Korean Formal Written Register: -(으)므로, 에 의하여, -는다
Formal Korean writing uses -는다, not 해요: 규정을 위반했으므로 책임을 진다 (because they broke the rule, they take responsibility), 법에 의하여 정해진다 (is determined by law), 통계에 의하면 인구가 줄고 있다 (according to statistics, the population is shrinking) — the register of TOPIK II essays and reports.
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
Formal Korean writing drops 해요 and runs on -는다, plus two bookish connectors. -(으)므로 is the written “because/therefore” (규정을 위반했으므로 책임을 진다 — because they broke the rule, they take responsibility). 에 의하여 / 에 의해(서) marks a basis or agent (법에 의하여 정해진다 — is determined by law; 전문가에 의해 분석되었다 — was analyzed by experts). And 에 의하면 reports a source (통계에 의하면 인구가 줄고 있다 — according to statistics, the population is shrinking). This is the register of TOPIK II essays and official reports — the top of Chapter 7’s formal stage.
Chapter 7 has walked you up the formality ladder: the job interview in spoken 합니다체, presentations with -으며 and -으로써. Now we reach the most formal rung of all — written Korean, the flat -는다 register from Grade 3’s diary lesson, but armed with the connectors essays actually need. This is your TOPIK II Writing #54 prep. Start with the vocabulary of writing itself.
Twelve words for formal writing
These are the words you’ll use to talk about register, structure, and the kinds of texts that demand 문어체.
The plain written endings — -ㄴ다/-는다 (a quick refresher)
Formal writing never uses 해요. Instead, verbs take -ㄴ다 after a vowel and -는다 after a consonant; adjectives and 이다 stay in the plain dictionary form -다; the past is -았/었다 and the future is -(으)ㄹ 것이다. You met this in the diary lesson; here it becomes the backbone of essays and reports.
인구가 빠르게 줄어든다 = the population is shrinking fast (verb after vowel) 정부가 대책을 마련한다 = the government prepares countermeasures (verb) 이 자료는 매우 객관적이다 = this data is very objective (adjective → plain -다) 연구 결과가 발표되었다 = the research results were announced (past) 앞으로 변화는 더 커질 것이다 = the change will grow larger (future)
The verb/adjective split is the trap: 인구가 줄어든다 (verb, -ㄴ다) but 자료가 객관적이다 (adjective, plain -다). Read your draft and check each sentence-ending word — if it’s a verb, it needs -ㄴ다/-는다; if it’s a description or a noun, leave -다.
Because, formally — -(으)므로
To say “because / since” in formal writing — the essay’s logical glue — attach -(으)므로 to the stem. Unlike spoken -아서, it allows the past tense and even commands in the main clause, which makes it precise for stating cause and consequence.
규정을 위반했으므로 책임을 진다 = because they broke the rule, they take responsibility 비가 왔으므로 행사가 취소되었다 = because it rained, the event was canceled 자원이 부족하므로 절약이 필요하다 = because resources are scarce, saving is needed 근거가 충분하므로 결론은 타당하다 = since the grounds are sufficient, the conclusion is valid 이는 명백한 사실이므로 의심할 수 없다 = since this is a clear fact, it cannot be doubted
Attach it to the stem (먹다 → 먹으므로, 크다 → 크므로, 이다 → 이므로), and use the past stem -았/었으므로 when the cause is already completed (위반했으므로, 왔으므로). In speech you’d reach for -아서/-니까; on the page, -(으)므로 reads clean and logical.
By, according to — 에 의하여 / 에 의해(서) / 에 의하면
To mark a basis, cause, or passive agent — “by / due to / determined by” — use 에 의하여 (most formal) or 에 의해(서) (slightly lighter). To report a source — “according to” — use 에 의하면. These attach to a noun and fill formal writing wherever English would say “by” or “according to.”
