Language Focus: Register
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 452.
It as preparatory object
As well as replacing a subject, it may replace the object, for similar reasons.
Underline the clause in each sentence which it refers to. Then rewrite each sentence without using it You will need to change the structures used in two of the clauses.
1 I find it enjoyable working here.
2 Parents may consider it easier to give in to their children's demands.
3 We owe it to him that the campaign has been a success.
4) Introductory it can be replaced by other structures which may change the focus of the sentence without changing the meaning.
Look at the way the following sentences have been rewritten. Underline the words that have been changed or added.
1 It is the responsibility of parents to monitor what young children watch on TV.
Monitoring what young children watch on TV is the responsibility of parents.
Parents are responsible for monitoring what young children watch on TV.
2 It would be a good idea to introduce a code of advertisingpractice.
To introduce a code of advertising practice would be a good idea.
The introduction of a code of advertising practice would be a good idea.
3 I find it amazing that he won.
I find the fact that he won amazing.
I find his victory amazing.
| Ø Grammar reference p. 214 |
In the Proficiency exam you will be expected to deal with spoken and written texts in a variety of registers, and to use appropriate registers in the different Writing tasks.
1) Read the introduction to a magazine article about the fashion designer Stella McCartney, then answer the question below.
| Stella McCartney is the daughter of Paul McCartney of the famous pop group, the Beatles. She studies fashion design and after her graduation in 1995 she was almost immediately made head of a Paris fashion house at the young age of 25. Some felt that this rapid success was due in part to the influence of her father. But in fashion, talent is more important than influence. |
Do you think the article will be mainly about
a) Stella's relationship with her father?
b) her career as a fashion designer?
c) something else?
2) Read the two texts A and B below, and discuss the following questions.
1 What information do the texts give you about Stella McCartney?
2 Which text is more like spoken English? Which is more like written English? What features helped you decide?
3 Why do you think the writer used direct quotations in text A and not in text B?
A
| Despite the fame, it's the most normal family I know and it's close – we all love each other so much and get on so well. My parents have always told me I was great. At the weekend I was down in the country at their place baking cookies and I was a bit stressed out about work and dad came up to me and said ‘Stella, just stop for a minute and look at me and remember you are a lovely girl.' My dad's so funny – he'll say, ‘So, Stella, I think it's kilts with tassels this season, what do you reckon?' Oh dear, I wish I hadn't told you about that – I want to hold back my private live. What's funny is that in his interviews people have started asking him about me. The first time I realized that my dad was incredibly famous was when he performed a concert in Rio in front of 20,000 people. Suddenly it dawned on me. Actually, my dad is the coolest dude alive. |
B
| Her 1995 graduation show featured top models Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, while other students were Relying on friends to model. Although this made her unpopular, she is unrepentant. Somewhere in this irresistibly photogenic young woman is the talent of a modest, diligent worker who asks that we swallow our vague sense of injustice and look at how eagerly she has beavered, how hard she has tried. She was the only student at college to use a thimble because, dissatisfied with the tuition in tailoring, she enrolled for evening lessons with an old Savile Row* friend of her father's. The dedicated work ethic is partly explained by a fear of being dismissed as a rich girl dilettante. Partly, too, it is the influence of parents who made it clear from the start that their children would be expected to make their own way. And finally it is the knowledge, boldly stated, that genius alone would never be enough. |
* Savile Row: London Street famous for its expensive tailor's shops.
3) Most written English texts, especially newspaper and magazine articles, are neither very formal nor very informal in style, but somewhere in between. The degree of formality depends on the target reader; the reason for writing, and the type of publication.
Look at the table of features that distinguish formal and informal written English.
1 Complete the table by adding the following information in the appropriate place.
- use of inversion for emphasis, e.g. Should you need further information…
- personal tone with use of first person
- may not be clearly or logically organized
- impersonal tone, avoidance of first person use of active verbs
- full forms used, e.g. It is, does not
- repetition of individual words, e.g. it was really really hot
2 Underline examples in texts A and B.
| Feature | Informal | Formal |
| 1 Choice of vocabulary | colloquial and slang expressions phrasal verbs | Formal expressions; one-word verbs of Latin origin; abstract nouns |
| 2 Tone | (1) ………………………… | (2) ………………………… |
| 3 Personal/impersonal structures | (3) ………………………… | use of passive and impersonal constructions, e.g. Its is said that... |
| 4 Contractions/full forms | contractions used It's, doesn't | (4) ………………………… |
| 5 Sentence patterns | short sentences or long sentences with several main clauses joined by and or but | complex sentences with subordinating conjunctions, e.g. although; use of participle clauses |
| 6 Emphatic structures | Use of cleft, e.g. What's odd is that he actually came. | (5) ………………………… |
| 7 Punctuation | use of dashes and exclamation marks for emphasis; use of commas to link clauses where conjunctions are normally needed | correct use of commas, use of semi-colons; use of parentheses or dashes for explanatory insertions |
| 8 Coherence and cohesion | (6) ………………………… | clear organization sign-posted by linking words; repetition of or rephrasing of vocabulary items throughout a text (lexical cohesion) |
| 9 Stylistic devices | (7) ………………………… | deliberate repetition of structure rhetorical questions |
4)
1 Read text A again. Think of an alternative for each colloquial word or expression you underlined. For example:
Stressed out – worried
2 Rewrite the text in a more formal written style. Use the following framework to guide you.
| Despite being so … , my family is as normal as any other. We are … and … . My parents have always made me feel … . One weekend, … them in the country. I was feeling … . Then, while I … , my father tried to … , telling me … . It is interesting that my father is now being asked … . It was not until I … that I realized … . |
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