Greetings! My name is Gina Mares, and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to this Oxford Online English video lesson.
大家好！我叫吉娜·馬雷斯。我想藉此機會歡迎大家來到牛津在線英語視頻課程。
Hello! My name's Gina.
大家好！我叫吉娜。
Welcome to the class. Hey guys!
歡迎來上課。大家好！
Gina here. Let's get started!
我是吉娜。我們開始吧！
What's going on here? Why am I welcoming you three times?
這是怎麼回事？為什麼我要歡迎大家三次？
In this lesson, you can learn about formal and informal English.
You'll learn how to recognise and use formal and informal styles in your spoken and written English.
在這節課中，你可以學習正式和非正式英語。你將學會如何在你的口語和書面英語中識別和使用正式和非正式英語的風格。
Look at three sentences: Could I disturb you for a minute? Can I ask you something?
來看三個句子：我可以打擾你一下嗎？我可以問你個問題嗎？
You got a sec? All of these sentences have the same basic meaning——I want to talk to you and ask you about something.
你有時間嗎？所有這些句子都有相同的基本含義——我想和你談談，問你一些問題。
However, the tone is different. Can you see how?
但是，語氣不同。你能看出來嗎？
These three sentences show three levels of formality.
The first sentence is formal; it shows politeness, respect and distance.
這三個句子表現了正式程度的三個層次。第一個句子是正式的；它展示了禮貌，尊重和距離。
The second sentence is neutral; it does not have a formal or informal tone. The third sentence is informal; it shows that you and the person you are speaking to are familiar with each other, and you don't need to make an effort to be polite or respectful.
第二個句子是中性的；它沒有正式或非正式的語氣。第三個句子是非正式的；它表明你和你交談的人彼此熟悉，你不需要努力表現得禮貌和尊重對方。
Actually, there are more than three levels of formality. For example: Might I ask you something?
事實上，正式的程度不止有三個層次。例如：我能問你個問題嗎？
May I take a moment of your time? Could I disturb you for a minute?
我可以佔用你一些時間嗎？可以打擾你一下嗎？
These sentences are all formal. The first is extremely formal.
這些句子都是正式的。第一個是非常正式的。
It's probably too formal to use in most situations.
The other two are both formal; the second is probably more formal than the third.
在大多數情況下使用都太正式了。另外兩個都是正式的；第二個可能比第三個更正式。
Why 'probably'? Formality isn't absolute.
為什麼是「可能」呢？正式程度不是絕對的。
It also depends on context and intonation, so it's not just about the words you use.
So, there are many levels of formality.
它還取決於語境和語調，不僅僅是你使用的詞語。因此，正式程度有多個層次。
However, when you speak or write in English, it's useful to think about three levels: formal, neutral and informal.
But when should you use these different levels of language?
然而，當你說英語或用英語寫作的時候，考慮三個層次是有用的：正式，中性，還有非正式。但你什麼時候該使用這些不同層次的語言呢？
In my experience, many English students use language which is too formal.
They think: formal language is more polite.
根據我的經驗，許多英語學生使用的語言太正式了。他們認為：正式的語言更加有禮貌。
Polite language is better. Right?
禮貌語言更好。不是嗎？
No, not always! Language which is too polite puts distance between you and the person you're talking to.
不，不總是這樣！過於禮貌的語言會讓你和你交談的人之間產生距離。
At best, this will sound awkward and unnatural.
At worst, you can sound cold and unfriendly if you use language which is too formal.
在最好的情況下，這聽起來會有些尷尬和不自然。在最壞的情況下，如果你使用過於正式的語言，你可能聽起來冷淡和不友好。
Knowing when to use formal language depends mostly on context.
Let me ask you a question: when should you use formal language?
知道何時使用正式語言主要取決於語境。讓我問你一個問題：你什麼時候應該使用正式語言？
Maybe you said things like: in job interviews, in business meetings or negotiations, when talking to older people, when writing business emails, and so on.
The fact is, it's not possible to say you should always use formal language in these situations.
