EnglishGrammar, vocabulary and Standard English25 min★★ difficulty

Spoken English versus written English

We speak and write in different ways without even noticing — but knowing the difference helps you control both.

Part of your national curriculum

Grammar and vocabulary: Know and understand the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Know and understand the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English

Key learning points

• Spoken features
• Written features
• Standard English and dialects

This lesson at a glance

25 minutes
13 parts to scroll through
3 quick checks
Marked quiz at the end
Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

differencesspokenwrittenlanguageassociated

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 13 · Discover8%

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 13

Watch first

Spoken English versus written English

An English teaching video on this topic from Learn English with Cambridge. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 13

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Spoken features

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 13

Learn

Spoken features

Speech often includes fillers ('um', 'like'), repetition, interruptions and incomplete sentences — 'so basically, yeah, it was, I mean, really good'. These aren't errors; they're natural features of real-time talking.

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 13

Learn

Written features

Writing is usually planned and can be redrafted, so it tends to use fuller sentences, more precise vocabulary and clearer organisation than speech — there's no 'um' in a novel.

Quick check

Part 5 of 13

Quick check

Why do fillers like 'um' appear in speech but rarely in writing?

Reset break

Part 6 of 13

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Quick check

Part 7 of 13

Quick check

What is 'I ain't done nothing wrong' an example of?

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 13

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Standard English and dialects

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 13

Learn

Standard English and dialects

'I ain't done nothing wrong' is a dialect form used naturally in speech across the country; 'I haven't done anything wrong' is Standard English. Neither is 'incorrect' English — but Standard English is expected in most formal writing and speech.

Quick check

Part 10 of 13

Quick check

Where is Standard English usually expected?

Challenge round

Part 11 of 13

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

Mastery quiz

Part 12 of 13

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Spoken English versus written English

3 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

1. Why do fillers like 'um' appear in speech but rarely in writing?
2. What is 'I ain't done nothing wrong' an example of?
3. Where is Standard English usually expected?

Lesson round-up

Part 13 of 13

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

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Points this lesson

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0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

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Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Extract

The last bus

The bus shelter smelled of wet coats. Mira pressed her timetable flat against the glass, as though staring at the numbers might make the 9:42 appear. Rain tapped the roof in small, impatient fingers. Somewhere behind her, a shop shutter came down with a sound like a full stop.

She had been brave all day. She had been brave in the corridor, brave at lunch, brave when the register reached her name and nobody looked up. Being brave, she decided, was mostly a matter of keeping your face still.

Headlights swung around the corner and lit the puddles gold. Mira picked up her bag. Tomorrow she would say something. Tonight she would simply go home.

Original extract written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

Find two words or phrases that show how Mira is feeling, and explain what each one suggests.
How does the writer use the weather and the sounds to build the mood? Use a short quotation.
Write the next paragraph in the same style, keeping the writer's short sentences at the moments that matter.

Reading response
Reading
Read the extract again, then write about how the writer makes you feel that way. Use a short quotation and explain your choice of words.
2 paragraphs (PEE)
Extended writing
Writing
Write your piece in full, then redraft the opening so it hooks the reader.
250–350 words
Reading log
Reading
Note the book, the pages you read and one thing you noticed about the writing.
20 minutes' reading

Write your answer, notes or working here

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Photos of paper work, diagrams or working outHow many minutes did the written work take?

Part 1 of 13 · Watch & discover

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Know and understand the differences between spoken and written language, including differences associated with formal and informal registers, and between Standard English and other varieties of English