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INFORMAL VS. FORMAL LANGUAGE
SAT ESSAY WRITING TRICK #7
You should not use informal language when you speak (or write) at the college level, or in any formal or professional setting.
Informal language includes jargon, slang, and familiar forms
1. Jargon is vocabulary or terminology that is only known to specialists in the field. Unless you are writing for an audience of specialists (say, people who spin fiber into yarn or doctors who specialize in bones)
STAY AWAY FROM JARGON.
For example, unless you are a spinner of wool, you will likely not know what a 'diz' is or what it is used for used for. (If you want to know, a 'diz' is a small hand held tool used by wool spinners. It is usually made of wood, with a round hole in the center. One pulls wool fiber through the diz to form roving; sometimes this is the last step before spinning yarn.)
2. Slang refers to words we use every day in place of more formal language and they ruin our ability to converse formally.
If you have learned most of your English vocabulary from listening to others speak, then slang can be your most serious enemy!
DO NOT USE SLANG!
If you are not sure whether a word is slang: Look it up!
Copyright: 2005 English 4 All, Inc.