口语和书面语英语（如何使用正式和非正式英语）

Greetings! My name is Gina Mares, and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to this Oxford Online English video lesson.，接下来我们就来聊聊关于口语和书面语英语?以下内容大家不妨参考一二希望能帮到您!

口语和书面语英语

Greetings! My name is Gina Mares, and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to this Oxford Online English video lesson.

大家好！我叫吉娜·马雷斯。我想借此机会欢迎大家来到牛津在线英语视频课程。

Hello! My name's Gina.

大家好！我叫吉娜。

Welcome to the class. Hey guys!

欢迎来上课。大家好！

Gina here. Let's get started!

我是吉娜。我们开始吧！

What's going on here? Why am I welcoming you three times?

这是怎么回事？为什么我要欢迎大家三次？

In this lesson, you can learn about formal and informal English.

You'll learn how to recognise and use formal and informal styles in your spoken and written English.

在这节课中，你可以学习正式和非正式英语。你将学会如何在你的口语和书面英语中识别和使用正式和非正式英语的风格。

Look at three sentences: Could I disturb you for a minute? Can I ask you something?

来看三个句子：我可以打扰你一下吗？我可以问你个问题吗？

You got a sec? All of these sentences have the same basic meaning——I want to talk to you and ask you about something.

你有时间吗？所有这些句子都有相同的基本含义——我想和你谈谈，问你一些问题。

However, the tone is different. Can you see how?

但是，语气不同。你能看出来吗？

These three sentences show three levels of formality.

The first sentence is formal; it shows politeness, respect and distance.

这三个句子表现了正式程度的三个层次。第一个句子是正式的；它展示了礼貌，尊重和距离。

The second sentence is neutral; it does not have a formal or informal tone. The third sentence is informal; it shows that you and the person you are speaking to are familiar with each other, and you don't need to make an effort to be polite or respectful.

第二个句子是中性的；它没有正式或非正式的语气。第三个句子是非正式的；它表明你和你交谈的人彼此熟悉，你不需要努力表现得礼貌和尊重对方。

Actually, there are more than three levels of formality. For example: Might I ask you something?

事实上，正式的程度不止有三个层次。例如：我能问你个问题吗？

May I take a moment of your time? Could I disturb you for a minute?

我可以占用你一些时间吗？可以打扰你一下吗？

These sentences are all formal. The first is extremely formal.

这些句子都是正式的。第一个是非常正式的。

It's probably too formal to use in most situations.

The other two are both formal; the second is probably more formal than the third.

在大多数情况下使用都太正式了。另外两个都是正式的；第二个可能比第三个更正式。

Why 'probably'? Formality isn't absolute.

为什么是“可能”呢？正式程度不是绝对的。

It also depends on context and intonation, so it's not just about the words you use.

So, there are many levels of formality.

它还取决于语境和语调，不仅仅是你使用的词语。因此，正式程度有多个层次。

However, when you speak or write in English, it's useful to think about three levels: formal, neutral and informal.

But when should you use these different levels of language?

然而，当你说英语或用英语写作的时候，考虑三个层次是有用的：正式，中性，还有非正式。但你什么时候该使用这些不同层次的语言呢？

In my experience, many English students use language which is too formal.

They think: formal language is more polite.

根据我的经验，许多英语学生使用的语言太正式了。他们认为：正式的语言更加有礼貌。

Polite language is better. Right?

礼貌语言更好。不是吗？

No, not always! Language which is too polite puts distance between you and the person you're talking to.

不，不总是这样！过于礼貌的语言会让你和你交谈的人之间产生距离。

At best, this will sound awkward and unnatural.

At worst, you can sound cold and unfriendly if you use language which is too formal.

在最好的情况下，这听起来会有些尴尬和不自然。在最坏的情况下，如果你使用过于正式的语言，你可能听起来冷淡和不友好。

Knowing when to use formal language depends mostly on context.

Let me ask you a question: when should you use formal language?

