Lily
Is this OK to use “You know” in informal email in an English exam? I know it’s possible to use “You know” in spoken language, but in an official English test, such as FCE, PET or TOEIC, IELTS ... and they asks us to write informal email. Is this still OK? Thank you very much!
2016年5月11日 15:24
解答 · 5
2
This is not a question of formality or 'officialness' - it's about the difference between spoken and written language. In spoken English, the two syllables 'You know' are a meaningless filler which we use to avoid silences while we're thinking. Instead of saying 'umm' or 'err', we say 'You know', or 'I mean'. You wouldn't put 'umm' or 'err' in an email, would you? Well, you shouldn't fill your emails with 'You knows' either. We need meaningless sounds to stop the gaps in our spoken language, but we don't use them in written language in the same way.
2016年5月11日
Things are certainly more flexible when they ask you to write informally, however the excessive use of " you know" is almost slang, so you should probably avoid it.
2016年5月11日
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