Questions tagged [formality]
This tag is for questions about formal (versus informal) words and usage. The question must identify a particular concern about the formality of the word or phrase at issue, and specify the target context or audience.
891
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Differences in meaning and formality of "when/if + verb(ing)" and "when/if + one + verb(s)"
I searched but couldn't find an answer because I don't know the relevant grammatical terms, unfortunately. Sorry if it has already been answered.
I am wondering about the difference between the two ...
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39
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When is a genus name without an initial capital letter acceptable in formal (but not necessarily in a scientific context) English? [duplicate]
In biology, the scientific name of a species (known as the "binomial name" or just the "binomial" or sometimes even just the "binomen") is written as a pair of words in ...
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1
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194
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Mother tongue vs vernacular
Having been a non- native speaker, several times I had been asked to write my name IN VERNACULAR or IN MOTHER TONGUE during my college days. I couldn't tell apart the subtle difference and thought of ...
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"Don't have a second email address?" VS "Do you not have a second email address?" [closed]
As a section heading we can have either:
OPTION 1:
Tip: Don't have a second email address?
That's OK, you can create a new one here.
OPTION 2:
Tip: Do you not have a second email address?
That's OK, ...
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3
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Can I use "quickly" to politely ask for preliminary information?
When, e.g., I receive a job opportunity which might or might not match my requirements, I often find myself responding with
"... Thank you for bringing this role to my attention. Before we
...
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What denotational or connotational differences distinguish ‘thence’ from ‘therefrom’? [closed]
Thence vs. Therefrom
When is it better to use each of these two words, thence and therefrom?
Are they completely identical, or do they differ in denotations or connotations? If so, how?
I’ve looked up ...
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Should one avoid hyphenating prefixed words in scientific papers?
I have noticed that many papers and books (in the engineering and mathematical fields, at least) have a preference for avoiding hyphenated prefixes. For instance, they usually write:
preprocessing
...
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2
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Use of adjective "slack" in academic writing
(Note. I deleted the previous question as the discussion was focusing too much on the math.)
I am writing a research paper in mathematical analysis and I have a situation in which I want to give a ...
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Using "so" in formal writing to introduce questions, and its possible alternatives
Context: Suppose that in a formal academic writing we have talked about a problem and now we want to talk about its solutions. Is the following sentence appropriate for opening a paragraph?
So what ...
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"Yours sincerely" or "faithfully" if I address the name of a company? [duplicate]
When I write a formal letter to a company or so, I usually go with "Dear Company Name" instead of "Dear Sir/Madam". In these cases should I end my letter with "Yours sincerely&...
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What is a formal way to write takes money away from consumers?
The context is that of a macroeconomic report speaking about contractionary fiscal policy:
This in turn takes money away from consumers therefore, forcing consumers to demand less from businesses.
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Why do we take things personally with an adverb but take them easy with an adjective? How can this be justified? [closed]
Why do we write take it personally or take it seriously with adverbs but we also write take it easy with an adjective, not take it easily with an adverb? How is this switching off between adjectives ...
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"these which" vs "the ones that" [duplicate]
I'm writing a research grant proposal and it was suggested to me that I replace words "these which" by "the ones that" in reference to scientific journals.
Here is the full ...
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Can I use "to propel sb towards their demise" as a synonym of " to kill"? [closed]
Context: I created this phrase in an attempt to paraphrase the word "kill" while doing a writing task.
I searched it up on Google and found that no one use it, therefore I do not know if its ...
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4
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Less formal term for "dimensions" for something that can be measured in units
In scientific/engineering writing and calculations we use terms that are considered "dimensions" and for each "dimension" we have to have "units" when we describe them.
...
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To clutch in a gear changing context
I'm a portuguese speaker and we have a slang verb, "debrear", which means to step, all the way to the floor, on the clutch pedal, or, motorcycle-wise, to pull the clutch lever all the way in....
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What's a proper greeting to use when writing a formal e-mail to a university? [duplicate]
I think the preferred option is to use "Dear Professor XYZ", but what should one use when the identity of the recipient is unknown?
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Placeholder word for object whose name is unknown to the speaker that is appropriate in any situation [duplicate]
I'm looking for a word that can substitute an object, whose name is unknown to the speaker.
I'm aware that there are words like "whatsamacallit", "thingamabob", etc., but they seem ...
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How to use formal adjectives correctly? [duplicate]
My alma mater is officially called "Financial University", but periodically when I translate the text into google translate, it offers me the spelling "University of Finance" (The ...
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What is the difference between "as tall as" and "just as tall as"?
What is the difference between I'm as tall as my father and I'm just as tall as my father?
I know they are similar, But they make sense to be a little bit different. What is that difference?
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Is there an abbreviation for "Professors" plural, in a greeting at the top of a formal letter?
I am writing a letter to two professors. Normally I abbreviate "Professor" to "Prof." in the greeting. Is there a way to do that when I need the plural? Or do I have to write ...
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Word/expression for the inherent ambiguity or difficulty of defining what constitutes a good outcome
TL;DR: I am in a need of a good, precise word or an expression capturing the notion that a computer science problem P remains open (just) because it is virtually impossible to specify/define what a ...
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In formal writing such as a reference, can an initial subject defining sentence imply the subject to several sentences thereafter? [closed]
I am writing a personal reference for a family member and trying to list several ways in which they have helped me without the sentence running on. I do not believe a colon would work in this case as ...
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What is a more formal synonym for "getting the job"?
Example sentence:
[X] has become a standard threshold in the industry that [Y] has to cross to "get the job".
I would also not mind to get some other suggestions, since the overall ...
