Activity: Slang

Slang Definition and Revision Activity

Slang is a type of informal language and should generally be avoided in your writing. In a general sense, think of slang as the kind of language you might use with friends or family; it is also most commonly language used in speech (not in writing). Slang expressions are absolutely fine in casual speech, but they are really not appropriate for academic or professional writing. The primary problem with slang is that it is usually specific to time, place, and community. 

Take for example a word like "groovy". Groovy was a word commonly used in the 1960s and 70s among young people, but is really not used or widely understood now. Slang also is different based on place. The slang used in New York City is going to be different from the slang used in Los Angeles which is going to be different from the slang used in the rural communities of Oklahoma. Slang can also change from one group or neighborhood to another. Lastly, keep in mind that many of the abbreviations that are common in texting are considered slang and are also not appropriate for formal writing. 

And the truth is that slang is pretty cool! It demonstrates that our language is alive, that it is continuing to evolve, and that we can accommodate it to our environment. However, while fabulous for communication with a group of people with whom you share a background, we have to write in such a way that we do not assume that our audience shares a background with us. See the following examples: 

Slang: Ana was hip to the idea of turning the basement into a chill space.

Revised: Ana supported the idea of turning the basement into a space for socializing.

Slang: I really wish my girlfriend would be straight with me about the status of our relationship.

Revised: I really wish my girlfriend would be honest with me about the status of our relationship.

Slang: With over sixty people attending, the party last weekend was lit!

Revised: With over sixty people attending, the party last weekend was awesome!

Practice by rewriting the following sentences to eliminate the slang (in italics). You may end up changing the wording a bit (as I did with the sentence above about Ana and her basement), but make sure that your sentence still contains the same information and meaning as its original.

1. Alyssa looked really hot in her evening gown with matching bling.
2. Between doing my taxes and cleaning out the refrigerator, I had quite a morning of adulting.
3. Pete was salty about his mom taking his X-Box away.
4. The citizens of our country need to get woke to the problems of police violence toward people of color.
5. Taylor spent the weekend messing around with their turntables and sound system.

*To non-native speaking and/or older students: In the above activity, I have mixed modern slang with some older (perhaps more commonly known) slang. If you don't know the slang in any of the above sentences (in italics), please do not feel badly - this is one problem you don't need to worry about! If it makes you feel any better, I had to look up a few of these myself to make sure I was using them correctly! Our language is dynamic and ever-evolving – there is always more to learn!

Source: Erin Severs
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License.

Answer Key

1. Alyssa looked really hot (attractive) in her evening gown with matching bling jewelry.
2. Between doing my taxes and cleaning out the refrigerator, I had quite a morning of adulting (being responsible).
3. Pete was salty (upset) about his mom taking his X-Box away.
4. The citizens of our country need to get woke (become aware) about the problems of police violence toward people of color.          
5. Taylor spent the weekend messing around (working) with their turntables and sound system.