4.4: Improving Verbal Communication
- Page ID
- 66563
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)
Formal vs. Informal Language
Formal Language | Informal Language |
---|---|
Used in carefully edited communication. | Used in impromptu, conversational communication. |
Used in academic or official content. | Used in everyday communication. |
The sentence structure is long and complicated. | The sentence structure is short, choppy, and improvised. |
The emphasis is on grammatical correctness. | The emphasis is on easily understood messages using everyday phrases. |
Uses the passive voice. | Uses the active voice. |
Often communicated from a detached, third person perspective. | Perspective is less of a problem (1st, 2nd or 3rd). |
Speakers/writers avoid the use of contractions. | Speakers/writers can actively include contractions. |
Avoid the inclusion of emotionally laden ideas and words. | It allows for the inclusion of emotions and empathy. |
Language should be objective. | Language can be subjective. |
Language should avoid the use of colloquialisms. | It’s perfectly appropriate to use colloquialisms. |
Only use an acronym after it has clearly been spelled out once. | People use acronyms without always clearly spelling out what it means. |
All sentences should be complete (clear subjects and verbs). | Sentences may be incomplete (lacking a clear subject and/or verb). |
The use of pronouns should be avoided. | The use of personal pronouns is common. |
Avoids artistic languages as much as possible. | Includes a range of artistic language choices (e.g., alliteration, anaphora, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, etc.). |
Arguments are supported by facts and documented research. | Arguments are supported by personal beliefs and opinions. |
Language is gender neutral. | Language includes gender references. |
Avoids the imperative voice. | Uses the imperative voice. |
Formal Language
Informal Language
Jargon
Colloquialisms
Slang
Idioms
ish | About. I’ll meet you at 4ish. |
a basket case | A wreck. He was a basket case after he was thrown off the basketball team. |
a breath of fresh air | Refreshing/fun. She’s a breath of fresh air. |
a change of heart | Change my mind. I’ve had a change of heart. |
a blessing in disguise | Something bad that turns out good. Losing his job turned out to be a blessing in disguise. |
a dead end | That’s a dead end job–time to find a new one. |
a gut feeling | Feeling in my stomach. I have a gut feeling that everything is going to turn out all right. |
a matter of opinion | It’s a matter of opinion whether eating fried tarantulas is a gourmet treat. |
a piece of cake | That test was a snap–it was a piece of cake. (easy). |
a ripoff | You spent $500 for a watermelon! What a ripoff! You were cheated. |
a pain in the neck | A pest. His little brother is a real pain in the neck. |
be in hot water | Be in trouble. If you tell your boss off, you’ll really be in hot water. |
in the same boat | We’re in the same situation. We’re all in the same boat–so be cool. |
on the same wavelength | We have the same ideas and opinions. We’re on the same wavelength. |
be on the ball | Very sharp. Very smart. He’s really on the ball. |
it’s only a matter of time | Very soon. It’s only a matter of time until his boss realizes that he is the one stealing money from the till. |
be that as it may | As things stand. Be that as it may, I think you should reconsider your decision to move to Antarctica. |
up in arms | Really angry. His father was up in arms when he learned that he had crashed his new car. |
up in the air | Not sure. Plans are up in the air–we haven’t decided what to do yet. |
bend over backwards | Go out of your way. She really bent over backwards to make my stay enjoyable. |
Big deal! | Not important (sarcastic). Losing an old sock is not a big deal. |
cost an arm and a leg | Very expensive. His new Ferrari cost an arm and a leg. |
cross your fingers | For good luck. Cross your fingers that I pass the English exam with flying colors. |
draw a blank | I can’t remember. I drew a blank when I tried to remember his brother’s name. |
Easier said than done | More difficult than it seems. |
Am fed up with | Sick and tired of something. I’m fed up with whining friends who have everything! |
from scratch | Make from basic ingredients. Her carrot cake was made from scratch. |
for the time being | For now. For the time being, everything is fine at work. |
get cold feet | Feel too scared to do something. John wanted to ask Maria out but he got cold feet and decided not to. |
get out of the wrong side of the bed | In a bad mood. He must have gotten up out of the wrong side of the bed today. |
get the picture | Understand. Do you get the picture? |
get your act together | Get organized/stop wasting time. You better get your act together or you’re going to fail all your classes. |
give it a shot | Try. Why not try bungee jumping. Give it a shot. |