知道何时使用正式语言主要取决于语境。让我问你一个问题：你什么时候应该使用正式语言？

Maybe you said things like: in job interviews, in business meetings or negotiations, when talking to older people, when writing business emails, and so on.

The fact is, it's not possible to say you should always use formal language in these situations.

也许你说的是：在工作面试、商务会议或谈判中，和老人交谈时，商业邮件写作，等等。事实是，在这些情景中，你不可能总是使用正式语言。

It always depends. For example, take job interviews.

它总是视情况而定的。例如，接受工作面试。

Some companies have a very corporate culture, with a strict hierarchy and lots of rules and procedures.

Other companies are more relaxed, and pay less attention to rules and job titles.

一些公司有很强的企业文化，有严格的等级制度和许多规则和流程。其他公司则更随意，不太注意规则和职称。

Obviously, if you're going for a job interview at the first kind of company, you'll want to dress, act and speak formally, to fit in with the company culture.

On the other hand, if you go for an interview at the second kind of company, where things are more relaxed, it wouldn't be appropriate to speak very formally.

显然，如果你在第一类公司求职面试，你的穿着、行为和谈吐都要正式，以适应该公司的文化。

另一方面，如果你在第二类公司面试，那里更加随意，那么正式用语就不合适了。

So, always think about the situation in front of you.

If you're not sure, try to listen to other people around you.

所以，一定要考虑你面前的情况。如果你不确定，就试着倾听你周围的人。

If other people around you are speaking informally to each other, you probably shouldn't try to sound very formal.

Also, if you don't know, then use neutral language.

如果你周围的人在非正式地交谈，那你也不要听起来很正式。此外，如果你不知道，那就使用中性语言。

Neutral language is safe. You can use it in any situation.

中性语言是保险的。你可以在任何情况下使用它。

Informal language is very important in spoken English, but you need to be careful. Using informal language at the wrong time could sound disrespectful or rude.

非正式语言在英语口语中很重要，但你需要小心。在错误的时间使用非正式语言可能听起来无礼或粗鲁。

Next, let's consider some of the main differences between formal, neutral and informal English.

Formal English tends to use longer, more complicated sentence structures.

接下来，我们来讨论正式英语、中性英语和非正式英语之间的一些主要区别。正式英语更倾向于使用更长、更复杂的句子结构。

Informal and neutral English tend to use shorter, simpler sentence structures.

For example: I was wondering if you could make yourself available on Wednesday to provide more detailed guidance on these matters.

非正式和中性英语倾向于使用较短、更简单的句子结构。例如：我想知道您能否在周三提供一些关于这些问题的更详细的指导。

This is a formal sentence. You can see that it's quite long, with a complex structure.

这是一个正式句子。你可以看到它很长，有一个复杂的结构。

Do you have time on Wednesday to help us with these problems? This is neutral.

星期三你有时间帮我们解决这些问题吗？这是中性的。

You got some free time on Wednesday to talk about this? This is more informal.

你星期三有空来谈谈这个吗？这个更加不正式。

You can see that the neutral and informal sentences are much shorter and simpler. Let's do one more example.

你可以看到，中性和非正式的句子要短很多，也更简单。我们再做一个例子。

I'll give you three sentences. Can you see which one is formal, which is neutral, and which is informal?

我会给你三个句子。你能看出来哪个是正式的，哪个是中性的，还有哪个是非正式的吗？

We should have a word with him first. It may well be necessary to contact him before we make a decision.

我们应该先和他谈谈。在我们作出决定之前，也许有必要与他联系。

We need to talk to him before we decide. Which is which?

在我们决定之前，我们需要和他谈谈。哪个是哪个？

The first sentence is informal. The second sentence is formal.

第一个句子是非正式的。第二个句子是正式的。

The third sentence is neutral. Did you get it right?

第三个句子是中性的。你做对了吗？

Again, you can see that the formal sentence is longer and more complex.

Another point is that we sometimes leave out words in informal English, especially in questions.

再次，你可以看到正式的句子更长、更复杂。另一点是，我们有时会在非正式英语中省去单词，尤其是在提问中。

For example, in the question Are you sure? it is possible to leave out the word "are" and just say You sure?

