English Formal and Informal Style

Inglés IX
Session 3 Formal and informal style” saber hacer para competir
Table of contents
Concept Page
Objective 3
Introduction 3
3.1 Descriptive adjectives 4
3.2 Passive voice in Present tense 9
3.3 Describing people 11
3.4 Describing places 13
3.5 Descriptive texts 17
Conclusion 18
Glossary 18
References 19
Objective
During this session you will review some key concepts that will allow you to practice and use
grammar properly.
You will be able to communicate with Anglophones and describe people and places in B1 level. You
will be also capable to apply your skills in article writing.
You will learn how to describe places thoroughly using both formal and informal styles. A dictionary
will be necessary for this session.
You will be able to recognize and use Passive voice in Present tense.
Introduction
A good reader can become a good writer by practicing the correct use of connectors and adjectives.
It is important to recognize the elements to describe and the appropriate words to describe both
places and things.
By using different phrases and by recognizing the parts of a report, you can point out the message
that you are trying to communicate.
A writer’s main goal is to make the reader identify with the setting. We want readers to see
themselves in the place of the writer, to share the thoughts and emotions.
Certainly, this sort of identification has a great deal to do with whether or not we find a report
engaging enough to hook us up and what we’ll think about it once we’ve finish reading.
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Universidad Tecnológica Santa Catarina
• Educación a Distancia •
Inglés IX
Session 3 Formal and informal style saber hacer para competir
3.1 Descriptive adjectives

Adjectives describe or modify nouns. This means, they add to the meaning of the nouns they modify.
There are two kinds of adjectives: descriptive adjectives and limiting adjectives.
Adjectives:
Modify nouns, pronouns, and groups

of words functioning as nouns.
Answer the questions: “What kind?”,

“Which ones?”, or “How many?”
For an example, let’s say that you have a car and you want to tell a friend that it is red and it is new.
You may say or write:
My new, red car is parked in the driveway.
Each adjective tells your friend something more about the car. Or in grammar terms- the adjectives
new and red are modifying the noun car.
In the noun phrase “My new red car”, “My” is a determiner that tells whose car this is.
“My” is in the “possessive” category.
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1. Descriptive Adjectives
Descriptive adjectives describe the noun.

They add color, size, and shape to persons, places and things. They are used to provide more
information to a noun by describing or modifying it.
Examples:
• Bright orange vegetables contain beta-carotene.
‘Bright’ and ‘orange’ are adjectives that refer to color and describe the noun ‘vegetables’.
• Green leafy vegetables contain minerals and vitamins.
‘Green’ and ‘leafy’ are adjectives that refer to color and shape and describe the noun ‘vegetables’.
• The tall thin girl is my sister.
‘Tall’ and ‘thin’ are adjectives that refer to shape and describe the noun ‘girl’.
2. Limiting Adjectives
Limiting adjectives describe how many, how much, which one, and whose.
Examples:
• The three boys in the car are my brothers.
‘Three’ is an adjective referring to number and modifies ‘boys’.
• I found three small round stones in my shoe.
‘Three’, ‘small’, ‘round’ are adjectives that refer to how many, size and shape and describe the noun
‘stones’.
• This beautiful new bicycle is mine.
‘This’, ‘beautiful’, ‘new’ are adjectives that refer to ‘which one’ and describe the noun ‘bicycle’.
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Inglés IX
Adjectives are the most essential part of speech, used extensively in oral and written forms. There
are many kinds of adjectives but in this session, we will be focusing on descriptive adjectives.
We can infer that descriptive adjectives add meaning to the nouns that they modify. This kind of
adjective describes a noun in detail by giving an attribute to that particular word. It is important to
know that descriptive adjectives usually express things that are observable through the five senses
(touch, taste, sight, smell, and sound).
When it is hard to identify the descriptive adjectives in the sentence, it is simple to find them by
asking the question:
“Which one?” or more appropriately, “What is it like?” in reference to a noun.
This is a list of Descriptive adjectives:
Descriptive adjectives Vocabulary Word List (460)

