Every grammatical choice signals register. C2 mastery means controlling formality precisely — from intimate to frozen — and shifting register where required.
Frozen
legal, ceremonial, fixed — The party of the first part hereby agrees...
Formal
academic, professional — It is widely acknowledged that...
Consultative
workplace, business — Could you let me know whether...
Casual
friends, peers — Hey, can you tell me if...
Intimate
close family, lovers — Will you? (telegraphic)
Grammatical markers of register
Formal markers
Full forms: do not, cannot, it is
Inversion: Were I to..., Had I known...
Passive voice: It was decided that...
Nominalisation: The decision was...
Single-word verbs: discover, investigate
Informal markers
Contractions: don't, can't, it's
"If" + clause: If I were...
Active voice: We decided...
Verbal style: We decided to...
Phrasal verbs: find out, look into
Hedging vs directness
Formal hedge
It may be argued that this policy is misguided.
Direct opinion
This policy is misguided.
Formal hedge
There appears to be some confusion regarding the data.
Direct
The data is confusing.
Formal hedge
One might consider alternative explanations.
Direct
Consider alternatives.
Hedging is positive in academic and diplomatic discourse. It's evasive or weak in journalism and political rhetoric. Match style to genre.
Addressing the reader
"you" (direct, semi-formal)
You should consider all options. (manuals, journalism)
"one" (formal, impersonal)
One must take all factors into account. (essays)
"the reader" (academic)
The reader will note that...
"we" (inclusive, semi-formal)
We must consider the implications. (essays, speeches)
It-passive (most impersonal)
It is recommended that all factors be considered.
"I" — academic shift
Modern humanities increasingly accept "I" — but sciences still prefer passive.
Register clashes — most common
Contractions in formal essay
✗ The author doesn't make this clear. → ✓ The author does not make this clear.
Phrasal verbs in academic
✗ The researcher tried to find out... → ✓ The researcher attempted to discover...
Spoken intensifiers
✗ The results were really important. → ✓ The results were highly significant.
Formal in friendly email
✗ I should be most grateful if you would... (in casual email to a peer) → ✓ Could you...
Overhedging
✗ It may possibly be the case that there appears to be... (too many hedges stacked) → ✓ It appears that...
Common mistakes
In conclusion, I think it's a big problem.
→
In conclusion, the issue is of considerable significance.
academic essay: avoid "I think" + contractions + vague "big"
Hey, I would be most grateful if you would lend me a pen.
→
"Got a pen I could borrow?"
register clash — overformal in casual context
The researcher figured out the answer.
→
The researcher determined the answer.
academic prefers Latinate single-word verbs over phrasal