In fact, you could even leave out the word "you" and just ask a question with one word: sure?

例如，在问题“你确定吗？”当中，你会省去“are”这个词，只说“你确定？”事实上，你甚至可以省去“you”这个单词，就用一个词来提问：确定？

Let's see some more examples of this: Will you be joining us? (Formal—full form)

我们再看一些例子。你会加入我们吗？（正式-完整形式）

Are you coming? (neutral—full form) You coming? (Informal—short form)

你要来吗？（中性-完整形式）你来吗？（非正式-简短形式）

Do you have any suggestions? (Formal—full form) Have you got any ideas? (neutral—full form)

你有什么建议吗？（正式-完整形式）你有什么想法吗？（中性-完整形式）

Any ideas? (Informal—short form) Do you notice any other differences between the formal, neutral and informal sentences you've seen in this section?

有什么想法吗？（非正式-简短形式）你在这一组中有注意到正式、中性和非正式的句子之间有什么不同吗？

You might notice that we use different words in formal, neutral and informal English.

Vocabulary is another important difference between formal and informal language.

你可能注意到我们在正式、中性和非正式英语中使用不同的词。词汇是正式语言和非正式语言的另一个重要区别。

Let's look! Formal English tends to use more literary, rare or old-fashioned vocabulary.

我们来看看！正式英语倾向于使用更多文学的、稀有的或过时的词汇。

Generally, if you want to be formal, you need to be very precise with your use of vocabulary.

Neutral English tends to use simpler, more common words.

一般而言，如果你想正式点，你需要非常精确地使用词汇。中性英语倾向于使用更简单、更常见的词。

Informal English, like neutral English, uses simple and common vocabulary.

However, informal English also includes slang, phrasal verbs and colloquial language which are not features of neutral English.

非正式英语和中性英语一样，使用更简单和更常见的词汇。然而，非正式英语还包括俚语、短语动词和口语，这些都不是中性英语的特点。

Informal English is also generally looser.

It uses more general words, and the meaning is understood from the context.

非正式英语也普遍比较不严谨。它使用更一般的词，意思是从上下文中理解的。

Let's look at this in some more detail. We need to verify the data before we proceed.

我们更详细地看一下。在进行之前，我们需要核实数据。

We need to check the data before we continue. We need to check everything before we carry on.

在继续之前，我们需要检查数据。在继续之前，我们需要检查一切。

You can see that the formal sentence uses more literary vocabulary: verify instead of check, and proceed instead of continue.

The neutral sentence uses simple, common words.

你可以看到，正式句子使用了更多文学词汇：验证而不是检查，进行而不是继续。中性句子使用简单、常见的词。

The informal sentence is less precise: instead of saying the "data", we say "everything".

It also uses a phrasal verb: "carry on" instead of "proceed" or "continue".

非正式句子不那么精确：我们不是说“数据”，而是说“一切”。它也使用了一个动词短语：carry on,而不是proceed或continue（都是继续）。

In informal English, it's common to use vocabulary in a less precise way.

For example, you might use words like "stuff" or "things" to refer to specific things.

在非正式英语中，用词不那么精确也是很常见的。

例如，你可以使用诸如“东西”之类的词来指具体的事物。

You wouldn't do this if you were speaking formally.

For example: You are required to collect your belongings and vacate the premises.

如果你是正式说话，就不会这么做了。例如：你被要求把你的所有物收拾在一起并腾出房屋。

You need to take your personal possessions and leave the building.

You need to get your stuff together and get out.

你需要带走你的私人物品并离开大楼。你需要把你的东西带齐然后出去。

Again, you can see more literary vocabulary in the formal sentence (required, collect, belongings, vacate, premises).

On the other hand, the informal sentence uses more basic vocabulary, including multi-part verbs like get… together or get out.

再次，你可以看到更多文学词汇使用在正式句子当中（要求、收拾、所有物、腾空、房屋）。另一方面，非正式句子使用更多基本词汇，包括多部分动词，如“把...收拾在一起”或“出去”。

The informal sentence is also much less precise.

