128 Unit 08 | Culture vulture Work in groups. Which of the following would you consider ‘high culture’ and ‘low culture’? If any are a mix of both, what elements of ‘high culture’ and ‘low culture’ do you see in them? (You can listen to the music online if you need to.) a the song Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush, which is based on Emily Brontë’s novel of the same name b the soundtrack of the Netflix series Bridgerton, which consists of orchestral covers of pop songs c an art installation by the Austrian artist Erwin Wurm which consists entirely of pickled gherkins3 d the poem Art takes time by the Instapoet Atticus SPEAKING 12 art installation by Erwin Wurm In your group, create a piece of art that combines elements of ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture. It could be a song, poem, painting, play, video … Present your artwork to the class. Explain which parts reflect ‘high’ and which reflect ‘low’ culture. Work alone. Explain your reaction to one of the artworks your classmates presented: a in a text message to a friend b in an email to your art teacher What are the differences between these two texts? Language for formal writing Together with a partner, discuss what you remember about formal and informal language. If you need help, go back to p. 30. What kinds of texts should be written in formal language? Give reasons for your choices. Then read the tips on formal writing below. 13 a b WRITING 14 LANGUAGE 15 a b 3 pickled gherkins: Essiggurken 4 For more examples, see way2go! 6, pp. 125 and 129. 1 Don’t use contractions like don’t, won’t or can’t. Instead, write do not, will not or cannot. 2 Avoid addressing the readers, e.g. You can see. Write It can be seen instead. 3 When expressing your opinion, avoid phrases like I think going to the theatre is a great idea. Instead just write Going to the theatre is a great idea and support your opinion with relevant details (reasons, examples) to sound more objective. 4 Use passive structures to avoid vague references to unknown people. For instance, instead of saying Many people know that Shakespeare wrote comedies and tragedies, say It is widely known that Shakespeare … 5 Use formal linking devices4 where appropriate to make more complex sentences. For example: moreover, not only – but also, however, in comparison, yet, in spite of, although, whereas, in addition, as well as, nevertheless, provided that, therefore, thus, consequently, etc. 6 Avoid using phrasal verbs and basic vocabulary if possible. Instead, use more formal expressions with the same or a similar meaning. Be careful: Only use the more formal alternatives if you fully understand their meaning. For instance, big could be replaced with enormous, immense, large, huge, great or massive, but each of these adjectives collocates with different nouns. Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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