也許你說的是：在工作面試、商務會議或談判中，和老人交談時，商業郵件寫作，等等。事實是，在這些情景中，你不可能總是使用正式語言。
It always depends. For example, take job interviews.
它總是視情況而定的。例如，接受工作面試。
Some companies have a very corporate culture, with a strict hierarchy and lots of rules and procedures.
Other companies are more relaxed, and pay less attention to rules and job titles.
一些公司有很強的企業文化，有嚴格的等級制度和許多規則和流程。其他公司則更隨意，不太注意規則和職稱。
Obviously, if you're going for a job interview at the first kind of company, you'll want to dress, act and speak formally, to fit in with the company culture.
On the other hand, if you go for an interview at the second kind of company, where things are more relaxed, it wouldn't be appropriate to speak very formally.
顯然，如果你在第一類公司求職面試，你的穿著、行為和談吐都要正式，以適應該公司的文化。
另一方面，如果你在第二類公司面試，那裡更加隨意，那么正式用語就不合適了。
So, always think about the situation in front of you.
If you're not sure, try to listen to other people around you.
所以，一定要考慮你面前的情況。如果你不確定，就試著傾聽你周圍的人。
If other people around you are speaking informally to each other, you probably shouldn't try to sound very formal.
Also, if you don't know, then use neutral language.
如果你周圍的人在非正式地交談，那你也不要聽起來很正式。此外，如果你不知道，那就使用中性語言。
Neutral language is safe. You can use it in any situation.
中性語言是保險的。你可以在任何情況下使用它。
Informal language is very important in spoken English, but you need to be careful. Using informal language at the wrong time could sound disrespectful or rude.
非正式語言在英語口語中很重要，但你需要小心。在錯誤的時間使用非正式語言可能聽起來無禮或粗魯。
Next, let's consider some of the main differences between formal, neutral and informal English.
Formal English tends to use longer, more complicated sentence structures.
接下來，我們來討論正式英語、中性英語和非正式英語之間的一些主要區別。正式英語更傾向於使用更長、更複雜的句子結構。
Informal and neutral English tend to use shorter, simpler sentence structures.
For example: I was wondering if you could make yourself available on Wednesday to provide more detailed guidance on these matters.
非正式和中性英語傾向於使用較短、更簡單的句子結構。例如：我想知道您能否在周三提供一些關於這些問題的更詳細的指導。
This is a formal sentence. You can see that it's quite long, with a complex structure.
這是一個正式句子。你可以看到它很長，有一個複雜的結構。
Do you have time on Wednesday to help us with these problems? This is neutral.
星期三你有時間幫我們解決這些問題嗎？這是中性的。
You got some free time on Wednesday to talk about this? This is more informal.
你星期三有空來談談這個嗎？這個更加不正式。
You can see that the neutral and informal sentences are much shorter and simpler. Let's do one more example.
你可以看到，中性和非正式的句子要短很多，也更簡單。我們再做一個例子。
I'll give you three sentences. Can you see which one is formal, which is neutral, and which is informal?
我會給你三個句子。你能看出來哪個是正式的，哪個是中性的，還有哪個是非正式的嗎？
We should have a word with him first. It may well be necessary to contact him before we make a decision.
我們應該先和他談談。在我們作出決定之前，也許有必要與他聯繫。
We need to talk to him before we decide. Which is which?
在我們決定之前，我們需要和他談談。哪個是哪個？
The first sentence is informal. The second sentence is formal.
第一個句子是非正式的。第二個句子是正式的 。
The third sentence is neutral. Did you get it right?
第三個句子是中性的。你做對了嗎？
Again, you can see that the formal sentence is longer and more complex.
Another point is that we sometimes leave out words in informal English, especially in questions.
再次，你可以看到正式的句子更長、更複雜。另一點是，我們有時會在非正式英語中省去單詞，尤其是在提問中。
For example, in the question Are you sure? it is possible to leave out the word "are" and just say You sure?
In fact, you could even leave out the word "you" and just ask a question with one word: sure?
