Home My account Help Logout

Dictionary Culture Thesaurus Study Centre Pronunciation Exam Practice Grammar Video Library

Grammar Guide Communication Guide Intermediate Practice Advanced Practice Scores

1 Formality in spoken and 1 Formality in spoken and written English

written English
2 Agreeing What does it mean to ‘know’ a word? The basic meaning is obviously important, but you also
3 Disagreeing need to know how it is spelt, how it is pronounced, how it behaves grammatically in a sentence,
4 Apologizing and how it is used with other words (its collocations). You also need to know the types of context
and situations in which the word can be used appropriately.
5 Opinions
6 Requests Many words and phrases have similar meanings; they are, on the surface, synonymous. However,
7 Suggestions not all synonyms are appropriate for use in different contexts. Throughout this dictionary, we
8 Hello have included a number of Register notes to highlight the differences between synonymous
words or phrases that are more typical of spoken or written English, or of formal or informal
9 Goodbye
contexts. Look, for example, at the entry for proceed. There you will find a note that explains that
10 Thank you
proceed is typical of formal contexts, and in informal contexts, a native speaker is more likely to
say go ahead. Look out for these notes to ensure that you choose the most appropriate
vocabulary for spoken and written contexts.

Thesaurus notes also highlight differences between closely related synonyms. Look, for example,
at the Thesaurus box at allow. There you will find that let is used much more in everyday English
than allow, while permit is used especially in more formal contexts, for example in written notices
and announcements.

The following pages focus on functional language – language that you use to do something, such
as agreeing with someone or asking someone to do something for you – contrasting synonymous
words and phrases to explain which ones are more appropriate for formal written contexts and
which are more suited to informal spoken contexts.

Pearson Longman | Terms | Privacy | Cookie Policy | © Pearson Education Ltd. 2018