A) Able, Abundant, Accepting, Accommodating, Active, Addictive, Adequate, Aggressive, Amazing,
Amiable, Amicable, Amusing, Antagonistic, Anxious, Anxious, Apathetic, Aquatic, Arrogant,
Articulate, Artistic, Attentive, Attractive, Authoritative, Awesome
B) Barren, Benevolent, Biodegradable, Blase, Bold, Bonding, Boorish, Bountiful, Braggart,
Brave, Brilliant, Buoyancy, Busy, Buzz
C) Callow, Captious, CARING, Celestial, Charm, Chaste, Cheat, Cheerful, Churlish, Civil,
Clean, Clever, Coastal, Cold, Colossal, Combustible, Comfortable, Commercial, Communicative,
Compact, Competitive, Compulsive, Confident, Conflicted, Congenial, Conscientious, Conservative,
Considerate, Conspicuous, Contemptible, Contiguous, COOPERATIVE, Cordial, COURAGEOUS,
Courteous, Covetous, Creative, Critical, Critical, Crucial, Crude, Culpable, Curious, Current, Curt,
Cynical.
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D) Decent, Decorous, Defensive, Deferential, Deft, Dejected, Delightful, Demeaning, Demise,

Dependable, Deplorable, Depressed, Destructive, Devious, Devoted, Dictatorial, Diligent,
Diminutive, Diplomatic, Discreet, Disdainful, Dishonesty, Dishonorable, Disposable, Disrespectful,
Distracted, Docile, Downcast, Dynamic, Dynamic
E) Earnest, Earthy, Ecological, Efficient, Egotistical, Electrifying, Elitist, Empathetic, Endangered,

Endemic, Energetic, Enigmatic, Enthusiastic, Esteemed, Estimable, Ethical, Euphoric, Evergreen,
Exclusive, Expectant, Explosive, Exquisite, Extravagant, Extrovert, Exuberant
F) FAIR, Faithful, Fallow, Falseness, Famous, Fancy, Ferocious, Fertile, Fervent, Fervid, Fibrous,
Fierce, Flexible, Focused, Forgiving, Forlorn, Frailty
G) Generous, Genial, Genteel, Gentle, Genuine, Gifted, Gigantic, Glib, Gloomy, Good, Gorgeous,
Grace, Gracious, Grand, Grateful, Gravity, Green, Grouchy, Guilty, Guilty, Gusty
H) Happy, Hard-hearted, Healing, Heedless, Helpfulness, Heroic, HONEST, Honorable, Hopeful,

Hostile, Humane, Humble, Humorous, Hygienic, Hysterical
I) Idealistic, Idolize, Ignoble, Ignorant, Ill-tempered, Impartial, Impolite, Improper, Imprudent,

Impudent, Indecent, Indecorous, Indifference, Indigenous, Industrious, Ingenuous, Innocent,
Innovative, Insightful, Insolent, Inspirational, Instructive, Insulting, Intense, Intense, Intense,
Intolerant, Introvert, Intuitive, Inventive, Investigative, Irascible, Irresponsible
J) Jaundiced, Jealous, Jealous, Jocular, Jolly, Jovial, Joyful, Jubilant, Just, Juvenile
K) Keen, Kind, Kindred, Knowledgeable
L) Liberal, Listener, Loathsome, Loving, LOYAL
M) Magical, Magnificence, Magnificent, Malevolent, Malicious, Mammoth, Manipulative, Marine,

Mastery, Meddling, Meritorious, Meticulous, Migratory, Minuscule, Miserable, Mistrustful, Modest,
Moral, Mysterious
N) Naive, Nascent, Native, Natural, Natural, Nature, Needy, Nefarious, Negative, Neglected,
Neglectful, Negligent, Nice, Noble, Notorious
O) Obedient, Observant, Open, Open-minded, Opinionated, Oppressive, Orderly, Oriented, Original,

