A-What is register? Our use of language changes according to the situation that we are in. If your close friend hosts a party, you could say, ‘Thanks for the party. It was a blast.’ (very informal) However, if your boss was the host, you would probably say, ‘Thanks for the party. I really enjoyed it.’ (neutral) In this example, neutral and very informal are both examples of register. The register of most language is neutral (it can be used in any situation). However, register can also be formal, informal, characteristic of a certain professional field (e.g. legal, journalistic or media) or specific to official notices and forms. Our choice of register depends on what we are talking about (business, the news, the neighbours), who we are talking to (friends, strangers, figures of authority) and how we are talking to them (in a letter, in an email, in public, in private). Study the table below and notice how different words and phrases are used to describe the same situation.
Be careful not to think of formal language as written and informal language as spoken. There is a lot of overlap. For example, markedly formal language is most typical of official or academic writing and official legal or bureaucratic speech. Informal language is typical of conversation, personal letters and emails, messages on social media and some journalism.
B-Formal versus neutral collocations
C-Informal versus neutral collocations -That film was totally awesome! (mainly used by teenagers, predominantly US) [neutral equivalent: absolutely amazing/fantastic] -That party was well good! (Well used to mean ‘very’/‘really’, mainly by younger UK speakers.) -I haven’t a clue / the foggiest idea what you mean. [neutral equivalent: I have no idea] -We can grab a snack before the meeting if you’re hungry. [neutral equivalent: have a snack] Tip
Make a note in your notebook if a collocation is very formal or informal in register
-English Collocations in Use, Advanced