Language

 Informal language is language characterised by:  spontaneous speech in situations that may be described as conversational  the use of a dialect or variation of language such as Scots.

 a particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group.  “…the Dundonian dialect seemed like a foreign language"

 Scots isnae slang.  Scots isnae bad English.  Scots is a braw language in its ain richt.

 Formal language is language that does not use slang words.  Formal language uses correct grammar and spelling. It is used for journalism and professional literature such as medical journals. You would use formal language in your critical essays.

 We often have to give information about what people say or think.  In order to do this you can use direct speech, or indirect speech.

 Saying exactly what someone has said is called direct speech.  Here, what a person says appears within quotation marks ("...") and should be word for word.  She said, "Today's lesson is on presentations."  or  "Today's lesson is on presentations", she said.

 Indirect speech doesn't use quotation marks to explain what the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word.  When reporting speech, the tense usually changes. This is because when we use reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.  “He said he was going to the cinema.”

 In some texts, symbolism is an object or reference used to provide meaning to the writing beyond what is being described.  A writer may repetitively use the same object to communicate a deeper meaning or might use distinctions of the same object to create a mood or feeling.  In ‘The Great Gatsby’, the green light is a symbol of hope.