Outrageous, Outspoken
P) Parasitic, Partial, Passionate, Patient, Perceptive, Personable, Personal, Petulant, Pleasant,

Poise, Polite, Pollutant, Popular, Popular, Powerful, Prejudicial, Preposterous, Pretentious, Prideful,
Principled, Pristine, Prompt, Proper, PUNCTUAL, Purposeful
Q) Quaint, Quarrelsome, Quick, Quiet, Quiet, Quirky
R) Radioactive, Rancorous, Rational, Reasonable, Reckless, Refined, Reflective, RELIANT,

Remarkable, Remorseful, Renewable, Reproductive, Repugnant, Resilient, Resilient, Resolute,
Resourceful, Respectful, Responsible, Responsive, Restorative, Reverent, Rotting, Rude, Ruthless
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S) Sadness, Safe, Scornful, Scrumptious, Selfish, Sensible, Sensitive, Sharing, Simple, Sober,
Solar, Solemn, Solitary, Soluble, Sour, Spatial, Special, Splendid, Splendid, Staunch, Staunch,
Stern, Stunning, Successful, Sullen, Superb, Superior, Supportive, Surly, Suspicious, Sweet,
Sympathetic
T) Tactful, Taint, Temperate, Temperate, Tenacious, Terrific, Testy, Thoughtful, Thoughtless, Tolerant,
Towering, Toxic, Treacherous, Tropical, TRUSTWORTHY, Truthful
U) Ultimate, Ultimate, Uncivil, Uncouth, Undeveloped, Unethical, Unfair, Unique, Unique, United,
Unity, Unmannerly, Unrefined, Unsavory, Unworthy, Uplifting, Upright, Uproot, Upstanding
V) Valiant, Veracious, Versatile, Vicious, Vigilant, Vigilant, Vigorous, Vile, Villainous, Virtuous,
Visible, Visible, Vivacious, Vocal, Volatile, Volunteering, Vulnerable
W) Warm, Wary, Waspish, Watchful, Welcoming, Wicked, Wild, Willingness, Winning, Winsome,
Wise, Wishy-washy, Wistful, Witty, Woeful, Wonderful, Worldwide, Worrier, Worthwhile, Worthy
X)
Y) Yearning, Yielding, Yielding, Yourself, Youthful
Z) Zany, Zealot, Zealous, Zealous, Zero-tolerant.
Sentences with descriptive adjectives:

Daisy brushes her long, brown hair.
A thin man appeared out of the blue.
It is important to eat green, leafy vegetables.
The overweight kid teased the smaller kids in the park.
The spider has hairy legs.
The pretty girl asked the old man for food.
The extremely bright light almost blinded me.
That skinny girl is one of my best friends.
The goofy guy fell off his skateboard.
I think he’s pretty short for his age.
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Inglés IX
3.1 Descriptive adjectives

As we have seen in previous sessions, Passive voice is used when we want to focus on the action
rather than on the doer. It is not important or not known; however, who or what is performing the
action.
The structure of the passive voice in present tense, is the following:
Subject Finite form of Past participle

verb TO BE
Example:
A letter is written.
When writing sentences in passive voice, note the following:
The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of

the passive sentence.
The finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past

participle)
The subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the

passive sentence (or is dropped)
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Passive voice in present tense
Passive voice in Simple present answers the question: “What is done?” or “What is being done?”
The passive voice is often used in formal texts. Switching to the active voice will make your writing
clearer and easier to read.
In the present, the passive voice uses the verbs is and are + past participle of the main verb.
The passive voice in present is often used to describe:
First the apples are picked,

