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Written and spoken, plain and polite
Japanese writing has two main styles. です・ます調 is polite and addressed to a reader; である調 (also called だ・である調) is impersonal and is the norm for reports, academic papers, newspapers and official documents. A new employee's first reports often come out stiff in である調, full of nominalizations and ～ものの, ～つつある and ～に伴い. Speech has its own switch. A former subordinate usually keeps speaking politely to a former boss, even after leaving the company, while the boss may use plain forms. Moving from "the cooperator" (協力隊の人) to a first name with さん is a small sign of acceptance in a town where newcomers are often named by role. This lesson reviews five points from years 2 and 3 — ものの, つつある, をきっかけに, わりに and どころか — the grammar of a first report home.