It simply refers to stuff, instead of belongings or possessions.

非正式句子也没那么精确。它只是简单地指东西，而不是所有物或物品。

It also says "get out", without specifying the place (the premises or the building). The neutral sentence is somewhere in between.

它还用了“出去”这个词，但没有指定地点（房屋或建筑）。中性的句子介于两者之间。

In neutral language, you generally choose the simplest word you can.

So, you would say "take" instead of "collect", "leave" instead of "vacate", and so on.

在中性语言中，你通常可以选择最简单的词。所以，你会说“拿”，而不是“收集”，“离开”而不是“腾空”，等等。

You can also see that the informal sentence is much more direct than the other two.

This is an important part of formality in English.

你也可以看到，非正式的句子比其他两个句子更直接。这是英语正式程度的重要组成部分。

Formal language tends to be much more indirect. Formal language often sounds quite impersonal, because it uses fewer personal pronouns like I, you, he, she, etc.

正式英语往往更间接。正式语言往往听起来很非人称的，因为它更少使用人称代词，例如我、你、他、她，等等。

Informal language tends to be more direct and personal.

Informal language can be so direct that it can sound aggressive or rude if you use it in the wrong situations.

非正式语言往往更直接和人称的。非正式语言可以如此直接，如果在错误的情况下使用它，会显得咄咄逼人或粗鲁。

Neutral language is in the middle, similar to other situations that you have seen.

For example: Lessons need to be learnt from the mistakes which were made, formal.

中性语言处于中间，类似于你所见过的其他情况。例如：我们需要从所犯的错误中吸取教训，正式。

I hope you can learn from where you went wrong, neutral.

You made a mess of this and you need to do better next time, informal.

我希望你能从你的错误中吸取教训，中性。你把这件事弄得一团糟，下次你需要做得更好，非正式。

You can see that the formal sentence is impersonal. How does it achieve this?

你可以看到，正式的句子是非人称的。它是如何做到这一点的呢？

First, the formal sentence uses the passive.

This makes it possible to avoid using personal pronouns.

首先，正式句子使用被动句。这使它可以避免使用人称代词。

The other two sentences include the word "you", but the formal sentence doesn't.

This makes it possible to express the idea without mentioning or blaming a specific person, which can be useful in certain situations.

另外两个句子包含了“你”这个词，但正式句子却没有。这样就可以在不提及或谴责某个人的情况下表达这个意思，这在某些情况下是有用的。

The neutral sentence is personal, because it uses "you" to refer to the listener.

However, it's not very direct, and wouldn't generally be considered rude, even in a professional setting.

中性句子是带人称的，因为它使用“你”来指代听者。然而，它不是很直接，而且即使在专业场合也通常不会被认为是粗鲁。

The informal sentence is very direct. If you say this to someone, you're not hiding what you think!

非正式句子非常直接。如果你对某人说这样的话，你就没有隐藏你的想法！

This can be useful if you need to make yourself clear, but it could also sound rude or aggressive. It's not appropriate in all situations.

如果你需要让别人清楚你的想法，这种说法可以，但听起来较粗鲁和咄咄逼人。它并非在所有情况下都合适。

Let's do one more example. Look at three sentences.

我们再举个例子。看三个句子。

Can you tell which is formal, which is neutral, and which is informal?

We won't be able to do anything until we deal with these issues.

你能看出哪个是正式的、哪个是中性的，还有哪个是非正式的吗？除非我们解决了这些问题，不然我们什么也做不了。

We won't be able to get anywhere until you sort this out.

It may be difficult to make progress until these matters are resolved.

除非你解决了这个问题，不然我们将毫无进展。除非这些问题得到解决，不然很难取得进步。

Can you tell which is which? The first sentence is neutral; the second is informal; and the third sentence is formal.

你能区分哪个是哪个吗？第一个句子是中性的；第二个是非正式的；第三个是正式的。

You can see that the formal sentence uses an impersonal structure rather than a personal pronoun (we or you).

