Register in a Formal Letter
You are reading a short formal letter addressed to an institution. The writer is requesting a document and uses polite, deferential phrasing throughout. Midway through, one sentence shifts to a noticeably more casual, direct register - a bare imperative with a colloquial verb form - before returning to formal phrasing. A reading-comprehension question asks you to identify the writer's attitude toward the recipient. The answer options range from 'respectful and formal' to 'familiar and informal' to 'hostile'. The letter contains no explicit statement of feeling; the attitude must be inferred. You notice the casual sentence is the only place the writer gives a direct command rather than a request.
1. How should the single casual sentence affect your inference about the writer's overall attitude?
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The dominant register is formal and deferential, and that should carry the overall attitude judgment - a single lapse does not flip the whole letter to 'familiar and informal'. But the lapse is informative:
- It is the only direct command in an otherwise request-based letter, which signals a moment of impatience or urgency breaking through the politeness.
- Attitude questions test whether you can weigh prevailing tone against local deviation. The correct inference is 'predominantly respectful, with a flicker of impatience' - not 'hostile' (no hostility markers) and not purely 'familiar'.
So do not over-read one sentence, and do not ignore it. The safe answer sits between the extremes and accounts for both the formal frame and the one direct command.
2. One option says 'hostile'. What evidence would be needed to justify it, and is it present?
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To justify 'hostile' you would need markers such as insults, threats, sarcasm aimed at the recipient, or repeated blunt demands - a pattern, not a single shift. The setup gives:
- Polite, deferential phrasing throughout (contradicts hostility).
- One casual imperative (a mild register drop, at most impatience).
- No explicit negative evaluation of the recipient.
A single colloquial command is consistent with urgency, not hostility. Therefore 'hostile' is over-reading and should be eliminated. The exam lesson: extreme attitude labels require strong, repeated textual support; a lone register slip supports only a mild, qualified inference.