Questions tagged [formality]
This tag is for questions about formal (versus informal) words and usage. The question must identify a particular concern about the formality of the word or phrase at issue, and specify the target context or audience.
902
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Formal written form for a 2x something? [closed]
In a sentence where I want to say a title or position that has been awarded twice, how do I phrase it? For instance "He was a 2x runner-up for the Champion title", would it be "two time&...
- 29
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1
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Use of generic "one" without having to revel the gender
I want to say the following:
The more one knows about a subject, the more one realizes how little he knows about it.
I want to make it formal and general, thus my use of "one" instead of &...
- 404
2
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2
answers
150
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What did Tolkien apparently have against commas?
While reading his books in English for the first time a while back, I was shocked by how ultra-concise the language was in the original language. Perhaps the most frustrating part was his extremely ...
3
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1
answer
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What are the differences between to sweet-talk, smooth-talk- butter up, suck up to, cajole, coax, wheedle, inveigle, beguile, and get round someone? [closed]
Are there any differences between the verbs sweet-talk, smooth-talk, butter up, suck up to, cajole, coax, wheedle, inveigle, beguile, and get round someone ?
I am aware that this question is very long,...
- 41
5
votes
2
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275
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Grammatical, stylistic and vocabulary features that distinguish written dialects?
Apart from pronunciation differences in the spoken language, I'm curious what common language features are found in the prestige dialects of English in different countries.
Prestige language is ...
- 212
6
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3
answers
779
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Correct Choice of First Vowel in Words Such as "Regret" and "Return"
Is it acceptable in formal American English to pronounce the first vowel in
regret, realize, and return with /ɛ/ as in DRESS¹, as opposed to with /i/ as in FLEECE²?
DRESS /ɛ/: the open-mid front ...
- 61
0
votes
2
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94
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Question about the semantic usage of "let" in more formal language [duplicate]
I wanted to ask about the word "let" and it's usage in more formal language like in mathematics.I understand the implied meaning "let x be a human" is intended to declare x to be a ...
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22
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2
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3
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Do the words 'Where' and 'Wherever' mean the same in this sentence?
I'm reading a sentence of Intellectual Property law and I've found this:
[Where] other Acts related to intellectual property are enacted or amended, they shall satisfy the objectives and basic ...
- 61
1
vote
0
answers
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Is the phrase: "...obtained bipartisan political support for the project" redundant?
It appears that bipartisan does not solely refer to political parties, rather just support by two parties. However, would adding political after the phrase be redundant in nature, or more descriptive?
1
vote
1
answer
173
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Differences in meaning and formality of "when/if + verb(ing)" and "when/if + one + verb(s)"
I searched but couldn't find an answer because I don't know the relevant grammatical terms, unfortunately. Sorry if it has already been answered.
I am wondering about the difference between the two ...
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0
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When is a genus name without an initial capital letter acceptable in formal (but not necessarily in a scientific context) English? [duplicate]
In biology, the scientific name of a species (known as the "binomial name" or just the "binomial" or sometimes even just the "binomen") is written as a pair of words in ...
1
vote
1
answer
429
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Mother tongue vs vernacular
Having been a non- native speaker, several times I had been asked to write my name IN VERNACULAR or IN MOTHER TONGUE during my college days. I couldn't tell apart the subtle difference and thought of ...
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-1
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1
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"Don't have a second email address?" VS "Do you not have a second email address?" [closed]
As a section heading we can have either:
OPTION 1:
Tip: Don't have a second email address?
That's OK, you can create a new one here.
OPTION 2:
Tip: Do you not have a second email address?
That's OK, ...
- 191
0
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3
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187
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Can I use "quickly" to politely ask for preliminary information?
When, e.g., I receive a job opportunity which might or might not match my requirements, I often find myself responding with
"... Thank you for bringing this role to my attention. Before we
...
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