Formal register — passive and impersonal it
Upgrade informal updates into report style: postpone not *put off*, passive bundles, and It is anticipated that…
Unit 3 register shifts. Grammar focus: how formal reports hide the agent with passive and impersonal structures.
A — Sample sentences
Register upgrades: implement, postpone, investigate, ensure, in line with.
1) Passive for formal reports
- The launch was postponed until Q3. (not: We put off the launch)
- The policy will be implemented next quarter.
- The incident is being investigated by Compliance.
- Updated materials were distributed to all regional offices.
2) Impersonal it + passive
- It is anticipated that costs will increase by eight percent.
- It has been established that the delay stemmed from a supplier issue.
- It was agreed that training would be completed before go-live.
- It is recommended that all staff contact their line manager.
3) Light nominalisation (noun instead of verb)
Formal writing often uses noun phrases.
- The implementation of the plan begins Monday. (not: When we implement…)
- A full investigation was carried out. (not: We investigated fully)
- The distribution of resources is in line with policy.
- Postponement of the review was unavoidable.
The rest of this lesson is in the General English course:
- B — Informal → formal
Try it: Formal passive
Choose the best formal sentence.
- Which line fits a board memo?
(a) We're putting off the launch. (b) The launch was postponed. (c) We put off the launch yesterday. - Compliance ___ the incident now.
(a) is investigating (b) is being investigated (c) investigates - ___ that all sites will receive the update by Friday.
(a) We anticipate (b) It is anticipated (c) Anticipating
Check your answers in the course — it marks them instantly. This is one of the unit's 2 exercises; the other one is in the General English course too.
Practise this unit in the course →