) between "colloquial" and "slang", so what exactly does each term apply to?
But to be even more thorough it seems to me we ...
11
votes
6answers
772 views
“Toward” or “towards” – what would a native speaker use?
In this question we learn that toward and towards are interchangeable, but that the former is somewhat more typical of U.S. English and the latter of British English, although there is some indication ...
4
votes
4answers
448 views
Can “let us” always be used in place of “let's”?
Me: Perhaps we need to make a left
turn at Albuquerque
Him: Let us try that
Now I would have said, "Let's try that". "Let us" sounds wrong to me in this instance. Is it? Are there ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
Is using “and/or” recommended for formal writing, or is it frowned upon?
Is using "and/or" allowed in formal writing? If not, is there general way to represent the OR binary operator with as little space as possible in written English?
6
votes
3answers
1k views
“So long as” vs. “as long as”
Which phrase is more formal — "so long as" or "as long as"?
Example:
So long as Google Voice allows free long distance in North America, I will use it.
As long as Google Voice allows free ...
6
votes
3answers
555 views
“just because… doesn't mean…”
It appears to me that the construction "just because… doesn't mean…" isn't used in literature at all. Is its use limited to colloquial speech and informal writing?
Note that while some people seem to ...
16
votes
4answers
5k views
“you” versus “You” as polite form of writing
Is it correct to write "You" with a capital Y as a form of politeness?
If yes, should I use that form throughout the entire letter/document, or only at specific places?
8
votes
4answers
3k views
Indian-English usage of “Kindly”
I have noticed that the word "Kindly" is used a lot by some Indians speaking English as a second language. Does anyone know the origin of this?
9
votes
1answer
290 views
On the usage of “etcetera”
In Spanish, we use the word etcétera at the end of an enumeration to imply there are more things to mention, which may (or not) be important, but they will be omitted. Thus, I was fairly surprised ...
7
votes
5answers
2k views
What's the difference between orthography and spelling?
The terms "spelling" and "orthography" seem to be largely synonymous. What is the difference really? Is it that "orthography" is a more formal or technical term and hence more well-defined? Or is it ...
5
votes
5answers
256 views
How dangerous is the acceptance of common usage on traditional English?
I mean how far should we flow on with the current called "common usage"?
Is there a fear that the real English is going do disappear someday?
By the way, as for me, I like common English myself. :)
4
votes
5answers
799 views
Has “may” become a formal version of “can”?
When I went to school I was taught that when asking for something you use "may I (have/do something)". "Can" was used only when asking if you are "physically capable" of something.
These days I have ...
2
votes
3answers
601 views
Is the singular “they” acceptable in formal writing? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a correct gender-neutral, singular pronoun (“his” versus “her” versus “their”)?
I am linking to this post for reference.
...
0
votes
2answers
820 views
Formal alternative for “suck” [closed]
What is a more decent/formal alternative for the word suck? I want to use it in the context of being bad at something.
To be precise, I want to translate "To suck less at a job every day" to formal ...
8
votes
2answers
60k views
Formally introducing yourself in an email
I am composing an email to a work associate who I have never had any dealings with before. I'm struggling to think of a formal yet succinct way of introducing myself.
In person, I would probably say: ...
5
votes
2answers
3k views
What is the correct greeting to use in a formal email addressed to a department/team/company?
If the email were to be addressed to a specific person, you could write "Dear [Name]".
But is it appropriate to write "Dear [Team / Department / Company]"?
For example, "Dear Service Desk," and ...
9
votes
3answers
295 views
Is “get” (in the sense of “become/make”) appropriate for formal writing?
Is the use of "get + adjective/participle" appropriate for formal writing (for example, scientific papers)? I am thinking of usages analogous to
get fat
get inflated
get sick
where the meaning ...
9
votes
2answers
854 views
How and when to use “wont”
I stumbled upon this word lately, as in
he was wont to come early
I'm wondering what feeling it has for native speakers.
For example, can I use in a meeting, or in a written report?
9
votes
15answers
1k views
Informal terms for money amounts
What informal terms are used in English as money amounts? I know the following US terms and I'm curious about the rest:
a grand: 1000 dollars
a buck: 1 dollar
7
votes
1answer
502 views
Is it okay to start a sentence with a Greek letter (variable)?
Is it okay to start a sentence with a variable? Do I need to rewrite a sentence just because the subject is typeset as a Greek letter?
