formal
part of speech
adjective (formal, more formal, most formal)
meaning for a pupil
1) Formal means serious and following proper rules, used in important or official situations. tree →
2) Formal clothes are smart clothes worn for special events. tree →
3) Formal language is polite and careful, not chatty or slangy. tree →
4) Formal can mean official, done in the proper way. tree →
sense in the lessons
In writing lessons, formal letters use «Dear Sir or Madam», no slang and full words; informal letters to friends are chattier. In maths, a «formal method» is the written column method. In manners lessons, formal events need smart clothes and polite words. Phrases: «formal letter», «formal dress», «formal method», «formal event».
examples
- We wrote a formal letter to the council about the park. tree →
- The wedding was very formal. tree →
- He wore a formal suit and tie. tree →
- Use formal language when you write to the head teacher. tree →
- Use the formal written method for long multiplication. tree →
- We got a formal invitation to the school concert. tree →
- «Hello» is more formal than «Hiya». tree →
note
Opposite: «informal», «casual». Adverb: «formally». Noun: «formality». Do not confuse with «former» (earlier). In maths, the «formal method» is the column method for adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.
In the corpora
- Many -tion words sound formal; use them when they are clearer, not just to sound clever.
- These words live in letters and formal writing.
- In rules and formal notices "shall" works like "must": "Bins shall be put out on Tuesday."
- Very formal writing says "by whom?"; in everyday talk "by who?" is normal.
- Register means choosing words to suit your audience: formal language for governors, chattier words for friends.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «formal» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.