Slang

Slang is wonderful! I love collecting new slang words and sprinkling them into my writing or daily conversations. That being said, realize that slang has its place and that place is not on your writing portion of the HSGQE. Yes, if you are an experienced writer that understands the rules of Standard English, then you could possibly get away with including slang in your writing, but why take the risk?

My advice is to avoid the use of any slang when writing for the HSGQE. Below are some common slang words that you should avoid using in your formal writing assignments.

'cause - This word means because and it is acceptable from some teachers of English to use it (as long as you don't mean cause), but I would avoid using it on the HSGQE.

alot - This is a common word that is not. Don't use it!

cuz - This is slang for cousin and should be avoided.

kinda - Although it is common to hear this word in spoken language, it is not correct in written, formal language. Instead write it out as kind of.

24/7 - This term is slang for all the time (twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week) I like this one but I'd advise to avoid it in formal writing.

thru - This is a shortened version of through and is ubiquitous. Even so, avoid it because it will be marked as a misspelling.

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