For example:
Φ is treated in a special way.
vs.
...
4
votes
3answers
4k views
What is a more formal way to say “Don't get me wrong”?
I think the phrase "Don't get me wrong" in conversation means, "I'm about to say something that you might misunderstand, so don't."
I'm looking for a similar phrase that sounds better when speaking ...
20
votes
9answers
23k views
Using “dear”, “darling”, or “honey” to address a friend
As far as I know dear, darling, and honey are commonly used between lovers, but I suppose there are more words like that. What else is commonly used?
Which of these can be used to address a ...
16
votes
4answers
1k views
Does America have its Versions of U- and Non-U English?
In Britain and most of Europe, some form of U-speak exists: old-money language has certain features that distinguish it from other language. In Dutch, it doesn't really have a name, but it is still ...
12
votes
6answers
2k views
Is there an informal way to describe a woman that can not have a baby?
"Infertile"; "fruitless"? How would you describe such a woman in an informal talk to your friend?
10
votes
4answers
5k views
What is the male equivalent of “mistress” in formal English?
The mistress definition, Oxford dictionary
a woman having an extramarital sexual relationship, esp. with a married man
I am looking for the male equivalent of 'mistress' as defined above. Some ...
6
votes
7answers
2k views
How often do people say “gotta”, “wanna” or “gonna” in English speaking countries?
I learned these three words from Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.
got|ta /g'ɒtə/
Gotta is used in written English to represent the words 'got to' when they are ...
6
votes
6answers
420 views
Meaning of “No, yes …”
I'm not sure if this is something only Americans say, but it has confused me for a long time. If someone is asked a question why do some people respond with something like, "No, yes it was"? What does ...
4
votes
3answers
671 views
'Therefore' in an illogical logic sense
I have a co-worker that is always saying "Therefore, A B C" when the "A B C" isn't a conclusion from any sort of deductive reasoning. For example,
Me: ... thus, that's how it works.
Her: I ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
I'd rather not [do something] vs I'd prefer not to [do something]
In this question the issue came up as to whether there's any difference in the level of politeness/correctness involved in I'd rather not say as opposed to I'd prefer not to say.
My own gut feeling ...
3
votes
3answers
636 views
Is ‘Yes-ish’ a perfect alternative to Yes, or is it 'Yes ‘on condition’? Is it received English?
I found a word ‘Yes-ish’ in the answer (from PLL) to my question about the meaning of ‘Stuck to the script’ I posted today. As it is quite new to my ear, I consulted with Wikipedia before logging out ...
2
votes
2answers
580 views
Swearing: 'bollixed'
The House Ethics Committee has now hired an outside counsel to investigate its own bollixed investigation into the conduct of Representative Maxine Waters. (The House’s Farcical Self-Investigation, ...
2
votes
5answers
7k views
“Will graduate” vs. “will be graduated” vs. “is going to graduate”
Which of the following sentences are correct?
He will graduate in May.
He will be graduated in May.
He is going to graduate in May.
Issue 1: Is the second one grammatical?
Issue 2: ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
Is “I'm dead serious” formal?
In a movie I heard an actor saying "I'm dead serious". I looked up the dictionary and found that "dead" in this context means "really". Is it formal? Can we use it in business meetings?
2
votes
2answers
896 views
When did the valediction 'best regards' come into use?
Best regards seems to be quite a popular valediction used in business emails, along with variants kind regards, or just regards.
The spoken expression "give him my regards" would appear to be a ...
1
vote
1answer
217 views
“so long as” vs. “as long as”
I just googled the difference between as long as and so long as. The difference has alredy been discussed here. There are, it seems, two contexts for these expressions:
lengths and physical ...
1
vote
4answers
1k views
Is it suitable to use 'etc.' in an academic paper?
I'm writing one of my first academic papers and I'm not sure whether etc. is too informal. Should I use et cetera instead?
0
votes
0answers
45 views
Which form of address in motivation letter? [duplicate]
I am writing a motivation letter for a university in London, and I wanted to know which form of address is common?
Dear Sir or Madam
To whom it may concern
Thanks in advance.
0
votes
2answers
344 views
“You're not” vs. “you ain't” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What does “ain't” mean?
What's the difference between "you're not" and "you ain't" ("...coming home")? I do realize that ain't is a contraction of are ...
