👔Listening: B2 - Recognizing Levels of Formality
Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Understand what "level of formality" means in spoken English.
- Identify clues that indicate whether speech is formal, neutral, or informal.
- Recognize how vocabulary and grammar change with different levels of formality.
- Better understand the social context and relationship between speakers.
Hello B2 learners! The way people speak English changes depending on the situation, who they are talking to, and their purpose. This is called the level of formality. Recognizing if a situation is formal or informal is a key social skill that helps you understand the context and relationships between speakers.
Clues to Formality
Listeners can identify formality through several clues in a person's speech. Click the cards to learn the most important ones.
Features: Complex sentences, advanced vocabulary, no contractions (e.g., "it is").
Features: Simpler sentences, common words, slang, idioms, and frequent contractions (e.g., "it's," "gonna").
✍️ Interactive Activities
Activity 1: Formal or Informal?
Read the word below. Is it typically used in formal or informal speech?
"We must commence the meeting now."
Activity 2: What's the Level of Formality?
Listen to the three short monologues. Decide if the speech is mostly Formal, Neutral, or Informal.
Listen to the speakers:
Match the speaker to the level of formality:
- Listen to Vocabulary: Are the words complex and sophisticated (formal) or simple and everyday (informal)?
- Notice Contractions: The presence of contractions like "it's," "don't," and "wanna" is a strong sign of informal speech. The absence of contractions often signals formality.
- Consider Sentence Structure: Long, complex sentences are more common in formal speech. Short, simple, or even fragmented sentences are common in informal chat.
- Think About the Context: Always ask, "Who is speaking to whom, and where?" A speech at a conference will be formal; a phone call to a friend will be informal.
Summary: This lesson explored how to recognize different levels of formality in spoken English. By paying attention to clues like vocabulary, grammar, and the use of contractions, you can identify whether a speaker is being formal, neutral, or informal. This skill is crucial for understanding the social context of a conversation and the relationship between the speakers.