The Difference Between Conversational and Written English

One of the biggest mistakes people make while writing is they rely too much on what they know about conversational English. That is to say, they essentially write the same way they speak. It can be confusing at first, but the reality is, spoken and written English are two completely different forms. While spoken English tends to be more relaxed and open to different pronunciations of words, written English can be a bit more strict, especially if we are writing professionally. For example, it might be acceptable for a teacher to verbally address the class as "y'all", but when writing an email to their colleagues, s/he would want to use "you all" instead.

The fact of the matter is this: 99.99% of English speakers do not speak and write using the same dialect of English. When writing a paper, email, or whatever else we have more time to think about what words we use, and therefore, are expected to produce a more polished piece. However, we do not have that luxury while speaking; that is, we do not have extra time to consider what words to use, instead what comes out tends to be what is natural to us. For instance, when talking to friends or colleagues, I often use the word "gonna" instead of "going to". It is just more natural for me. However, when writing an email or a blog post, I would never use the word "gonna" because it would not be appropriate.

Another more generalized example is how people love to use contractions while speaking because they are quicker to say, but when writing professionally, it is usually advised that we do not use contractions. Consider the following sentences: "We don't like using contractions while writing" and "We do not like using contractions while writing". Which sentence sounds better? Which looks better? The first sentence probably sounds better to most of us because we have removed an extra syllable by dropping the second "o" in "do not" and replacing it with an apostrophe ('). The second sentence probably looks better to most of us because we did not. 

Professional written English--also known as Standard English--is about producing something that looks good and sounds good when read aloud, whereas spoken English--also referred to as colloquial or conversational English--is about conveying our thoughts or feelings to other people.

Does that make sense? Email us now if you have any general questions, would like to see a particular topic addressed in a future blog post, or to set-up a preliminary consultation with us. Consultations are completely free. Learn the secrets required to take your English proficiency to the next level!

Ryan M. Shea, English Proficiency Specialist