研究生英语写作1 diction&sentence

2.2 Slang. Slang is used to establish or reinforce identity within a group--- urban teenager, rock musicians, or computer users.
2.3 nonstandard diction. Nonstandard diction refers to words and expressions not generally considered a part of standard English, such as ain’t, nohow, hisself, etc.
1. Formal diction
…is grammatically correct and uses words familiar to the educated audience. The author who uses the formal diction often maintains emotional distance from the audience by using impersonal words like one rather than you and I. In addition, the tone of the writing is dignified and objective.
One of the differences between some of these verbs is that some of them can have an item inserted before the preposition: he ran down the man - he ran the man down he took on the challenge - he took the challenge on the fire set back their plans - the fire set their plans back In contrast, other verbs cannot have an item inserted before the preposition. ask for a number ? ask a number for believe in a theory ? believe a theory in part with a lot of money ? part a lot of money with Multi-word verbs are very common in spoken English as they are less formal than single verbs. In contrast, single verbs can sometimes sound quite pompous in everyday speech. Compare: I asked for another appointment. I requested another appointment.

Task Replace the informal verbs in italics with more formal verbs. The business was built up over a number of years. Smith (1991) found out that the bank had surprising rules when it came to new customers. Their request for further funding was turned down. The situation was made worse by the high levels of lead in the sample. They have been asked to come up with a solution to the problem. The research team forget to check the acid levels. The team said that there figures were accurate. Dr Liu will meet with a lot of opposition when she makes her proposal.

Task Use the verbs below to complete the sentences. Remember to change the verb into the correct tense. postpone establish fluctuate investigate reduce deceive maintain acquire
He went down with a fever.The cost of living went up.
More formal
He investigated his accountant. They tolerated their neighbours. She understood very quickly. She compensated for it with an early night. He contracted a fever. The cost of living increased


The research team tried to find out the truth. The project managed to get hold of a new scanner. His discovery enabled school heads to cut down on the time lost between classes. When the team looked looking into the problem, they found that it was much more complex than they had first thought. The levels go up and down as a result of the pressure changes. The government put off a decision until they had heard the report. The inspector was taken in by the apparent calm in the building. The solicitor made out that Fra Baidu bibliotekis client was unfairly accused.
Diction and Sentence Variety
Diction:用语；措辞
Choosing an Appropriate Level of Diction
Diction, which come from the Latin word for “say”, refers to the choice and use of words. Different audiences and different situations calls for different level of diction.
Now compare these pairs of verbs: Informal He checked up on his accountant.


They put up with their neighbours. She caught on very quickly. She made up for it with an early night.
2.1. Colloquial diction: contractions like “I’m” “isn’t”; clipped form like “phone, TV, dorm”; placeholders like “kind of ”; utility words like nice for acceptable, funny for odd, and great for almost anything.
Writing in a formal style
Essays are formal entities, and the language we use should reflect that. The style of an academic essay should be appropriate and consistent. This is very different from an informal piece of writing. When we speak, or write informally, we often use multiword verbs but this is not appropriate in formal writing. Here are some examples of multi-word verbs: call up; call off; give in; catch on; turn up; set up find out; live down; bring up; look up; take in (deceive); call on (visit)look at; go into (a problem) come by (a book); ask for; believe in; care for; deal with; long for; object to; part with


Notes on the Task The research team tried to establish the truth. The project managed to acquire a new scanner. His discovery enabled school heads to reduce the time lost between classes. When the team looked investigated the problem, they found that it was much more complex than they had first thought. The levels fluctuate as a result of the pressure changes. The government postponed a decision until they had heard the report. The inspector was deceived by the apparent calm in the building. The solicitor maintained that his client was unfairly accused.
In formal writing, we use single verbs. This is an important element in achieving the correct style in academic writing. An essay with good ideas might well be marked down if the style is inappropriately informal.
2. Informal diction
… is the language that people use in conversation and personal letters and informal emails. You should use informal diction in you college writing only to reproduce speech or dialect or to give a paper a conversational tone.