Meaning & use
informal speaking
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Meanings
noununcountable
The style of talking used in relaxed, everyday situations with people you know well.
Grammar: Uncountable; do not say 'an informal speaking'. Use it with verbs like 'use' or 'practice'.
Patterns
- use informal speaking
- practice informal speaking
- informal speaking in English
In informal speaking, people often use contractions like 'gonna' and 'wanna'.
She is very good at informal speaking but gets nervous in formal presentations.
The course focuses on informal speaking for everyday conversations.
noununcountable
The activity of talking in a casual, friendly way, especially in a language you are learning.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used after 'practice' or 'improve'.
Patterns
- improve your informal speaking
- informal speaking practice
- informal speaking skills
Learners often find informal speaking harder than reading because of slang and fast speech.
Joining a conversation club is a great way to get more informal speaking practice.
His informal speaking has improved a lot since he started chatting with native speakers online.
Common combinations
- informal speaking style
- Her informal speaking style makes everyone feel comfortable.
- formal and informal speaking
- The textbook covers both formal and informal speaking.
- informal speaking practice
- We do informal speaking practice in pairs every Friday.
- informal speaking situation
- A party is an informal speaking situation, so you can relax.
Synonyms and how they differ
- casual speech
- Focuses on the relaxed nature of the language itself; 'informal speaking' often refers to the skill or activity.
- colloquial speech
- More technical and suggests words used in ordinary conversation rather than in writing; 'informal speaking' is broader.
Opposites
Word family
- informally adverb
- In a relaxed, unofficial way: 'They spoke informally after the meeting.'
- informality noun
- The quality of being relaxed and not following strict rules.
Commonly confused: informal speaking or informal speech?
informal speaking vs informal speech
Very close, but 'speech' often refers to a formal talk given to an audience, while 'speaking' is the general activity of talking.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'informal speaking' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 1 correctly uses the uncountable noun as a subject with a singular verb. Option 0 is wrong because 'speaking' is not a countable event like 'speech'. Option 2 treats it as a countable object you can buy. Option 3 uses it as a verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “informal speaking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.