例如，在問題「你確定嗎？」當中，你會省去「are」這個詞，只說「你確定？」事實上，你甚至可以省去「you」這個單詞，就用一個詞來提問：確定？
Let's see some more examples of this: Will you be joining us? (Formal—full form)
我們再看一些例子。你會加入我們嗎？（正式-完整形式）
Are you coming? (neutral—full form) You coming? (Informal—short form)
你要來嗎？（中性-完整形式）你來嗎？（非正式-簡短形式）
Do you have any suggestions? (Formal—full form) Have you got any ideas? (neutral—full form)
你有什麼建議嗎？（正式-完整形式）你有什麼想法嗎？（中性-完整形式）
Any ideas? (Informal—short form) Do you notice any other differences between the formal, neutral and informal sentences you've seen in this section?
有什麼想法嗎？（非正式-簡短形式）你在這一組中有注意到正式、中性和非正式的句子之間有什麼不同嗎？
You might notice that we use different words in formal, neutral and informal English.
Vocabulary is another important difference between formal and informal language.
你可能注意到我們在正式、中性和非正式英語中使用不同的詞。詞彙是正式語言和非正式語言的另一個重要區別。
Let's look! Formal English tends to use more literary, rare or old-fashioned vocabulary.
我們來看看！正式英語傾向於使用更多文學的、稀有的或過時的詞彙。
Generally, if you want to be formal, you need to be very precise with your use of vocabulary.
Neutral English tends to use simpler, more common words.
一般而言，如果你想正式點，你需要非常精確地使用詞彙。中性英語傾向於使用更簡單、更常見的詞。
Informal English, like neutral English, uses simple and common vocabulary.
However, informal English also includes slang, phrasal verbs and colloquial language which are not features of neutral English.
非正式英語和中性英語一樣，使用更簡單和更常見的詞彙。
然而，非正式英語還包括俚語、短語動詞和口語，這些都不是中性英語的特點。
Informal English is also generally looser.
It uses more general words, and the meaning is understood from the context.
非正式英語也普遍比較不嚴謹。它使用更一般的詞，意思是從上下文中理解的。
Let's look at this in some more detail. We need to verify the data before we proceed.
我們更詳細地看一下。在進行之前，我們需要核實數據。
We need to check the data before we continue. We need to check everything before we carry on.
在繼續之前，我們需要檢查數據。在繼續之前，我們需要檢查一切。
You can see that the formal sentence uses more literary vocabulary: verify instead of check, and proceed instead of continue.
The neutral sentence uses simple, common words.
你可以看到，正式句子使用了更多文學詞彙：驗證而不是檢查，進行而不是繼續。中性句子使用簡單、常見的詞。
The informal sentence is less precise: instead of saying the "data", we say "everything".
It also uses a phrasal verb: "carry on" instead of "proceed" or "continue".
非正式句子不那麼精確：我們不是說「數據」，而是說「一切」。它也使用了一個動詞短語：carry on,而不是proceed或continue（都是繼續）。
In informal English, it's common to use vocabulary in a less precise way.
For example, you might use words like "stuff" or "things" to refer to specific things.
在非正式英語中，用詞不那麼精確也是很常見的。
例如，你可以使用諸如「東西」之類的詞來指具體的事物。
You wouldn't do this if you were speaking formally.
For example: You are required to collect your belongings and vacate the premises.
如果你是正式說話，就不會這麼做了。例如：你被要求把你的所有物收拾在一起並騰出房屋。
You need to take your personal possessions and leave the building.
You need to get your stuff together and get out.
你需要帶走你的私人物品並離開大樓。你需要把你的東西帶齊然後出去。
Again, you can see more literary vocabulary in the formal sentence (required, collect, belongings, vacate, premises).
On the other hand, the informal sentence uses more basic vocabulary, including multi-part verbs like get… together or get out.
再次，你可以看到更多文學詞彙使用在正式句子當中（要求、收拾、所有物、騰空、房屋）。另一方面，非正式句子使用更多基本詞彙，包括多部分動詞，如「把...收拾在一起」或「出去」。
The informal sentence is also much less precise.