A process then they are cleaned,
and finally they’re packed
and shipped to the market.
New York is considered the most diverse

city in the U.S.
It is believed that Amelia Earhart’s plane

General thoughts, crashed in Pacific Ocean.
opinions and
beliefs Hungarian is seen as one of the world’s most
difficult languages to learn.
Skin cancers are thought to be caused by

excessive exposure to the sun.
More examples:
The passive voice is used frequently.
Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases.
Reports are being written in class.
Players are being hired during the draft.
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3.3 Describing people
These are some physical features and how to describe them in English:
Age
My grandfather is quite old. In fact, as he is retired and receives a monthly pension, he is an old
age pensioner, or a senior citizen.
His daughter, my aunt, is 55, and middle-aged. She has three sons. One is a young adult, at 24
years of age, and the other two are both teenagers. They are 16 and 17. My sister also has two
children – one toddler who is a two-year old, and a baby who is 6 months old.
Build
People are built in all shapes and sizes. There are those who are fat and overweight. Some
people are extremely overweight and are obese. Other people are naturally slim, but others have
absolutely no fat on them and are thin, or skinny.
Personally, I am stocky – small, but well built. My father is tall and lean – with very little fat. My
sister is short, but wiry – she is quite thin, but muscular. Both my brothers are athletic and well
proportioned. My mother looks like a 1940’s film star. She is curvaceous, with an hourglass
figure.
My grandfather is fit for his age and takes plenty of exercise. He doesn’t want all his muscles to
get flabby.
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Inglés IX
Face and hair
Faces, like build, vary a lot. Some people have oval faces – their foreheads are much wider than
their chins. Other people have heart-shaped, square or round faces.
Features also vary. My grandfather has bushy eyebrows (he has lots of hair!), a hooked nose and
high cheekbones. His eyes are large and set quite far apart. My mother has a broad nose, which
she hates, as she prefers narrow noses. But she is lucky to have even or regular teeth. My sister
corrected her crooked teeth by wearing a brace, which straightened them. She has rosy cheeks,
small ears and a snub nose, which goes up at the end.
I have long, curly hair, though my sister is the opposite, with short, straight hair. Her hair is fine
and doesn’t weigh very much, but mine is thick and heavy. My mother’s hair is wavy – in between
straight and curly. It’s cut in a bob and she also has a short fringe, where it is cut horizontally
across her forehead. My father is losing his hair – in fact he is going bald, which makes him very
sad. My brother looks like he is going to lose his hair too – it is receding.
Being tactful
People can be sensitive about their body shape or age and some words might cause offense. Three
words to avoid are fat, thin and old.
Using “a bit” or “a little” before adjectives can make what you say sound more tactful. For example,
“He’s a little heavy” or “She’s a bit overweight” are less direct (and more polite).
Here are some alternatives to fat, thin and old:
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Inglés IX
Alternatives to "fat"
Alternatives to “thin” Alternatives to “old”
overweight / heavy / plump
/ a bit chubby (chubby is slim Definitions of old vary.
especially used for children) Anyone under the age
slender / petite (especially of 60 – 65 might not be
curvy /curvaceous (for for women) considered particularly old
women) / statuesque (i.e. tall in the UK.
and well-built) wiry / without an inch of fat
a pensioner / elderly (75+) /
well-built / a big man (for a senior citizen
men)
middle-aged (50 +)
3.3 Describing people
In descriptive texts, the author does not tell the reader what was seen, felt, tested, smelled, or
heard. Rather, he describes something that he experienced and -through his choice of words-
makes it seem real. In other words, descriptive writing is vivid, colorful, and detailed.
In this section we will discuss the importance of describing places both orally and written. In order
for our readers to be engaged, we have to describe the setting.
Setting is the location and time of your story. It supports what you are describing and the
participants, helping to describe important points and themes.
When you start to create and describe your setting ask yourself the 6 W’s. Therefore, it is a good
idea to start by answering these questions:
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Inglés IX
Where does the story take palce?
When does the story happen?
What’s the weather or climate like?
What are the social or community conditions?
What is the landscape like?
What special details make it vivid?
You may also try to describe the general setting and gradually narrow to a specific location. Go from
a description of the country/state/region, and then move to the town and then neighborhood.
Use the five senses.
Use the five senses: touch, sight, smell, sound, and taste.
Many writers only use sight, but this is a mistake because it makes the writing two-dimensional. Of
course you have to describe the way something looks, but you also need to include descriptions
from the other senses.
Think about what a room smells like; how does the grass feel on your feet; the way the food tastes.
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Show, don’t tell.