give him a piece of your mind | Get angry and tell someone off. If I were you I would give him a piece of your mind. |
give him the cold shoulder | Ignore someone. Brett walked right past me without saying a word. He gave me the cold shoulder. |
go all out | Do your utmost for someone or something. His parents went all out for his graduation party. |
go downhill | Get worse. After he got divorced, everything went downhill. |
go up in smoke | Evaporate/disappear. His dreams of being a professional athlete went up in smoke when he broke his leg. |
have a chip on your shoulder | I think you are great. He has such a chip on his shoulder that he hardly ever relates to anyone. |
had it up to here | Can’t take any more. I’ve had it up to here with noisy students! |
mixed feelings | Positive and negative feelings together. I have very mixed feelings about her marrying a fisherman. |
second thoughts | Thinking again about a decision. I’m having second thoughts about trekking in Greenland this summer. |
throw a fit | Get really angry. His mother threw a fit when she heard that he lost her iPhone. |
I’m all ears | To listen intently. Tell me about your wedding plans–I’m all ears. |
in the bag | Certain. His new job is in the bag. He signed the contract. |
in the middle of nowhere | Way out in the country. Their ski chalet is in the middle of nowhere. |
Just my luck! | Bad luck. Just my luck to lose the winning lottery ticket. |
keep an eye on | Watch carefully. Will you keep an eye on my nephew while I walk the dog? |
bear in mind | Keep it in mind. Bear in mind, learning a new language isn’t as easy as it seems. |
learn by heart | Memorize. You have to learn irregular verbs by heart. |
let the cat out of the bag | Spill the beans. Tell a secret. Don’t let the cat out of the bag. Keep his surprise birthday party a secret. |
make my day | Make my day great. The guy I have a crush on finally called me. He made my day. |
miss the point | Don’t understand the basic meaning. You are missing the point entirely. |
no way | Impossible. You got all A’s on your exams and you never studied. No way! |
don’t have a clue | I have no idea. I don’t have a clue what the professor was talking about. |
don’t have the faintest idea | Don’t understand. I don’t have the faintest idea of what that article was talking about. |
off the top of my head | Without thinking. Off the top of my head, I think it’s worth $6 million. |
on the dot | Ontime. He arrived at 6 o’clock on the dot. |
out of sight, out of mind | You forget someone you don’t see anymore. |
out of the blue | Suddenly. Guess who called me out of the blue? |
play it by ear | Make no plans–do things spontaneously. Let’s just play it by ear tonight and see what comes up. |
pull someone’s leg | Kid someone. Stop pulling my leg. I know you are kidding! |
red tape | Bureaucracy. It’s almost impossible to set up a business in Greece because there is so much red tape. |
read between the lines | Understand what is not stated. If you read between the lines, you’ll realize that he is trying to dump you. |
safe and sound | Fine. The Boy Scouts returned safe and sound from their camping adventure in Yellowstone National Park. |
see eye to eye | Agree. He doesn’t see eye to eye with his parents at all. |
sour grapes | Pretend to not want something that you are desperate for. It’s just sour grapes that he is criticizing George’s villa in Italy. |
slipped my mind | Forgot. I meant to call you last night, but it slipped my mind. |
small talk | Chitchat. It’s important to be able to make small talk when you meet new people for the first time. |
talk shop | Talk about work. What a boring evening! Everyone talked shop- and they’re all dog walkers! |
the icing on the cake | Something that makes a good thing great. And the icing on the cake was that the movie for which he earned $12 million, also won the Oscar for best picture. |
the last straw | The thing that ruins everything. When my boss asked me to cancel my wedding to complete a project–I said that’s the last straw and I quit! |
time flies | Time goes fast. Time flies when you are having fun. |
you can say that again | You agree emphatically. Kanye West is a great singer. You can say that again! |
you name it | Everything you can think of. This camp has every activity you can think it–like swimming, canoeing, basketball and you name it. |
wouldn’t be caught dead | Not even dead would I do something. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that dress to the ball. |
she’s a doll | Someone really great. Thanks for helping me out. You’re a doll. |
full of beans | Lively–usually for a child. Little children are usually full of beans. |
full of baloney | Not true. She’s full of baloney–she doesn’t know what she is talking about. |
like two peas in a pod | Very similar. His two brothers are like peas in a pod. |
a piece of cake | Very easy. My math test was so easy–a real piece of cake. |
sounds fishy | Suspicious. Doubling your money in an hour sounds fishy to me. |
