The Original of Formal & Informal English Podcast

‘I’m very tired. I’m going to bed.’ ‘I’m excessively fatigued. I shall retire.’ These sentences mean exactly the same, but whilst the first is everyday informal English, the second – depending on the attitude of the listener – could either be considered formal, if rather old-fashioned English, or simply pretentious! The difference is the choice of vocabulary: the first speaker uses Anglo-Saxon root words while the latter uses words derived from Latin.
Although the structure of modern English is Germanic, around 45% of English words are of French or Latin origin. This is because, after the Normans conquered England in 1066, the country was ruled by French kings, whose language was French or Latin, while the conquered peasants spoke Anglo-Saxon. Because the ruling class spoke French, many modern English terms for legal, political and administrative matters – such as the word government – come from French or Latin, while words for everyday things like working, eating and drinking come from Anglo-Saxon. Thus, a letter from your lawyer will ask you to, ‘Please inform us of the date of your departure’, but a friend’s email asks, ‘Please tell us when you’re leaving’.
A further striking difference between formal and informal English is the use of phrasal verbs. As we know, phrasal verbs, which occur in other Germanic languages too, not just English, are a combination of a verb with one or sometimes two other words, either prepositions or adverbs, which, when used together, have a specific meaning different from any of the words used individually. Some two-part phrasal verbs – you need to learn which - unfortunately there are no absolute rules – are ‘separable’: the preposition or adverb can be separated from the verb and placed at the end of the sentence, for example, ‘She took her shoes off’ is just as acceptable as ‘She took off her shoes’. The historic reason for this can be found in part in the original syntax of Germanic languages. In the past, the verb used to come right at the end of the sentence, after the subject, and particles like prepositions and adverbs, after nouns. With time, as Anglo-Saxon evolved into modern English, the position of verbs and particles moved back to before the object; however, in some cases, the phrasal verb particle remained in its original position at the end. So, this is why you can still switch the light on (as well as switch on the light).
In addition to all this, in modern English both a phrasal verb and a more formal Latinate verb can be used to express the same idea. For example, ‘He quarrelled with her’ is formal whereas ‘He fell out with her’ means the same but is informal; She humiliated him is formal but ‘She put him down is informal; ‘We tolerated their behaviour’ is formal, but ‘We put up with their behaviour’ is informal. The list goes on and the challenge for a learner is to learn both verbs and also to be able to use the appropriate one according to the situation. Very generally speaking, it’s best to use phrasal verbs in speech and in informal writing and Latinate verbs in more formal writing, for example a report or an article.
Another peculiarity of modern English is that it doesn’t make a distinction between a formal and an informal you. In Shakespeare’s times, you (plural) was used to express politeness and respect, while thou (singular) was the familiar form, but the latter fell out of use in the seventeenth century. The Spanish have tú and usted , the French tu and vous but the English only have you, no matter who you are speaking to. Since English speakers can’t show politeness in formal situations with their choice of you, they must do so in a different way, by using indirect language, for example, ‘Could you possibly do this?’ instead of, ‘Can you do it?’ and ‘Would you mind if John came?’ instead of ‘Can John come?’
All this means that, although Spanish learners might have initial difficulties with indirectness in English, they easily assimilate vocabulary of Latin origin, the only danger being inappropriate usage of these words in informal situations: for example, desire, cease, comprehend and permit instead of want, stop, understand and let. However, knowledge of formal vocabulary can be an advantage, for instance, in academic or business writing, when on no account would you use contractions, such as doesn’t. Nonetheless, in spoken English, contractions always sound more natural, even in formal situations. It should also be noted that the use of the passive rather than the active, and noun phrases rather than verb phrases, are characteristic of formal English and are better avoided in spoken language – for example, ‘the consumption of alcohol is forbidden’ (consumption of alcohol is the noun phrase) rather than ‘you aren’t allowed to drink alcohol’.
There is one final point of formal etiquette to which it is essential to draw your attention. Should you ever have the opportunity to meet the King of England, we strongly recommend that, at the risk of offending him and inviting the disapproval of the court, you do not say ‘Pleased to meet you’. The mother of Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William attracted widespread criticism for this error when she met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for the first time. Royal expert Camilla de Holland explains, ‘Naturally you would have been pleased to have met her. She was, after all, the Queen.’ The correct formal greeting, in case you are wondering, for a King or Queen is, How do you do, Your Majesty?