Idioms, slang and formal language

[Guugu]

Hi there,

when we talk about words, we found a lot of them. Some might be more suitable for certain situation than others. I want to be able to distinguish between those.

When it's appropriate to use idioms, slang or formal language? May I use idioms in non-fictional texts? I for instance had no idea that terms like: hot, awesome, associate would considered as slang. How can we distinguish between them and decide to use them in exams that requires formal language.

[Keswick]

Hello,

You should always avoid slang in formal texts. Idioms can be used as long as they are appropriate for the occasion. Words such as "hot" or "awesome" are considered slang (colloquial) only in certain context. If you referred to a woman as hot, then this would be colloquial. however if you referred to the weather being hot, then this wouldn't be considered colloquial.

You can only differentiate between colloquial language and formal language if you look at the overall context.

[Duckduck]

Hi there,

when we talk about words, we find a lot of them in the dictionary. Some might be more suitable in certain situations than others. I want to be able to distinguish between them.

When is it appropriate to use idioms, slang or formal language? May I use idioms in non-fictional texts? I, for instance, had no idea that terms like: hot, awesome, associate could be considered (as) slang. How can we distinguish between them and decide which of them to use in exams that requires formal language?

Hi Guugu!
Du bist ja deutlich kein/e Anfänger/in, wenn sich auch noch ab und zu Oopserchen einschleichen. Für die besonders im Englischen schwierige Unterscheidung, welches der vielen zur Verfügung stehenden Worte im jeweils vorliegenden Kontext das adäquate ist, fällt mir als Rat immer wieder ein: Lesen, Lesen, Lesen!  Dabei scheint es sinnvoll, sich Texte ganz unterschiedlicher Art auszusuchen, um ein Gespür zu entwickeln, in welcher Situation was wie gesagt wird...
Langwierig, aber auch soooo schööön!
Grüße
Duckduck