ABSTRACT
This chapter will look at some ideas concerning formality and informality in written and spoken texts. It is probably easier to recognise formality and informality than to define or describe the concepts. In Figure 5.1 most people would be able to recognise that phrases such as ‘chit chat’, ‘know the score’, ‘get the message’ and ‘stay in the know’ are informal expressions that are used regularly in everyday discourse but not in formal contexts. Job interviewers are unlikely to say to their interviewee, ‘We’re ready for you now, so please come in for a chit chat.’