Some writers show the setting instead of telling it. Don’t say, “The desert was hot.” Instead, show
that the desert was hot by describing the sun burning your skin, the heat rising from the sand in
waves, and the thick air that is hard to breathe.
To do this, use vivid language. Choose nouns and descriptive adjectives to describe the setting. Use
concrete action verbs.
Example:
Telling: The girls were excited.
Showing: Giggles and screams filled the arena. The soft curls were now damp with perspiration and
the anticipation of the event. They held tight to each other in a mock effort to contain themselves.
Arms flailed upward, and voices echoed in varying tones. The moment was here.
Tips for describing a place
You must come up with a place or environment where you are perfectly comfortable. It is important
to point out that you can write about any location. The place can be small or large, inside or outside,
common or extraordinary. You may even decide to write about imaginary places.
Some options are:
A building: Your house, church, school, tree fort, or grandma’s home. A

store, movie theater, cafe, restaurant, fitness club, etc
An interior space: Your bedroom, the secret room under the stairs, your
science classroom, the looker room, your aut’s kitchen, the shower, the
driver’s seat of your favorite car, etc
An exterior space: The woods, the ocean, the lake, a city street, a
rooftop, a meadow in bloom, or the dessert at might
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A travel destination: Machu Picchu, the San Diego Zoo, the top of
Mount Washington, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, a food market in
Shanghai, or a tent in the Bad Lands
A performance of athletic venue: the stage of a concert hall, atennis

court, the football field, the shoulder of the road on a bike, or the
theater
An imagined place: the world portrayed in a painting J.R.R Tolkien’s

Middle Earth, Dragon Alley, the Star Ship Enterprise, Jane Austen´s
England, Downton Abbey, etc.
3.5 Descriptive texts

In descriptive writing, the writer usually does not tell the reader what was seen, felt, tested,
smelled, or heard.
Instead, he prefers to describe his experience and -through his words- make it seem real. In other
words, descriptive writing is vivid, colorful, and detailed.
Descriptive writing creates an impression in the reader’s mind of an event, a place, a person, or
thing. This type of writing will set a mood or describe something in such detail that if the readers
saw it, they would recognize it. Descriptive writing will bring words to life and will make the text more
interesting.
Some examples of descriptive texts:
- The sunset filled the entire sky with the deep color of rubies, setting the clouds ablaze.
- The waves crashed and danced along the shore, moving up and down in a graceful and gentle
rhythm like they were dancing.
- The painting was a field of flowers, with deep and rich blues and yellows atop vibrant green stems
that seemed to beckon you to reach right in and pick them.
- The old man was stooped and bent, his back making the shape of a C and his head bent so far
forward that his beard would nearly have touched his knobby knees had he been just a bit taller.
- His deep and soulful blue eyes were like the color of the ocean on the clearest day you can ever
imagine.
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Conclusion
During this session you learned how to properly write a descriptive text.
Expressing our ideas vividly engages our readers and broadens our vocabulary. Describing
thoroughly makes readers transport to the place described. In other words, living instead of reading.
Good writers prefer to describe experiences and, through words, to make them real. In other words,
descriptive writing is vivid, colorful, and detailed.
Glossary
broad.- large from one side to the other side

