The Communicative Grammar of English Workbook - Edward Woods, Rudy Coppieters 2002

1.1. Informal spoken English
Unit one. Spoken and written English

Sections 17-19

Informal spoken English has many features which, if written down, make it appear rambling and unstructured:

• silent pauses, often indicated by a dash (-) in transcription.

• voice-filled pauses (e.g. -erm) indicating hesitation.

• repetition (unplanned repeat, e.g. I -I -I get)

• false starts (e.g. I mean, you know, etc.)

• discourse markers and fillers (e.g. well, you see, etc.)

• short forms and contractions (e.g. don’t, we’ll, gonna)

Task one **

In the following text, underline the features, especially the features of grammar, that show it is spoken language.

I’ll tell you a little tale. -er- When me mother was alive in Cambridge and -erm-we had some coal delivered - me mother was a terror if anything was wrong, you know - and -er- it got some rocks and bits of scale in it. And I was going. I was quite young then, and she said -er- get a, get a, we had a a bag. It was a, quite a strong bag. She said fill it up with some of the coal and stuff. And we got it on the bus and we went all the way to the bottom of Hills Road Bridge. Was -er- in fact the building’s still there - the coal office. And inside was an old table, an oak -er- front. Was about as long as this room. And -er- I didn’t know what she was going to do with it. Just take it back and probably tell them, you know, the coal’s not very good. And as she went, she bent down and picked it up and WHOOSH! Straight across the counter. Dust coal everywhere. “Take it back,” she said. “And come back and get the rest of it.” They couldn’t believe it. I can see their faces today.

(from R. Carter & M. McCarthy, Exploring Spoken English, C.U.P. 1997, pp. 37-38)

Task two **

Rewrite task one as a written story.

Task three ***

Below are the instructions on how to vote in a British election. Each person receives a voting card with the instructions on. Rewrite the instructions as if you were explaining them orally to somebody. The first one has been done for you.

Example: This card is for information only. You can vote without it, but it will save time if you take it to the polling station and show it to the clerk there.

Answer: The card tells you what to do. You don’t need it when you go and vote. But take it to the polling station to show to the clerk. It’ll save time.

1. When you go to the polling station, tell the clerk your name and address as shown on the front of the card. The Presiding Officer will give you a ballot paper; see that (s)he stamps the official mark on it before (s)he gives it to you.

2. Go to one of the compartments. Mark only one cross (X) as stated in the polling booth in the box alongside the candidate you are voting for. Place only one mark on the ballot paper, or your vote will not be counted.

3. If by mistake you spoil a ballot paper, show it to the Presiding Officer and ask for another one.

4. Fold the ballot paper into two. Show the official mark to the Presiding Officer, but do not let anyone see your vote. Put the ballot paper in the ballot box and leave the polling station.

5. If you have appointed a proxy to vote in person for you, you may nevertheless vote at this election if you do so before the proxy has voted on your behalf.

6. If you have been granted a postal vote, you will not be entitled to vote in person at this election, so please ignore this poll card.

Task four ***

Underline grammatical features in the above text which show that it is probably a written text. Give reasons for your decisions.