Register—appropriateness, not a scale of correctness
The formal register is typical of serious situations and communication with people we do not know well. The informal register is used for relaxed conversation with close friends or people we know well. There is a large neutral space between them.
The medium does not automatically determine the register: a presentation can be formal spoken language, while a message to a friend can be informal writing. First consider the audience, purpose, and situation, and then choose the grammar.
I will now explain the results.
I will now explain the results.
The full sentence is appropriate in a formal spoken presentation.
Running late. Be there at eight.
Running late. Be there at eight.
A short message with ellipsis is natural between close friends.
Full forms and contractions
Contractions such as I'm, we're, she's, and won't are very common in everyday speech and informal writing. In formal writing, people more often choose full forms: I am, we are, she has, and will not.
This is a tendency, not a rule: a contraction does not make a sentence ungrammatical, and a full form does not automatically make it polite. If a task requires a particular register, use the chosen form consistently.
formal writing more often: I am / will not; casual speech more often: I’m / won’t
We will not be able to attend the hearing.
We will not be able to attend the hearing.
The full form will not supports a formal written tone.
We won't make it tonight.
We won't make it tonight.
The contraction won't is natural in a casual message.
Ellipsis and full clauses
In informal messages, people often leave out an understandable subject or auxiliary verb: Need any help? instead of Do you need any help? This omission is called ellipsis.
In formal writing, a full clause is often more appropriate, with an explicit subject and the required verb form. Add an auxiliary verb only where the construction requires one. A short fragment is not automatically an error.
full question: Do you need help? → conversational omission: Need help?
Do you need any further information?
Do you need any further information?
The explicit subject and auxiliary do form a clear question.
Any questions?
Any questions?
In casual conversation, the full form Are there any questions? may be shortened to a fragment.
An explicit pronoun in a defining relative clause
In a defining relative clause that identifies the person needed, the object pronoun can be omitted: the person I called. It can also be retained: the person who/whom I called. Whom is especially associated with a more formal style; omission is also acceptable in many written texts. In a non-defining clause with commas, retain the pronoun.
A subject pronoun cannot be omitted: the person who called me, not the person called me, when we mean the person who made the call. In this rule, we practise register choice only where the pronoun is an object.
the person whom I called — more formal; the person I called — natural omission of the object pronoun
- object / O —
- Who or what an action affects: in I read a book, a book is the object.
- pronoun —
- A word used instead of naming a person or thing: I, you, she, it, they.
The consultant whom we interviewed sent a detailed plan.
The consultant whom we interviewed sent a detailed plan.
Whom is an explicit object and supports a formal tone.
The consultant we interviewed sent a plan.
The consultant we interviewed sent a plan.
The relative pronoun is omitted as an object; the defining clause remains grammatical.
Indirect requests
Can you ...? can be a natural neutral or informal request. Could you ...? and would you ...? sound more indirect and polite; in formal writing, the frame I would be grateful if you could ... is useful.
After the modal could, use the base form without to. After Would you mind, use the -ing form. Formality does not equal length: the short request Could you confirm the date, please? can be entirely appropriate.
I would be grateful if + subject + could + base form; Would you mind + V-ing?
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
- verb / V —
- A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
- V1 / base form —
- The base verb without to: work, go, be.
- V-ing / -ing —
- The verb form ending in -ing: working, going. Its role depends on the construction.
I would be grateful if you could confirm the date.
I would be grateful if you could confirm the date.
The indirect conditional frame is appropriate in a formal request.
Can you check the date?
Can you check the date?
A more direct question is natural between people who know each other; it is not grammatically worse.
Impersonal constructions and the passive
In a formal report or announcement, the decision or result may be more important than the person who made it. In that case, the passive or the frame It has been decided that ... moves the agent out of focus.
The active voice is often clearer when the agent is important: The team decided to postpone the meeting. The passive is not required throughout a formal text, and the active voice is not automatically informal.
impersonal: It + form of be + V3 + that + message; passive: subject + form of be + V3
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
- V3 / past participle —
- The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
It has been decided that the meeting will take place online.
It has been decided that the meeting will take place online.
The focus is on the decision that was made, not on who voted.
The committee decided to hold the meeting online.
The committee decided to hold the meeting online.
The active voice is appropriate if the committee is an important part of the message.
Consistency and carrying register into speech
In a real text, several signals work together. A formal request may combine a full form, an indirect request, and a full clause; a friendly message may use contractions, ellipsis, and short sentences.
You do not need to mechanically make every formal sentence passive or long. Choose only the devices that serve the specific purpose, and do not call another grammatical register an error.
I would be grateful if you could provide an update. I will be available after two o'clock.
I would be grateful if you could provide an update. I will be available after two o'clock.
The full form and indirect request are consistent with a formal message.
Got an update? I'm free after two.
Got an update? I'm free after two.
Ellipsis and contractions create a natural friendly version of the same meaning.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:I would be grateful if you could to send the report.
Correct:I would be grateful if you could send the report.
After the modal could, use the base form without to.
Incorrect:It has decided that the meeting will move online.
Correct:It has been decided that the meeting will move online.
In the impersonal passive, use has + been + past participle.
Incorrect:Would you mind to wait outside?
Correct:Would you mind waiting outside?
After mind in this construction, use the -ing form.
Incorrect:The candidate which we interviewed was excellent.
Correct:The candidate whom we interviewed was excellent.
For a person, use whom, who, or that here, not which.
Incorrect:Do you could send me the form, please?
Correct:Could you send me the form, please?
In a question with the modal could, invert Could you ...? and do not add the auxiliary do.