Unit_2

Unit 2

PART

Ⅱ

FOCUS

Style

Formal and general

Suggested answer to the question

The second sentence sounds more natural because of the use of general words such as

finish and agreement.

Colloquial and slang

Suggested answers to the questions

The grotesqueness of this sentence lies in the incongruity of style. The word bomb is a

slang

expression

that

is

too

casual

to

go

with

the

subject,

and

the

sentence

can

be

revised into:

The violin virtuoso

’

s performance on the cello was a big failure.

Now, ask students to revise the short paragraph, using what they have learned.

The author has

made a lifetime

’

s study of film

history, and the knowledge she

has accumulated is tempered by a fine sense of judgment. She devotes a whole

chapter

to

an

analysis

of

horror

films.

These

films,

according

to

her,

do

much

more than just frighten us; they enable us to forget our worries.

Style and audience

Suggested answers to the questions

1.

The

expected

reader

of

Excerpt

1

is

a

pal

or

intimate

friend

of

the

writer.

The

expected

reader

of

the

second

one,

comparatively,

is

an

acquaintance,

business

associate, or even a superior who cannot be intimate with the writer.

2.

In

the

first

note,

the

language

is

colloquial.

First,

there

are

several

colloquial

words,

such

as

“

< br>great

”

and

“

want

”

.

Then,

there

is

a

contraction

in

this

excerpt,

i.e.

“

Sat.

”

. Finally, there are some colloquial expressions, such as

“

next time when we go

to Borders

”

and

“

See you soon

”

.

In the second one, however, the language stands somewhere between formal and

informal but more on the formal side. First, compared with the first excerpt, there is

no

colloquial

word

like

“

great

”

.

Then,

the

organization

of

sentence

is

more

complicated. For example, the second sentence in this excerpt is a complex sentence.

Third,

the

tone

is

more

polite

than

the

first

excerpt.

When

the

writer

expresses

his

intention of asking the addressee to have a discussion with him, he uses

“I

wonder if it

possible for us to

…”

. This expression sounds more indirect and thus more polite.

Reference for the Classroom Activities

1.

Natural style:

If there is an accident or incident that may be covered by this policy, notify us in

writing

as

soon

as

possible.

You

can

give

this

notice

to

any

of

our

authorized

agents

2.

a. The general manager asked you to wait for a second.

b. When Macbeth recoiled at the thought of murder, Lady Macbeth urged him not

to withdraw.

c. I asked him to stop his misconduct.

3.

Excerpt 1

I think your proposal to Smith and Sons is great. If we get the contract,

I owe

you a lunch! I

’

ve marked a couple of places where we could cover ourselves on the

schedule. See what you think.

Excerpt 2

I think your proposal to Smith and Sons is excellent. I have marked a couple of

places

for

your

consideration

where

we

could

ensure

that

we

are

not

committing

ourselves to schedule we might not be keep. If I can help in any other way, please let

me know.

Excerpt 3

The

Smith

and

Sons

’

proposal

appears

complete

and

thorough

based

on

our

department

’

s evaluation. Several small revisions, however, would ensure that Acme is

not committing itself to an unrealistic schedule. These are marked on the copy of the

report being circulated.

a.

The first excerpt is colloquial. There are some colloquial words, such as

“

great

”

,

“

get

”

, a contraction

“I’

ve

”

, and a slang

“

See what you think

”

.

The

second

excerpt

is

relatively

formal,

compared

with

the

first

one.

There

is

neither contraction nor slang expressions. The words like

“