It simply refers to stuff, instead of belongings or possessions.
非正式句子也沒那麼精確。它只是簡單地指東西，而不是所有物或物品。
It also says "get out", without specifying the place (the premises or the building). The neutral sentence is somewhere in between.
它還用了「出去」這個詞，但沒有指定地點（房屋或建築）。中性的句子介於兩者之間。
In neutral language, you generally choose the simplest word you can.
So, you would say "take" instead of "collect", "leave" instead of "vacate", and so on.
在中性語言中，你通常可以選擇最簡單的詞。所以，你會說「拿」，而不是「收集」，「離開」而不是「騰空」，等等。
You can also see that the informal sentence is much more direct than the other two.
This is an important part of formality in English.
你也可以看到，非正式的句子比其他兩個句子更直接。這是英語正式程度的重要組成部分。
Formal language tends to be much more indirect. Formal language often sounds quite impersonal, because it uses fewer personal pronouns like I, you, he, she, etc.
正式英語往往更間接。正式語言往往聽起來很非人稱的，因為它更少使用人稱代詞，例如我、你、他、她，等等。
Informal language tends to be more direct and personal.
Informal language can be so direct that it can sound aggressive or rude if you use it in the wrong situations.
非正式語言往往更直接和人稱的。非正式語言可以如此直接，如果在錯誤的情況下使用它，會顯得咄咄逼人或粗魯。
Neutral language is in the middle, similar to other situations that you have seen.
For example: Lessons need to be learnt from the mistakes which were made, formal.
中性語言處於中間，類似於你所見過的其他情況。例如：我們需要從所犯的錯誤中吸取教訓，正式。
I hope you can learn from where you went wrong, neutral.
You made a mess of this and you need to do better next time, informal.
我希望你能從你的錯誤中吸取教訓，中性。你把這件事弄得一團糟，下次你需要做得更好，非正式。
You can see that the formal sentence is impersonal. How does it achieve this?
你可以看到，正式的句子是非人稱的。它是如何做到這一點的呢？
First, the formal sentence uses the passive.
This makes it possible to avoid using personal pronouns.
首先，正式句子使用被動句。這使它可以避免使用人稱代詞。
The other two sentences include the word "you", but the formal sentence doesn't.
This makes it possible to express the idea without mentioning or blaming a specific person, which can be useful in certain situations.
另外兩個句子包含了「你」這個詞，但正式句子卻沒有。這樣就可以在不提及或譴責某個人的情況下表達這個意思，這在某些情況下是有用的。
The neutral sentence is personal, because it uses "you" to refer to the listener.
However, it's not very direct, and wouldn't generally be considered rude, even in a professional setting.
中性句子是帶人稱的，因為它使用「你」來指代聽者。然而，它不是很直接，而且即使在專業場合也通常不會被認為是粗魯。
The informal sentence is very direct. If you say this to someone, you're not hiding what you think!
非正式句子非常直接。如果你對某人說這樣的話，你就沒有隱藏你的想法！
This can be useful if you need to make yourself clear, but it could also sound rude or aggressive. It's not appropriate in all situations.
如果你需要讓別人清楚你的想法，這種說法可以，但聽起來較粗魯和咄咄逼人。它並非在所有情況下都合適。
Let's do one more example. Look at three sentences.
我們再舉個例子。看三個句子。
Can you tell which is formal, which is neutral, and which is informal?
We won't be able to do anything until we deal with these issues.
你能看出哪個是正式的、哪個是中性的，還有哪個是非正式的嗎？除非我們解決了這些問題，不然我們什麼也做不了。
We won't be able to get anywhere until you sort this out.
It may be difficult to make progress until these matters are resolved.
除非你解決了這個問題，不然我們將毫無進展。除非這些問題得到解決，不然很難取得進步。
Can you tell which is which? The first sentence is neutral; the second is informal; and the third sentence is formal.
你能區分哪個是哪個嗎？第一個句子是中性的；第二個是非正式的；第三個是正式的。
You can see that the formal sentence uses an impersonal structure rather than a personal pronoun (we or you).