a frog in my throat | I can’t speak clearly. Ahem! Sorry I had a frog in my throat. |
smell a rat | Something is suspicious. The policeman didn’t believe the witness–in fact, he smelled a rat. |
go to the dogs | Go downhill. Everything is going to the dogs in our town since the new mayor took office. |
cat got your tongue | Silent for no reason. What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? |
for the birds | Awful. How was the new Batman movie? Oh, it was for the birds. |
pay through the nose | Pay lots of money. They paid through the nose to hold their wedding at Buckingham Palace. |
tongue in cheek | Being ironic. I meant that tongue in cheek. I was kidding. |
all thumbs | Clumsy. He couldn’t put that simple table together–he’s just all thumbs. |
get off my back | Leave me alone. Bug off! Get off my back! |
drive me up a wall | Drive me crazy. Rude people drive me up a wall. |
spill the beans | Tell a secret. Hey, don’t spill the beans. It’s a secret. |
hit the ceiling | Blow up. His dad hit the ceiling when he saw his dreadful report card. |
go fly a kite | Get lost! Oh, leave me alone! Go fly a kite! |
dressed to kill | Dressed in fancy clothes. Cinderella was dressed to kill when she arrived at the ball. |
in stitches | Laughing a lot. We were all in stitches when we heard the latest joke. |
feel like a million dollars | Feel great. I just slept for 15 hours–I feel like a million dollars. |
at the end of my rope | Can’t stand it anymore. The mother of four little children is at the end of her rope. |
my head is killing me | Something hurts. My head is killing me–I should take an aspirin. |
that’s out of the question | Impossible. Me? Stand up and sing and dance in front of the whole school–out of the question! |
I’m beat | Very tired. |
It’ll knock your socks off! | Thrills you. You’ll love this summer’s action movie. It’ll knock your socks off. |
beats me | Don’t know. What’s the capital of Outer Mongolia? Beats me! |
hands down | No comparison. Hands down Mykonos is the world’s most beautiful island. |
goody-goody | Behaves perfectly. I can’t stand Matilda–she’s such a goody-goody and no fun at all. |
pain in the neck | A big problem. Washing dishes is a pain in the neck. |
like pulling teeth | Very difficult. Trying to get 2-year-olds to cooperate is like pulling teeth. |
for crying out loud | Oh no! For crying out loud–let me finish this book–will you? |
I’m at my wit’s end | I’m desperate. I’m at my wit’s end trying to deal with two impossible bosses. |
like beating a dead horse | A waste of time. Trying to get my father to ever change his mind is like beating a dead horse. |
out of this world | Fantastic! My vacation to Hawaii was out of this world! |
cost an arm and a leg | Very expensive. A Rolls Royce costs an arm and a leg. |
go figure | Try to guess why. Our English teacher gives us five tests a week and this week– no tests at all. Go figure. |
in the nick of time | Just in time. The hero arrived in the nick of time to save the desperate damsel. |
I’m up to my eyeballs in | Very busy. I’m up to my eyeballs in work this week. |
I had a blast/a ball | A great time. I had a blast/ball at Sandy’s slumber party. |
win-win situation | Both sides win. Selling their old stock of iPhones 10s was a win-win situation. They got rid of the useless phones, and we bought them really cheaply. |
I’m swamped | Very busy. Let’s get together next week–this week I’m swamped. |
It’s a steal | Fantastic bargain. Getting a new computer for $300 dollars is a steal. |
the sticks | Way out in the country. Who would want to live in the sticks–what would you do for excitement? |
break the ice | Start a conversation. Talking about the weather is a good way to break the ice when you meet someone new. |
give me a break | Leave me alone! Come on! Give me a break! I’ve been working all day longand I just want to play a little bit of Angry Birds… |
like talking to the wall | A waste of time. Dealing with many teenagers is like talking to a wall–they won’t even respond to your questions. |
see eye to eye | Agree. I hardly ever see eye to eye with my parents. |
It’s about time | It’s time. It’s about time you started your homework–it’s midnight! |
pays peanuts | Pays hardly anything. This job pays peanuts–$1 an hour! |
sleep like a log | Sleep soundly. Last night I slept like a log and didn’t hear the thunderstorm at all. |
ace | Do great. I aced the math test. I got 100%. |
easy as pie | Super easy. The English test was as easy as pie. |
blabbermouth | Someone who tells secrets. Don’t tell Sophie your secrets or the whole town will know them. |
don’t bug me | Don’t bother me. Don’t bug me–I’m busy. |
by the skin of my teeth | Barely manage something. I passed the geography test by the skin of my teeth. |
can’t make head nor tail of | I can’t understand. I can’t make head nor tail of this math chapter. |
cool as a cucumber | Very calm. The policeman was cool as a cucumber when he persuaded the man not to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. |