Year 6 English · Formal and informal English and the subjunctive · Summary
Year 6 English Formal and informal English and the subjunctive: summary and key words
Part of the Year 6 English formal and informal english and the subjunctive chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Chapter summary
| Skill | Method |
|---|---|
| Register | The level of formality that suits the situation, the audience and the purpose. |
| Informal features | Contractions, slang and ellipsis, used with friends and family. |
| Formal words | Precise words such as request, discuss, obtain, and no slang or contractions. |
| Subjunctive after if | Were for an imagined situation: If I were you. |
| Subjunctive after a formal phrase | The base form after essential that, vital that, suggest that and insist that: it is essential that he attend. |
| Terms | Subjunctive, formal, informal, register, contraction, ellipsis, slang, base form, clause and tone. |
Can you…?
- I can tell formal English from informal English, by its vocabulary and features
- I can rewrite an informal sentence in formal English
- I can use were after if for an imagined situation
- I can use the base form after essential that, vital that, suggest that and insist that
- I can use the grammatical terms of this book accurately
Key terms
- register
- the level of formality that suits the situation, audience and purpose
- formal English
- English used in serious or official writing, with full words and no slang
- informal English
- English used with friends and family, with contractions, slang and ellipsis
- subjunctive
- a form of the verb used for imagined situations and formal demands
- base form
- the plain form of a verb, such as attend, be or read
- contraction
- a short form of two words, with an apostrophe
- ellipsis
- leaving out a word that the reader can work out
- slang
- very informal words that are not used in formal writing
- tone
- the attitude the writer shows to the reader