CEFR C1-C2 · 5 min
As a restaurant manager in Sydney, I used four different Englishes in one shift. With kitchen staff: ‘Check if the lamb’s ready.’ With a VIP guest: ‘I understand the table wasn’t quite to your satisfaction this evening.’ With a supplier: ‘We’ll need that confirmed in writing by close of business.’ With my wife on the phone: ‘I’m knackered, home by two.’ Same person. Four registers. English is not one language — it is several, stacked.
Today's focus: Register spectrum: informal → neutral → formal → official; markers of each
Four register markers to shift:
- Contractions: I’m/I am · can’t/cannot · it’s/it is (fewer = more formal)
- Vocabulary: get → obtain · buy → purchase · start → commence · help → assist · now → at this juncture
- Sentence structure: short/simple (informal) vs complex/subordinated (formal)
- Politeness distance: direct (informal) vs indirect/hedged (formal)
Register mismatch — using formal vocabulary in casual chat, or slang in an official letter — is one of the most common C1-C2 errors. It sounds more wrong than a grammar mistake.
Examples in context
Try it — click to reveal the answer
▶ Identify the register: ‘Should you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.’
This level of formality is appropriate in legal documents, formal correspondence, and official notices — not everyday emails.
▶ Find the register mismatch: ‘Dear Sir/Madam, I am totally gutted to inform you that your application was unsuccessful.’
Correct: ‘I regret to inform you…’ Register must be consistent throughout any piece of writing.
▶ Which register fits an email to a new client you haven’t met? (a) Very informal (b) Neutral-to-formal (c) Official
First contact with an unknown professional: always neutral-to-formal. You can drop to neutral once you’ve established a relationship.
Register mismatch sounds worse than a grammar mistake. Identify your audience first, then choose your register. Formal ≠ better. Appropriate = better. Check for consistency throughout every document.
Independent project; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification. Cambridge CELTA course completed — 120 supervised teaching hours and four written assignments validated to the required standard.
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