This tag is for questions regarding formal, versus informal words and usage.
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 ...
38
votes
11answers
3k views
When to use “nude” and when “naked”
The question is quite clear.
Is there any difference (semantically or connotationally, if that's a word) between nude and naked? Nude seems more formal to me, but I'm not quite sure.
Interesting:
...
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 ...
25
votes
13answers
35k views
More formal way of saying: “Sorry to bug you again about this, but …”
I was wondering if there was a more formal and polite way of saying:
Sorry to bug you again about this, but we still have not received a response about X ....
(if we still have not received any ...
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 ...
18
votes
3answers
994 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 ...
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 ...
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?
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 ...
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 ...
13
votes
6answers
502 views
Does the word “newbie” have a negative connotation?
Imagine that I'm running a friendly and informal online business. I would like to introduce my service to the new customers by a blog post that entitles, 'Are you a newbie to XYZ.com?'. Will that ...
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?
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
10
votes
3answers
166 views
How should a person holding a foreign military rank be addressed?
While researching how to call a person that holds a rank at a foreign (non English speaking) military, I came to very confusing results:
Wikipedia is not consistent on the issue:
it sometimes gives ...
9
votes
6answers
4k views
Formal way to tell someone they accidentally sent you someone else’s email?
I have received an email from someone at work. He’s quite senior and probably would get quite angry to get an “accusing” message like:
I wasn’t supposed to get this email. It looks like you sent ...
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
9
votes
9answers
490 views
T-V distinction
In many languages, there is such thing as T-V distinction. Basically, it's when you use different pronouns in "formal" (or "polite") speech, and in informal speech.
Now, I do realize there is no ...
9
votes
3answers
11k views
Is “misconfigured” a word?
I use the word "misconfigured" all the time, but MS Word, Chrome, and the two dictionaries I checked don't list it as a word.
I'm going to keep using it instead of "configured incorrectly" because I ...
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 ...
9
votes
4answers
593 views
When did the U.S. President become “Mr. X” instead of “President X”?
When I was much younger, I remember the press always referred to the U.S. president using the title of the office: "President Nixon" was followed by "President Ford" then "President Carter".
Now that ...
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
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 ...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
“Pretty” as an adverb
How correct/common/proper is "pretty" as an adverb? It is hard for me to see, since it's my native dialect, but I say "pretty often" pretty often, and "fairly often" fairly rarely. Does "pretty" mark ...
9
votes
6answers
464 views
learn how to [verb] vs. learn to [verb]
"learn to [verb]"
"learn how to [verb]"
Is [1] merely a less formal version of [2]? If not, does [1] communicate something subtly different? Consider the following:
In [2], the object of learning ...
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?
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: ...
8
votes
3answers
4k views
More formal way to say “follow up”
I am writing a formal letter and want to say "I am following up with you regarding..." but I need to say it more formally.
7
votes
3answers
1k views
Is “embiggen” considered a formal or slang word?
If my memory serves me correctly, I first encountered the word embiggen a year or so ago. I thought it seemed odd, but in context, the meaning was quite obvious.
Since that time I've seen this word ...
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.
...
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 ...
7
votes
5answers
279 views
Is “huge” slightly informal?
Is "huge" slightly informal?
In the following sentence,
First, some people insist that Japan doesn’t need to adopt [an]
austerity policy because it has a huge amount of assets at home and
...
7
votes
2answers
300 views
Is it acceptable to use “just as well” in an academic paper
The title pretty much sums it up: is it permissible to use the words "just as well" in a formal academic paper?
For instance:
The exchange might just as well have taken place in Abu Dhabi.
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
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
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 ...
6
votes
2answers
520 views
Use “whom” in emails?
Assume for a moment that an author does know how to use whom correctly. In an email (specifically), does using whom correctly make the author sound stuffy and formal, or would you say that in email, ...
6
votes
3answers
458 views
Straight quotes vs. curly quotes in formal writing [closed]
Should I use “ or " in very formal English writing?
6
votes
3answers
383 views
Usage of “is when”
In grade school, when writing stories for English class I recall being gently corrected whenever I handed pieces in that contained sentences with a structure similar to this:
“A debate is ...
6
votes
3answers
599 views
A question of informal punctuation: How do you correctly end a sentence with 'haha'?
What is the best way to end an informal sentence (such as a text or over Facebook chat) with haha?
Consider the following options:
It's always bugged me haha
It's always bugged me haha.
...
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
554 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 ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
How many articles should go in “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”?
On the very first Christmas card was written "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year..."
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/christmas-card-sayings-and-phrases.html
In wiki dictionary that same ...
6
votes
1answer
34k views
How to wish someone “Happy New Year” in a professional, formal and friendly way
English is my second language. I still struggle with it especially when I have to write a formal email.
I need to send an email to several of my business associates in reply to theirs. It contains ...
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?
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. :)
5
votes
7answers
821 views
More formal synonyms of “snob”
To me, the word snob seems rather informal, although it appears in dictionaries, and I am unable to find anywhere on the internet a more formal word than snob.
Are there any sophisticated synonyms ...
