writing with register: a lesson in using different levels of 'politeness'

CHECKING INTO A HOTEL:

When was the last time you checked into a hotel in English?

What did you say and what did the receptionist say?

Write it down!

What are the guests and receptionist saying in each of these situations?

Write them down!

First at 6 minutes:

Then at 11:45

S1E1.A Touch of Class - video Dailymotion

Here's more: Jay Doubleyou: got a room

What are the differences in language?

What other examples can you think of?

Write them down and compare!

This is called "register"

And why do we do this?

Write an email to a hotel to book a room

What sort of register did you use? 

And could you have used a different one?

With lots of ideas and examples here: different ways to ask for a room in a hotel in english phrases - Google Search

And another situation here: S2E1.Communication Problems - video Dailymotion

ARRANGING A MEETING

Imagine you are someone of a very specific age/profession/personality]

[six-year old girl with a very strong personality]

[a young actor, still very insecure and nervous]

[a young business woman, very ambitious and very pushy]

[a middle-aged postman, always happy to chat]

[a sixty-year old man, just retired from the police force]

[a seventy-something someone who is about to be crowned king/queen]

[an eighty-five year old woman, retired from the diplomatic service]

Now write a series of emails to arrange a meeting - either a coffee for a bit of gossip or a formal business session to discuss something serious or whatever.

You decide on the purpose of your email.

But you must know before hand who you are writing to.

When you have finished, send your emails and reply!

But there are still problems about meeting up. 

Follow up your emails with a phone call 

MORE IDEAS FOR WRITING WITH REGISTER:

• Take the same story in the news and see how different newspapers use different language [The Times vs The Sun]
• On celebrities: Declan Donnelly to host Saturday Night Takeaway alone, ITV confirms | Television & radio | The Guardian and Saturday Night Takeaway: Ant McPartlin's absence addressed by Dec Donnelly | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV | Express.co.uk and Declan Donnelly receives standing ovation after presenting Saturday Night Takeaway alone | The Independent
• How to write a good Tweet: How To Write a Tweet — Tips and Tricks | Grammarly
• Expand a Tweet into a paragraph or two - and vice versa
• Analyse some literature: 
• the most difficult section of Joyce's Ulysses where he re-enacts the development of the English language from early translations of Latin verse to contemporary Dublin slang 6. Oxen of the Sun – Telemachus

With more here: Jay Doubleyou: pragmatics: it ain't what you say it's the way that you say it

And some really interesting stuff - especially when it comes to writing styles: Jay Doubleyou: register

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