Step 112: The Formal Summit
Vocabulary mastery — Precision lexis: rare exact words
📖 Read — The Senate of the University
The university senate meets twice a year, and its English wears a suit of armor. The chair rises: “I move that the report be accepted and that every member be informed before Friday. It is essential that the committee be present when the vote is taken.” A hand rises at the back: “Seconded. And if I were the chair — which, happily, I am not — I would demand that the budget be submitted in full.” Laughter, then order.
The minutes will record the fixed phrases like carved stone: Please be advised that the library hours change in June. Pursuant to Article Four, the undersigned hereby declare the session open. Should you require assistance, do not hesitate to contact the office. Effective immediately, the new rules apply. This register is not for daily life — it is a ceremonial instrument. At C2, you don't live on the summit; you know how to climb it when the ceremony calls.
🧩 Grammar — The Subjunctive and Formal Fixed Phrases
The SUBJUNCTIVE survives in formal American English in three rooms: 1. Mandative: after demand / require / insist / essential / important + that — use the BASE form for everyone: We demand that he BE present; that she SUBMIT (no -s!) the form. 2. The were-subjunctive: If I were you…; I wish it were Friday. 3. Fixed formulas: Be that as it may…, Suffice it to say…, Far be it from me… The formal phrase bank: hereby (by this act), pursuant to (according to a rule), the undersigned (the person who signed), please be advised that…, in due course (at the proper time), effective immediately, do not hesitate to…
- It is essential that every member be present.
- The board requires that the report be submitted.
- If I were rector, I would act.
- Please be advised that hours change in June.
🏗️ Key structures
- It is essential / important that ___ + BASE verb — It is essential that she be told.
- demand / require / insist that ___ + BASE verb — They insist that he resign.
- Should you require ___, do not hesitate to ___ — Should you require help, do not hesitate to call.
⭐ Idiom & natural phrases
You will receive the documents in due course.
🔤 New words
hand in a document formally for a decision
Submit the form by Friday.
by means of this act or statement (legal and ceremonial)
You are hereby informed.
in accordance with a law or rule (pursuant to…)
Pursuant to Article Four, the meeting opens.
the person whose signature is at the end of the document
I, the undersigned, agree to the terms.
absolutely necessary; it triggers the subjunctive (It is essential that…)
It is essential that he attend.
a formal proposal made in a meeting (I move that…)
The motion passed by one vote.
agreement with a rule (in accordance with…)
In accordance with the rules, we vote today.
pause before doing something (do not hesitate to = please do it freely)
Do not hesitate to ask questions.
🎧 Say it with me
It is essential that every member be present. I move that the report be submitted in full. Please be advised: the summit rewards precision.
🎤 Your turn to speak
Deliver a ceremonial minute: open with 'I move that… be…', use one subjunctive demand, and close with 'in due course'.
Say it out loud three times. Even better: record it on your phone and listen — your ear is your best teacher.
✍️ Your turn to write
Write a formal notice (5 sentences) from a club or university. Use two mandative subjunctives and two fixed phrases (hereby, please be advised, pursuant to, effective immediately).
See a model answer
Please be advised that the library will close for repairs from June 10 to June 14. Pursuant to the safety code, it is essential that every reader be registered at the front desk upon entry. The board requires that all borrowed books be returned by June 9. Normal hours resume on June 15, effective immediately upon reopening. Should you require assistance, do not hesitate to contact the office.
Self-check: capital letters? Full stops? Did you use the grammar of this step?
📝 Quick check
Go deeper
This step is a doorway — the full lesson goes much further:
The Subjunctive & Formal Patterns — full lesson + 50-question quiz
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