Again, this is useful if you want to be respectful and indirect, because it isn't clearly directed at one person.

你可以看到，正式句子使用的是非人称结构，而没有使用人称代词（我们或你）。

同样，如果你想显得尊重和间接，这是有用的，因为它不是明确针对一个人。

The neutral sentence is more personal.

Can you see the important difference between the neutral and informal sentences?

中性句子更加人称化。你能看出中性和非正式句子之间的区别吗？

The neutral sentence uses "we" in both parts, while the informal sentence is more direct: . . . until you sort this out.

The points you've seen so far in this lesson are true for both spoken and written English.

中性句子两部分都使用了“we”（我们），而非正式句子更加直接：...除非你解决了这个问题。

到目前为止，你在本课中所看到的知识点对口语和书面英语都是正确的。

However, there are some features of formality which apply only to written English.

Let's take a look.

然而，有些正式程度的特点只适用于书面英语。我们来看看吧。

In writing, informal language uses contractions like he'll, it'd, or we're. In informal written English, you can also use abbreviations, like btw for by the way, ttyl for talk to you later, etc.

在写作中，非正式语言会使用缩合的形式，例如he'll, it'd, or we're。在非正式的书面英语中，你也可以使用缩写，如btw“顺便”、ttyl“回聊”，等等。

In formal writing, you generally wouldn't use contractions or abbreviations.

In neutral writing, you can use contractions and some abbreviations.

在正式写作中，你一般不会使用缩合或缩写。在中性写作中，你可以使用缩合和一些缩写。

However, some abbreviations, like plz for please, are informal and shouldn't be used if you want to sound neutral.

There are also some abbreviations which are possible in formal English.

但是，像plz“请”这样的缩写是非正式的，如果你想保持中性，就不应该使用。在正式英语中也有一些缩写。

For example, HR for Human Resources would be okay in formal language.

If you want to write something in formal English, and you aren't sure whether an abbreviation is appropriate or not, then it's best to write the full form.

例如，HR（Human Resources）“人力资源”，在正式语言中是可以接受的。如果你想用正式英语写作，而且不确定缩写是否合适，那么最好都写完整的形式。

Let's see some examples: Just for your information, we would like to schedule another meeting in October. (Formal—there are no contractions or abbreviations)

让我们来看些例子。知会一声，我们想在10月再安排一次会议。（正式-没有缩合或缩写）

Just for your information, we'd like to arrange another meeting in October. (neutral—uses contractions, but no informal abbreviations) Just FYI, we'd like to fix up a meeting in Oct. (Informal—with contractions and abbreviations)

知会一声，我们想在10月再安排一次会议。（中性-使用了缩合we’d，但没有使用缩写）知会一声，我们想在10月份安排一次会议。（非正式-使用了缩合和缩写）

Written language is often held to a higher standard than spoken language, so it's important to get the tone right. In particular, don't use language which is too informal.

书面语言通常比口语具有更高的标准，所以正确的语气很重要。特别是，不要使用太非正式的语言。

If you're not sure, aim for a neutral tone. Let's look at one more example:

如果你不确定，就使用中性语气。我们再看一个例子。

Thank you for all the hard work you have done. (Formal—there are no contractions or abbreviations) Thank you for the hard work you've done.

(Neutral—uses contractions, but no informal abbreviations).

谢谢你所做的一切努力。（正式-没有缩合和缩写）谢谢你所做的一切努力。（中性-使用了缩合you’ve，但没有使用缩写）

Thx for everything you've done. (Informal—with contractions and abbreviations)

Hopefully, now you have a good understanding of formality in English, and how to use formal, neutral and informal English.

谢谢你所做的一切努力。（非正式-使用了缩合和缩写）希望现在你对英语的正式程度有很好的理解，并懂得如何使用正式、中性和非正式英语。

Don't forget to check out our website for more free English lessons: OxfordOnlineEnglish. com.

Thanks for watching.

别忘了到我们网站上查看更多免费的英语课程哦：OxfordOnlineEnglish.com.感谢观看。