bushy.- being thick and spreading <a bushy beard> <a bushy tail>
complexion.- the color or appearance of the skin and especially of the face <a fair complexion>
crooked.- not set or placed straight
curvaceous.- having or suggesting the curves of a well-proportioned feminine figure <a curvaceous
actress>; broadly : having a smoothly curving shape <a curvaceous coastline>
exposure.- the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something : the
condition of being exposed to something
fair.- not dark
flabby.- not hard and firm
fringe.- a narrow area along the edge
goofy.- crazy or silly
skinny.- very thin
snub.- to ignore (someone) in a deliberate and insulting way
wavy.- with waves
wiry.- resembling wire especially in form and flexibility
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References
Murphy, R. (1985). English Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Fuchs, M. (2009). Longman Focus on Grammar 3 - 3rd Edition An Integrated Skill Approach. United
States: Pearson Longman
Grower, R. (2008). Real Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mc Carthy, M. (2008). Touchstone 2 Full Contact. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Richards. J. (2012). Interchange Level 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Inglés IX

Session 3 Formal and informal style” saber hacer para competir

3.1 Descriptive adjectives

Modify nouns, pronouns, and groups

Answer the questions: “What kind?”,

You may say or write:

My new, red car is parked in the driveway.

“My” is in the “possessive” category.

Descriptive adjectives describe the noun.

“Which one?” or more appropriately, “What is it like?” in reference to a noun.

This is a list of Descriptive adjectives:

Descriptive adjectives Vocabulary Word List (460)

D) Decent, Decorous, Defensive, Deferential, Deft, Dejected, Delightful, Demeaning, Demise,

E) Earnest, Earthy, Ecological, Efficient, Egotistical, Electrifying, Elitist, Empathetic, Endangered,

H) Happy, Hard-hearted, Healing, Heedless, Helpfulness, Heroic, HONEST, Honorable, Hopeful,

I) Idealistic, Idolize, Ignoble, Ignorant, Ill-tempered, Impartial, Impolite, Improper, Imprudent,

K) Keen, Kind, Kindred, Knowledgeable

L) Liberal, Listener, Loathsome, Loving, LOYAL

M) Magical, Magnificence, Magnificent, Malevolent, Malicious, Mammoth, Manipulative, Marine,

O) Obedient, Observant, Open, Open-minded, Opinionated, Oppressive, Orderly, Oriented, Original,

P) Parasitic, Partial, Passionate, Patient, Perceptive, Personable, Personal, Petulant, Pleasant,

Q) Quaint, Quarrelsome, Quick, Quiet, Quiet, Quirky

R) Radioactive, Rancorous, Rational, Reasonable, Reckless, Refined, Reflective, RELIANT,

Y) Yearning, Yielding, Yielding, Yourself, Youthful

Z) Zany, Zealot, Zealous, Zealous, Zero-tolerant.

Sentences with descriptive adjectives:

A thin man appeared out of the blue.

It is important to eat green, leafy vegetables.

The overweight kid teased the smaller kids in the park.

The spider has hairy legs.

The pretty girl asked the old man for food.

The extremely bright light almost blinded me.

That skinny girl is one of my best friends.

The goofy guy fell off his skateboard.

I think he’s pretty short for his age.

3.1 Descriptive adjectives

The structure of the passive voice in present tense, is the following:

Subject Finite form of Past participle

When writing sentences in passive voice, note the following:

The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of

The finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past

The subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the

Passive voice in present tense

The passive voice in present is often used to describe:

First the apples are picked,

New York is considered the most diverse

It is believed that Amelia Earhart’s plane

Skin cancers are thought to be caused by

The passive voice is used frequently.

Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases.

Reports are being written in class.

Players are being hired during the draft.

3.3 Describing people

Face and hair

3.3 Describing people

Where does the story take palce?

When does the story happen?

What’s the weather or climate like?

What are the social or community conditions?

What is the landscape like?

What special details make it vivid?

Show, don’t tell.

Tips for describing a place

A building: Your house, church, school, tree fort, or grandma’s home. A