Unit 5: Register. | Điểm Danh App

UNIT 5: REGISTER

Often, collocations rather than individual words suggest a particular register. For example, phrases using pretty meaning fairly sound informal when used with negative adjectives (pretty awful, pretty dreadful, pretty dull), and are typical of spoken English.

A. Spoken English (Informal)

Here are some more collocations which are almost exclusively found in spoken English:

I'm bored stiff in this lesson! [extremely bored]
You badly need a haircut!
I'll have a think about it and let you know.
Give me a ring when you get home. [give me a phone call]

B. Formal English

Some collocations are typical of formal English and are most likely to be found in an official, often legal, context, such as in notices.

Passengers must not alight from the bus whilst it is in motion. [formal for: get off the bus]
Cyclists must dismount here. [formal for: get off their bicycles]
Trespassers will be prosecuted. [people who go onto someone's land or enter their building without permission will be taken to court]
Please dispose of unwanted items in the receptacle provided. [formal for: throw away / container used for storing or putting objects in]

C. Newspaper English (Journalistic)

Some collocations - particularly ones that use short, dramatic words - are found mainly in newspapers. In most cases they would not normally be used in everyday conversation.

COMPUTER FACTORY TO AXE JOBS [make staff redundant]
AIRLINE SLASHES PRICES [cuts prices drastically]
GOVERNMENT SPENDING WILL ROCKET THIS YEAR [will rise sharply]
FLOODS HIT CENTRAL REGION [floods affected the region tonight as heavy rain continued][cite: 1].

D. Business English

Some collocations are characteristic of business English.

to submit a tender [present a document offering to do a job and stating the price]
to raise capital [get money to put into a business]
to go into partnership with someone [agree to start or run a business with someone]
to start up a business

PRACTICE EXERCISES

5.1 Underline formal (F) or informal (I) collocations in these sentences and put F or I in the selection box.

1. Cyclists should dismount before crossing the footbridge.

2. Never dispose of batteries and similar items by throwing them onto a fire.

3. The students were all bored stiff by the lecture.

4. Passengers must alight from the bus through the rear door.

5. The grass badly needs cutting.

5.2 Underline typical news/media collocations in these newspaper clips.

Hãy tìm và nhập lại chính xác cụm từ kết hợp (Collocations) đặc trưng của văn phong báo chí được sử dụng trong các đoạn tin ngắn dưới đây:

1. OIL COMPANIES SLASH PRICES
There was good news for motorists today as pump prices were lowered by the major oil companies.

Nhập cụm từ báo chí viết hoa ở tiêu đề (3 từ):

2. DETECTIVES QUIZ BUSINESSMAN OVER MISSING TEENAGER
Senior detectives interviewed a man who has been named as prime suspect in the case of a missing 18 year-old who is feared to have been abducted.

Nhập cụm động từ + danh từ ở tiêu đề (2 từ đầu):

3. FLOODS HIT CENTRAL REGION
Towns and villages in the Central region were battling against floods tonight as heavy rain continued[cite: 1].

Nhập cụm từ báo chí ở tiêu đề (2 từ cuối)[cite: 1]:

4. CAR FIRM TO AXE 200 JOBS
The Presco car firm has announced that 200 workers will be made redundant at its Kenton factory[cite: 1]. The job losses are the result of falling profits[cite: 1].

Nhập cụm từ báo chí chỉ việc cắt giảm nhân sự ở tiêu đề (2 từ cuối)[cite: 1]:

5.3 Rewrite the headlines in exercise 5.2 using collocations more typical of ordinary conversation[cite: 1].

Hãy chuyển đổi văn phong báo chí sang nói chuyện hàng ngày thân mật. Bắt đầu bằng cụm từ: "Have you heard...?"[cite: 1]

Headline 3: FLOODS HIT CENTRAL REGION[cite: 1] Rewrite:

Headline 4: CAR FIRM TO AXE 200 JOBS[cite: 1] Rewrite:

5.4 Match the beginning of each sentence on the left with its ending on the right (Business English)[cite: 1].

1. We raised...

2. They submitted...

3. They went into...

4. We started up...

5.5 Choose a formal or informal collocation as instructed[cite: 1].

1. She was _________ keen to meet the new director. (informal)[cite: 1]

2. We should be _________ in about ten minutes. (formal)[cite: 1]

3. Mr Trotter _________ the cost of the repairs. (formal)[cite: 1]

4. I _________ my university course after a year. (informal)[cite: 1]

5. The president _________ a detailed explanation of his policies. (informal)[cite: 1]

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