There are differences in how language is used in speaking versus writing. Verb tenses, forms, and voices are used differently, with present and simple verb forms predominating in speech. Speech uses short utterances rather than complete sentences and does not use punctuation or layout. It allows for corrections and relies on tone, volume, and pacing to provide context. Writing is usually permanent and can communicate across distances, while speech is transient unless recorded and used for immediate interactions.

1. Speaking and Writing
How words are used differently in speech and writing. (E.G. Asleep is much
more common in speech than in writing.)
There is also evidence that we use verb tenses differently in speaking and
writing. For example, in speech present verb forms outnumber past verb forms
by a factor of and simple verb forms are significantly more common in speech
than in writing.

2.  In speech it appears that passive verb forms are used only rarely, whereas
will, would and can are much more common. For example,
in conversation we tend to take turns rather than speak in well-formed
sentences, e.g.
A: Biscuit?
B: Yeah.
A: Here .
 In face-to-face spontaneous conversation we are likely to use small units
of conservation (biscuit, yeah, here) rather than long sentences. Indeed,
rather than using sentences, we tend to organize utterances into different
tone units. ( this indicates two people speaking at the same time.)

3.  There are other differences, too;
 Writing is usually permanent and written texts cannot usually be changed once they
have been printed/written out.
 Speech is usually transient, unless recorded, and speakers can correct themselves
and change their utterances as they go along.
 A written text can communicate across time and space for as long as the particular
language and writing system is still understood.
 Speech is usually used for immediate interactions.
 Writers can make use of punctuation, headings, layout, colours and other graphical
effects in their written texts. Such things are not available in speech
 Speech can use timing, tone, volume, and timbre to add emotional context.
 Notes: Some types of vocabulary are used only or mainly in speech. These include
slang expressions, “Hey, what’s up?” , “Um, the sky?”

4.  It is also noticeable that speakers often start sentences and then abandon them (but I
thought.../ you know when I was in town...) They use hesitators such as (erm) and (you
know to buy thinking time)
 Also we use echo questions (e.g. Istanbul? you went to Istanbul?) to keep the
conservation going or to check that we have understood, and we employ response
forms (e.g. Yeah, OK, got you, right) to acknowledge requests and points made.
 None of these features occur in writing (unless we are providing written transcripts of
spontaneous speech).

5.  We need to remember that speaking is not one single entity; there are major differences
between the language of informal conversation and the language a prepared lecture.
 On the other hand, Internet chat using a keyboard is more like speaking than writing.
 We have seen that face to face speakers have a number of features to help them indicate
attitude, intimacy, etc. These include intonation, tone of voice and body movement.
Writing cannot use these, but it has its own range of signs and symbols, such as
 dashes
 Exclamation marks
 new paragraphs
 , commas
 CAPITAL letters , etc

6.  There are many commercially produced graphics of this kind, but many people simply
use keyboards to produce a range of helpful visuals to express feeling, such as smiley
faces  or unhappy faces 
 All the differences between writing and speaking it is worth remembering that the vast
majority of grammatical items and words are just much at home in informal speech as
they are in more formal writing.
 They are not different systems, but rather variations on the same system.