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2
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143
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Usage of "Please see"
English is not my native language and I need some help understanding the following sentence:
Please see that the due date has been postponed.
What should be understood from such a sentence?
Is it ...
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Single noun/phrase to denote transfer across levels of formality of language
Question: What is the name of the quality denoting the formality/colloquialism of and/or amount of jargon in language?
Context: I am writing a review for a paper in which authors developed a model ...
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What is the exact meaning of 'give me a pair of'? [closed]
Does a pair always means '2 of something' or can it be used more generically to indicate 'a few of something'? What is the exact amount indicated by 'a pair'?
Is there a different meaning whether a ...
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0
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Is it wrong to skip the pronoun when writing in the first person? [duplicate]
When writing short texts, usually detailing something I have done, I tend to not use the "I" pronoun in front of verbs, usually in front of past-tense constructions. Have seen it in emails ...
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2
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Using 'WhatsApp' as a verb [closed]
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries presents 'WhatsApp' as a verb and noun.
WhatsApp™ verb
/ˈwɒtsæp/, /ˌwɒtsˈæp/
/ˈwʌtsæp/, /ˌwʌtsˈæp/
[transitive, intransitive]
WhatsApp (somebody) to send a message, ...
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Formal variant of 'under the hood'
I am working on my Bachelor thesis and I need to use the formal way of saying 'under the hood'. The context is similar to:
The agent accepts the message, performs processing and relays it to DUA. ...
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Is the expression "As it goes without saying" technically sound and formal?
I am a non-native junior researcher, and in one of my academic reports, I want to write the following sentence to begin my paragraph.
As it goes without saying, not all customers are the same.
My ...
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"In this regard" vs "in regards to this"
I am not a native English speaker but have had English as the medium of instruction throughout my education. While writing an email application, I wrote this line as a concluding statement.
"Let ...
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2
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Remove duplicate use of "and" with different strengths? [closed]
I wrote the following sentence in English:
Part of a development group responsible for releasing security solutions for Google’s Security product and investigating devices while understanding their ...
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Is "You're not" or "You aren't" better for contraction usage of "You are not"? [duplicate]
Basically the title; is it better to use "You're not" or "You aren't" in place of "You are not" in formal writing?
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A first line of a business email when you don't know the name nor gender of a person you write to (and time-agnostic too) [duplicate]
"Greetings," and "hello there" are not businessy enough, are they?
"Dear Sir or Madam," sounds a bit too pompous.
"Good time of a day" sounds strange.
Are there ...
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1
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Formal word for overhyped?
Is there a formal word for overhyped?
(using the definition: make exaggerated claims about (a product, idea, or event); publicize or promote excessively.)
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Difference between 'do so' and 'do' without the 'so' [closed]
I understand that when I wish to repeat an infinitive form of the verb, it's correct to use 'to do so'.
For example, He wished to leave the house party, and I wanted to (do so) as well. Here simply ...
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Using 'Signed' as a Closing
When writing letters, there are closings that people usually use like "sincerely" or "best" or "thanks", etc. I have sometimes heard people (when reading letters) say &...
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an atom vs the atom [duplicate]
In Britannica's Atom term, some general sentences about an atom use "an atom", and others "the atom", why?
Sentences with "an atom":
The behaviour of an atom is strongly ...
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Is there a "more formal" (or ideally, actual medical/research term?) for being "clucky" / "broody"?
It's a phenomenon that if a woman, A, spends time around a woman, B, who is either pregnant or has a young baby (B is perhaps a sister, friend), sometimes woman A finds herself with "a desire to ...
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Informal English sentence correction [duplicate]
What you gotta hose for?
Is is correct, can I use this sentence in informal english?
How can I say this sentence formally?
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manifests or manifests itself
The sentence (from University Physics book, the image of full text is attached):
The work done by nonconservative forces manifests itself as changes in the
internal energy of objects.
Can we delete ...
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Is "Thus" stilted at the beginning of a sentence?
I'm French, and my students keep using "thus" at the beginning of sentences, which is close to "ainsi, ...", very much used in French. It's a way of rounding up their paragraph.
...
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A respectful alternative to the word "you" or "your" [duplicate]
I want to know a respectful and formal alternative for the word you or your . In my native language there are respectful words for you. But in English you doesn't seem to be respectful for calling ...
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"Good night", "sleep well", which one is more formal, which one is more intimate? [closed]
"Good night", "sleep well",
which one is more formal, which one is more intimate?
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"I take on board your thoughts" in a formal setting
I was recently chatting with a prospective business partner (UK) and in the email exchange, mentioned a potential activity I will be engaging in, let's say X, in relation to a previously discussed ...
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How to syntactically begin a situation in which I use the phrase "sth to this/that effect" in the next sentence
Here is a simple example:
He told me to get out - or words to that effect.
Now I'm familiar with the usage of the expression "to this/that effect". I wanted to ask what would be a formal ...
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Is there an antonym for "paucity" that means not scarce and not necessarily but possibly enough?
I am trying to fill in the blank in this sentence: "There is a(n) ___ of research on this topic."
Using the word paucity would imply, to me, that I feel there is definitely not enough ...
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Name for "filler" words that potentially convey lack of self confidence [duplicate]
There are plenty of internet search hits for "filler" words, and how not to use them. I'm not asking about these.
I would like to know if there is a name for language that people use which ...
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Is "Mr. Last Name + First Name" correct in formal writing?
I'm translating a formal letter to English.
With my previous knowledge of English, I translated names from Singapore and China using the format "Mr. First name + Last Name".
For example:
(1)
...
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