Again, this is useful if you want to be respectful and indirect, because it isn't clearly directed at one person.
你可以看到，正式句子使用的是非人稱結構，而沒有使用人稱代詞（我們或你）。
同樣，如果你想顯得尊重和間接，這是有用的，因為它不是明確針對一個人。
The neutral sentence is more personal.
Can you see the important difference between the neutral and informal sentences?
中性句子更加人稱化。你能看出中性和非正式句子之間的區別嗎？
The neutral sentence uses "we" in both parts, while the informal sentence is more direct: . . . until you sort this out.
The points you've seen so far in this lesson are true for both spoken and written English.
中性句子兩部分都使用了「we」（我們），而非正式句子更加直接：...除非你解決了這個問題。
到目前為止，你在本課中所看到的知識點對口語和書面英語都是正確的。
However, there are some features of formality which apply only to written English.
Let's take a look.
然而，有些正式程度的特點只適用於書面英語。我們來看看吧。
In writing, informal language uses contractions like he'll, it'd, or we're. In informal written English, you can also use abbreviations, like btw for by the way, ttyl for talk to you later, etc.
在寫作中，非正式語言會使用縮合的形式，例如he'll, it'd, or we're。在非正式的書面英語中，你也可以使用縮寫，如btw「順便」、ttyl「回聊」，等等。
In formal writing, you generally wouldn't use contractions or abbreviations.
In neutral writing, you can use contractions and some abbreviations.
在正式寫作中，你一般不會使用縮合或縮寫。在中性寫作中，你可以使用縮合和一些縮寫。
However, some abbreviations, like plz for please, are informal and shouldn't be used if you want to sound neutral.
There are also some abbreviations which are possible in formal English.
但是，像plz「請」這樣的縮寫是非正式的，如果你想保持中性，就不應該使用。在正式英語中也有一些縮寫。
For example, HR for Human Resources would be okay in formal language.
If you want to write something in formal English, and you aren't sure whether an abbreviation is appropriate or not, then it's best to write the full form.
例如，HR（Human Resources）「人力資源」，在正式語言中是可以接受的。如果你想用正式英語寫作，而且不確定縮寫是否合適，那麼最好都寫完整的形式。
Let's see some examples: Just for your information, we would like to schedule another meeting in October. (Formal—there are no contractions or abbreviations)
讓我們來看些例子。知會一聲，我們想在10月再安排一次會議。（正式-沒有縮合或縮寫）
Just for your information, we'd like to arrange another meeting in October. (neutral—uses contractions, but no informal abbreviations)
Just FYI, we'd like to fix up a meeting in Oct. (Informal—with contractions and abbreviations)
知會一聲，我們想在10月再安排一次會議。（中性-使用了縮合we』d，但沒有使用縮寫）知會一聲，我們想在10月份安排一次會議。（非正式-使用了縮合和縮寫）
Written language is often held to a higher standard than spoken language, so it's important to get the tone right. In particular, don't use language which is too informal.
書面語言通常比口語具有更高的標準，所以正確的語氣很重要。特別是，不要使用太非正式的語言。
If you're not sure, aim for a neutral tone. Let's look at one more example:
如果你不確定，就使用中性語氣。我們再看一個例子。
Thank you for all the hard work you have done. (Formal—there are no contractions or abbreviations) Thank you for the hard work you've done.
(Neutral—uses contractions, but no informal abbreviations).
謝謝你所做的一切努力。（正式-沒有縮合和縮寫）謝謝你所做的一切努力。
（中性-使用了縮合you』ve，但沒有使用縮寫）
Thx for everything you've done. (Informal—with contractions and abbreviations)
Hopefully, now you have a good understanding of formality in English, and how to use formal, neutral and informal English.
謝謝你所做的一切努力。（非正式-使用了縮合和縮寫）希望現在你對英語的正式程度有很好的理解，並懂得如何使用正式、中性和非正式英語。
Don't forget to check out our website for more free English lessons: OxfordOnlineEnglish. com.
Thanks for watching.
See you next time!
下次見！