What's the difference between written English and spoken English?

Written language refers to English used in writing, which requires standardization, formalization and even grammaticalization, and is widely used in letters, documents, archives, books and documents. Spoken language, as its name implies, is the language people use in communication. It requires the speaker to be clear and coherent, to convey information accurately and effectively, to use stress, rhythm and intonation appropriately, and not to require much grammar, and to express it in concise short sentences as much as possible. The following comes from etiquette; Grammar, punctuation and sentence structure; Communication compares spoken and written language in three aspects.

Second, the comparison between spoken and written language.

(1) Etiquette

First of all, written language is more formal than spoken language, and written language pays more attention to literary talent. However, if you use those words full of literary grace in written language or sentences expressing the artistic quality of language in daily communication, it will appear that the speaker is clumsy or deliberately distanced from others. For example, we always use "Hello!" When we meet every day. "How are you?" Even if strangers meet for the first time, they will only say "how are you?" But if you ask a formal question, "How have you been recently?" It will appear stiff and dull. Usually, if a person speaks as formally as he writes, people usually think that he is indifferent or even arrogant.

(2) Grammar, punctuation and sentence structure

In written language, the author should not only express his meaning clearly, but also pay attention to the overall structure of the article and the grammar of each sentence. If a person uses the wrong grammar in an article, it means that the article is a complete failure. Spoken and written languages are different in grammatical structure. Speaking doesn't have to follow grammar, as long as both sides can communicate effectively. Because the listener has questions, he can ask the speaker immediately, and the speaker can know the other person's reaction from the listener's body language and expression. The written language is different. Because the readers are far away or unknown, grammar and sentence organization are more rigorous to avoid misinformation.

The spoken sentence structure is short and loose, the written language can be long or short, and the sentence organization structure can be complex and simple, but it must be rigorous. Sentences in English business letters tend to be concise, while legal and news articles are long and complicated, because long sentences can effectively express more content and information.

The following are the ten most commonly used verbs in spoken English.

Ten verbs, namely, bring, come, do, get, give, go, make, let go, run and take, are all polysemous words. Please look it up. The explanation of each verb takes up at least two pages in the dictionary. If you watch dialogues in English movies, you will find that the above verbs appear frequently in dialogues, so you should use simple English vocabulary.

In addition, phrasal verbs are commonly used in spoken English. Phrasal verbs consist of verbs plus prepositions or verbs plus adverbial auxiliaries. Such as bringing, coming, doing, getting, giving, going, making, releasing, running, taking, turning, throwing, tearing, standing, sending, helping, etc. Lift (verb)+with (preposition/particle) to endure concession, surrender and show off.

In spoken English, phrasal verbs are often used to replace single verbs that are synonymous with them. For example: endure (spoken language), tolerate (written language), endure submission (spoken language), surrender (written language), accumulate (written language), accumulate in (spoken language), enter (written language), blow up (spoken language), and break out (written language).

In addition, spoken English has its own unique characteristics:

(1) loose sentences, such as: Are you crazy? I can't leave these men for a child! They're dying-dreaming of them. Find a woman to help you. (2) Incomplete sentences, such as: Oh no! If business is good, it won't happen. But if things go wrong for a long time, young people may become eccentric. (3) Repetition, such as: I also feel like crying! But we don't have time! Come on, girls, we'll be late for the theater! Come on, girls. (4) Use fill-in-the-blank words. There are many fill-in-the-blank words in English, such as well, you see, you know, I mean, maybe, and so on. And there are some voices that fill in the blanks, such as er, mm, etc. These words and sound symbols not only reflect the continuity of the speaker's sentence, but also give the speaker time to think. (5) With the help of nonverbal situations, that is, the speaker sometimes uses the surrounding environment without giving a detailed explanation, but only uses it and that instead. In addition, you can also use your body language to express your feelings and convey information.

(3) communication

Written language can only be expressed in words, so if the other party wants to clearly understand the author's intention, it requires the author's article to be clear-headed, coherent and standardized. Otherwise, sometimes the mistake of just one letter or word will bring a thousand miles gap in meaning, which is called a missed opportunity. Just like the simplest locative prepositions in and on in English, we say that Japan lies in the east of China.

However, if it is wrongly written that Japan is in the east of China, it may lead to disputes over sovereignty between the two countries! Oral expressions are more varied, besides words, they can also be accompanied by pronunciation, intonation, even facial expressions and body language. For example, when we express "fear", we can only write "fright" or "fear" in written language. To express the degree of fear, we should match long paragraphs with many complicated adjectives and verbs. But in oral English, the artistic conception is completely conveyed with trembling voice, frightened expression and helpless eyes!

Three. conclusion

To sum up, through the comparison between spoken and written language, we can see the significant differences between them: spoken language expresses its meaning with the help of pronunciation and intonation, and the two communicating parties appear face to face on the same occasion, and most of them happen at the right time; The written language relies on written symbols, and the addressee is not present at the same time, or the addressee is not very clear. It was carefully selected and organized in sufficient time. Recognizing the difference between spoken and written English is the basis for us to really learn and use English well.