Key Stage 4 English · Grammar and vocabulary

GCSE English: spoken and written language and registers

Spoken and written English work differently, and so do formal and informal registers, Standard English and other varieties of English. At GCSE, students analyse these differences rather than just using them, and they learn to talk and write about language with accurate linguistic and literary terms. The skill helps with reading, writing and speaking, and with understanding why people use language as they do.

Spoken vs written language and registers, explained

Everyone shifts between ways of speaking without thinking, using one voice with friends, another in an interview. The programme of study asks students to analyse some of the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English. Register means how formal or informal language is, chosen to fit the situation, the audience and the purpose. The key idea is that none of these varieties is wrong in itself. Each is suited to certain situations.

Spoken language has features that written language usually doesn’t. People pause, repeat themselves, start sentences and abandon them, use fillers such as “um” and “you know”, and rely on tone of voice, gesture and the listener’s reactions. Speech is also usually unplanned and happens in real time, so it tends to be looser. Writing can be planned and edited, so it is more compact and organised. However, the line is not always clear: a text message is written but often reads like speech, and a scripted speech is spoken but built like writing.

Standard English is the form of English used in formal writing, education and public life, with agreed rules of grammar and vocabulary. It is not an accent: people with any accent can speak Standard English. It is also not the same as formal language. “I was going to ring you but my phone died” is informal, yet its grammar is entirely Standard English. Other varieties, often called dialects, have their own grammar and words, such as “we was”, “I ain’t” or regional words for everyday things. Students learn to see these as rule-governed varieties with their own history rather than as careless speech, and to know when Standard English is expected, for example in formal writing and many speaking situations.

Alongside this, students are expected to use linguistic and literary terminology accurately and confidently in discussing reading, writing and spoken language. Terms such as discourse marker, ellipsis, elision, formal register, colloquial language, slang, idiolect and dialect give students a precise vocabulary for what they notice. As in the grammar work, the terminology matters only when it supports a point about meaning, purpose or effect. A non-statutory glossary exists for teachers, and schools use it differently, so it is worth asking which terms your child is expected to know.

For parents, this topic is easy to support because language is everywhere. Noticing together how a politician, a friend, a teacher and a text message each handle the same kind of message is real analysis. Respecting your family’s own ways of speaking, while helping your child see when Standard English is expected, matches what schools teach.

Words your child will hear

Register: How formal or informal the language is, chosen to suit the situation and audience.
Standard English: The variety of English used in formal writing and public life, with agreed grammar and vocabulary, not tied to any accent.
Dialect: A variety of a language with its own words and grammar, often linked to a region or community.
Colloquial: Informal, everyday language used in conversation, such as “kids” instead of “children”.
Discourse marker: A word or phrase such as “well”, “so” or “anyway” that organises speech or signals a change of direction.
Ellipsis: Leaving out words that are understood from context, as in “Coming?” instead of “Are you coming?”. The same word names the punctuation mark “…”.
Elision: Running sounds together or dropping them in speech, such as “gonna” for “going to”.

What the National Curriculum says

In Key Stage 4, pupils should be taught to:

Consolidate and build on their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary through analysing some of the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English
Consolidate and build on their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary through using linguistic and literary terminology accurately and confidently in discussing reading, writing and spoken language

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked example: comparing speech with writing

Here is a made-up piece of spoken language: “So, um, I was gonna ring you but, like, my phone died, yeah, and then, well, you know how it is.” Analyse its features and compare it with a written version.

Identify the spoken features. “Um” is a filler, giving the speaker thinking time. “So”, “like” and “well” are discourse markers. “Yeah” and “you know how it is” check that the listener agrees, which is typical of talk between people who know each other.
Notice the sounds and grammar. “Gonna” shows elision, with sounds dropped as “going to” is run together. The speaker never finishes the story: “and then, well, you know how it is” is vague language that relies on shared knowledge, which works in conversation but not on the page. Spoken grammar is often built from short chunks joined by “and” and “but”.
Write a formal version: “I intended to telephone you, but my battery had run out.” Compare it. The written version is shorter, contains no fillers, uses full words and one clear structure, because a reader cannot interrupt to ask what you mean.
Consider register and audience. The spoken version suits a friend and builds closeness. The written version suits a formal message to someone you don’t know well. Neither is better in itself, since each fits its context.
Add a point about Standard English. Informal is not the same as non-standard: apart from the spoken features, the grammar of the original is Standard English, and either version could be said in any accent. A speaker of a dialect that uses “me” for “my”, as several regional dialects of England do, might say “me phone died”. That follows the rules of its own variety, but formal writing would use the Standard English “my”.

The spoken extract uses fillers, discourse markers, elision and vague language because speech is spontaneous and shared with a listener who can respond. The written version removes these features to be clear without interruption. The difference is one of register and context, not correctness: informal speech suits a friend, and formal writing suits a distant reader.

Common mistakes and how to help

Believing Standard English is the “correct” English and everything else is wrong

Students are told to use Standard English in formal writing and often hear this as “other ways of speaking are mistakes”.

What helps: Explain that Standard English is the variety expected in formal situations, not a better language. Dialects follow consistent rules too. The skill being taught is knowing when to switch.

Confusing accent with dialect and Standard English

People often talk about “talking properly” as if it were about pronunciation, so students think a regional accent means non-standard English.

What helps: An accent is how words sound. A dialect or Standard English is about words and grammar. A person can speak Standard English in a strong regional accent, and casual, informal talk can still be Standard English.

Thinking spoken language is lazy or poorly structured

Transcripts of speech look messy beside neat writing, so students see the fillers and false starts as errors.

What helps: Each feature has a job. Fillers give thinking time, repetition holds attention, and discourse markers help a listener follow. Ask what each feature does for the speaker.

Naming a feature without explaining its effect

Students learn lots of terms and think spotting “ellipsis” or “colloquial language” is enough for an answer.

What helps: After every label, add why the speaker or writer used it and what it suggests about audience, purpose or relationship.

How to help at home

Listen for register. Notice how family members talk differently on the phone to a friend and to a bank. Ask your child to describe what changes: words, speed, politeness, sentence length.
Rewrite a text message formally. Take a casual message and turn it into a formal email, then back. The comparison shows how many small choices make up register.
Talk about your own words. Families and regions have their own words and phrases. Talking about where they come from treats varieties of English with respect and builds curiosity about language.
Watch how people speak in interviews and speeches. Compare a relaxed interview with a prepared speech. Ask which features show that one was planned and the other wasn’t.
Use the terms in context. When your child brings a term home, ask for an example from real life. A term used in a real example is easier to remember and use correctly.

Builds on

Key Stage 3: Grammar in challenging texts and for effect
Key Stage 3: Standard English and register