<p>Is it formal English to use the word “said” instead of “that” & “those”?
Which is preferred?</p>
<p>Ex:-
He always deals with problems in quite and realistic ways. I find those ways helpful.
OR
He always deals with problems in quite and realistic ways. I find said ways helpful.</p>
<p>If both are formal, which is better?</p>
<p>Yes, “said” is generally more formal. In your example sentences (ignoring other issues), “those” better fits the formality of the rest of the sentence.</p>
<p>If I were writing a grumpy email to an attorney, and wanted to put on my Person Qualified to Contradict Attorneys voice, I might say, “I have a number of concerns with your draft of the LLC’s operating agreement. Please give me a call to discuss said concerns; I find it inefficient to propose overarching revisions by email.”</p>
<p>If I were writing a concerned email to a client, and wanted to put on my Friendly and Helpful voice, I might say, “I have a number of concerns with your attorney’s draft of the LLC’s operating agreement. Please give me a call to discuss those concerns; I think that will be faster and easier than trying to write them all up in an email.”</p>
<p>That and those are never wrong, and (in my opinion) always preferable to said.</p>
<p>Are you asking about writing your essay for SAT/ACT? I cannot imagine a circumstance in which it would be better to use said in an essay for one of those tests.</p>