Tutoring high school English, you focus on essay writing.  The tutor discusses an issue he remembers from long ago….

One time when I was in grade two (yes, that long ago), we were writing stories for creative writing.  Our desks were in straight columns that faced the blackboard.  The teacher was circulating the classroom, making sure we were working and offering help if needed.

The teacher stopped a couple of desks down from mine:

“What are you writing there?” she asked.

“I got mad at my brother,” was the confident reply.

“Dogs get mad; people get angry.”

While I was sure I’d seen someone get “mad”, I didn’t speak.  Back then, speaking out was risky.

The teacher was giving good advice that day; she usually did.  From then on, I made a point of not using “mad” in school assignments.  Later on, in my own short stories, I probably did use it, but then I could claim creative license.

The teacher’s point – although she didn’t explain – was that, in formal English, “mad” means “insane”.  The emotional state of being “very displeased” or “hot under the collar” is described, formally, as being angry.

A high school or college student might develop a false sense of security about English; in many contexts, the rules continue to relax.  However, to my knowledge, the professors are as tough as ever.  In an essay, formal English is usually expected, meaning that the student has no creative license.  Check with your professor beforehand – or else just play it safe and stick with formality.

I’ll be covering more topics about formal writing in future posts:)

Source:

Crews, Frederick.  The Random House Handbook.  New York:
    Random House, Inc.,1974.

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.