フォーマルvsインフォーマル英語：レジスター完全ガイド

語彙のレジスター

"commence / start"

"Commence" is formal; "start" is neutral/informal

"Formal: The meeting will commence at 9 a.m. Informal: Let's start the meeting."

語彙のレジスター

"request / ask"

"Request" is formal; "ask" is everyday informal

"Formal: We kindly request your presence. Informal: Can you ask him to come?"

語彙のレジスター

"assist / help"

"Assist" is formal; "help" is informal and conversational

"Formal: I would be happy to assist you. Informal: Can I help you with that?"

語彙のレジスター

"obtain / get"

"Obtain" is formal; "get" is informal

"Formal: You may obtain a copy from reception. Informal: You can get a copy there."

語彙のレジスター

"terminate / end"

"Terminate" is formal; "end" or "finish" are informal

"Formal: The contract will be terminated. Informal: The deal is ending."

語彙のレジスター

"endeavour / try"

"Endeavour" is highly formal; "try" is everyday

"Formal: We will endeavour to resolve the issue. Informal: We'll try to fix it."

語彙のレジスター

"sufficient / enough"

"Sufficient" is formal; "enough" is informal

"Formal: The evidence is sufficient. Informal: There's enough proof."

語彙のレジスター

"consequently / so"

"Consequently" is formal; "so" is informal

"Formal: Consequently, the project was delayed. Informal: So we were late."

文の構造

"passive vs active voice"

Formal writing uses passive; informal uses active

"Formal: The report was submitted by the team. Informal: The team submitted the report."

文の構造

"long complex sentences"

Formal register uses complex multi-clause sentences

"Formal: Notwithstanding the challenges encountered, the committee reached a unanimous decision."

文の構造

"contractions avoided"

Formal writing avoids contractions

"Formal: It is not possible. Informal: It's not possible."

文の構造

"sentence fragments"

Informal speech and writing often use fragments

"Informal: Sounds good. See you then. Formal: That proposal sounds good. I look forward to seeing you."

文の構造

"impersonal constructions"

Formal text often avoids "I" with impersonal phrases

"Formal: It is recommended that… Informal: I recommend that you…"

文の構造

"subordinate clauses"

Formal writing stacks subordinate clauses

"Formal: Given that the deadline has been extended, it may be advisable to revise the scope."

文の構造

"modal verbs for softening"

Formal uses "would", "may", "might"; informal uses "will", "can"

"Formal: Could you please review this? Informal: Can you check this?"

文の構造

"ellipsis in speech"

Informal speech drops words; formal uses complete sentences

"Informal: Coming tomorrow? Formal: Will you be attending tomorrow?"

挨拶と締め

"Dear Mr/Ms [Surname]"

Standard formal salutation in letters and emails

"Dear Ms Johnson, I am writing to enquire about the position advertised."

挨拶と締め

"Hi / Hey [First name]"

Informal greeting used with colleagues or friends

"Hi Sarah, just wanted to check in about the report."

挨拶と締め

"To Whom It May Concern"

Formal opening when the recipient is unknown

"To Whom It May Concern: I am writing on behalf of our organisation."

挨拶と締め

"Yours sincerely / Yours faithfully"

Formal closings for letters; "sincerely" when name is known

"Yours sincerely, David Hughes. (Used when the name is in the opening.)"

挨拶と締め

"Best regards / Kind regards"

Semi-formal email closing, widely used professionally

"Kind regards, Anna. This works in most professional email contexts."

挨拶と締め

"Cheers / Take care"

Informal sign-offs used with people you know well

"Cheers, Tom. (Used in internal emails or messages with close colleagues.)"

挨拶と締め

"Good morning/afternoon"

Formal greeting at the start of a meeting or call

"Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining today's session."

挨拶と締め

"What's up? / How's it going?"

Very informal greetings used with friends or close peers

"What's up? Haven't seen you in ages!"

メールのレジスター

"I am writing to inform you"

Formal phrase to state the purpose of an email

"I am writing to inform you that your application has been received."

メールのレジスター

"Just a quick note"

Informal opener for a brief message

"Just a quick note to let you know I'll be out of office on Friday."

メールのレジスター

"Please find attached"

Formal phrase to indicate an attachment

"Please find attached the revised proposal for your consideration."

メールのレジスター

"I've attached / Here's the file"

Informal way to mention an attachment

"I've attached the file — let me know what you think!"

メールのレジスター

"I would appreciate it if you could"

Formal polite request in email

"I would appreciate it if you could review the document by Thursday."

メールのレジスター

"Could you…? / Can you…?"

Semi-formal and informal ways to make a request

"Could you send me the report? / Can you send it over?"

メールのレジスター

"I look forward to hearing from you"

Formal closing statement in professional emails

"I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience."

メールのレジスター

"Let me know / Get back to me"

Informal requests for a response

"Let me know if you have any questions. Get back to me when you can."

アカデミックレジスター

"This paper argues that"

Standard formal phrase to state a thesis

"This paper argues that climate change disproportionately affects low-income communities."

アカデミックレジスター

"I think / I believe"

Informal opinion markers, generally avoided in academic writing

"Informal: I think this is important. Academic: The evidence suggests this is significant."

アカデミックレジスター

"Furthermore / Moreover / In addition"

Formal discourse markers to add information

"Furthermore, the data indicates a significant correlation between the two variables."

アカデミックレジスター

"The findings suggest"

Hedged academic language for reporting results

"The findings suggest a strong positive correlation between stress and absenteeism."

アカデミックレジスター

"It can be argued that"

Formal academic phrase for presenting a position

"It can be argued that early intervention produces better long-term outcomes."

アカデミックレジスター

"lots of / a lot of"

Informal quantifiers avoided in formal academic writing

"Informal: A lot of studies show this. Academic: Numerous studies demonstrate this."

アカデミックレジスター

"Notwithstanding"

Formal concessive connective used in academic and legal writing

"Notwithstanding these limitations, the results remain statistically significant."

アカデミックレジスター

"As evidenced by"

Formal phrase to introduce supporting evidence

"As evidenced by the data in Table 2, output increased by 34% in the second quarter."

話し言葉のレジスター

"gonna / going to"

"Gonna" is informal spoken; "going to" is neutral to formal

"Informal: I'm gonna call him later. Formal: I am going to contact him this afternoon."

話し言葉のレジスター

"wanna / want to"

"Wanna" is very informal; avoided in any formal context

"Informal: Do you wanna join? Formal: Would you like to attend?"

話し言葉のレジスター

"kind of / sort of"

Hedging expressions common in informal speech

"Informal: It's kind of complicated. Formal: It is somewhat complex."

話し言葉のレジスター

"yeah / yes"

"Yeah" is very informal; "yes" is neutral to formal

"Informal: Yeah, that works for me. Formal: Yes, that would be acceptable."

話し言葉のレジスター

"you know / I mean"

Filler phrases typical of informal spoken English

"Informal: It was, you know, quite difficult. (Not used in formal speech.)"

話し言葉のレジスター

"basically / literally"

Overused informal adverbs common in casual speech

"Informal: I basically did all the work. Formal: I completed the majority of the work."

話し言葉のレジスター

"hang on / one moment please"

"Hang on" is informal; "one moment" is formal

"Informal: Hang on, let me check. Formal: One moment, please. I will verify that."

話し言葉のレジスター

"to be honest / frankly speaking"

"To be honest" is informal; "frankly" is more formal

"Informal: To be honest, I disagree. Formal: Frankly, I hold a different view."