이 제도는 법에 의하여 정해진다 = this system is determined by law 자료는 전문가에 의해 분석되었다 = the data was analyzed by experts 도시는 전쟁에 의해서 파괴되었다 = the city was destroyed by the war 통계에 의하면 인구가 줄고 있다 = according to statistics, the population is shrinking 연구에 의하면 수면이 기억을 돕는다 = according to research, sleep aids memory
Keep the two senses apart: 에 의하여 / 에 의해 marks how or by what something happens (법에 의하여 정해진다 = set by law), while 에 의하면 introduces what a source says (통계에 의하면 = according to statistics). Both are pure 문어체 — in conversation you’d simply say 법으로 정해져요 or 통계를 보면.
해요체, 합니다체, or -는다 — which when?
Korean gives you three registers, and choosing wrong is the most common formal-writing mistake. 해요체 (와요, 좋아요) is warm spoken politeness — chats, casual talk. 합니다체 (옵니다, 좋습니다) is formal spoken style — presentations, interviews, announcements, the interview lesson. -는다 문어체 (온다, 좋다) is written style with no listener — essays, reports, news, TOPIK II #54. The rule of thumb: speaking to a person → 해요체 or 합니다체; writing to the page → -는다.
좋아요 → 좋습니다 → 좋다 = it’s good 먹어요 → 먹습니다 → 먹는다 = (someone) eats 갔어요 → 갔습니다 → 갔다 = went 학생이에요 → 학생입니다 → 학생이다 = is a student 중요해요 → 중요합니다 → 중요하다 = is important
Notice the written column drops both the listener and the politeness machinery: 좋다, not 좋습니다. A TOPIK essay written in 합니다체 looks over-polite and loses points; one written in 해요체 looks unfinished. The page wants -는다.
A reusable TOPIK II essay frame
Here’s a short formal paragraph using -는다, -(으)므로, and 에 의하여 / 에 의하면 — a skeleton you can adapt to almost any #54 prompt.
현대 사회에서 환경 문제는 점점 심각해지고 있다. 통계에 의하면 도시의 대기 오염이 매년 늘고 있다. 이러한 오염은 주로 자동차와 공장에 의해 발생한다. 환경이 나빠지면 건강에도 큰 영향을 주므로 대책이 시급하다. 따라서 정부와 개인이 함께 노력해야 한다. 즉, 작은 실천이 모여 큰 변화를 만든다.
Read it in pieces: 심각해지고 있다 / 늘고 있다 / 발생한다 are verbs in -는다; 통계에 의하면 reports the source; 자동차와 공장에 의해 names the agent; 주므로 gives the formal reason; 따라서 and 즉 stitch the logic. Swap the topic (환경 → 교육, 건강, 기술) and the frame still holds — that’s an essay paragraph that reads like a native one.
When to write 문어체 vs speak 해요체
Two friends sort out when each register belongs — a meta chat that doubles as the rule itself:
The chat itself is in spoken style — because there’s a listener — but the essay lines they quote (나빠진다, 필요하다) snap into 문어체. Same Korean, two registers: one for the person, one for the page.
FAQ
When do I use -(으)므로 instead of the spoken -아서/-니까 for ‘because’? All three mean ‘because,’ but they live in different registers. -(으)므로 is formal and written — it’s the ‘because/therefore’ of essays, reports, contracts, and TOPIK II writing: 규정을 위반했으므로 책임을 진다 (because they broke the rule, they take responsibility), 비가 왔으므로 행사가 취소되었다 (because it rained, the event was canceled). -아서/-니까 are the everyday spoken versions: 비가 와서 행사가 취소됐어요. Two notes on form: attach -(으)므로 to the stem (먹다 → 먹으므로, 크다 → 크므로), and use the past stem -았/었으므로 for a completed cause. Unlike -아서, -(으)므로 happily allows commands and the past tense in its main clause, which makes it precise for formal logic.
What’s the difference between 에 의하여, 에 의해(서), and 에 의하면? They share the root 의하다 (‘to depend on / be based on’) but split by job. 에 의하여 and 에 의해(서) are the same thing — 에 의하여 is the more formal, written spelling and 에 의해(서) the slightly lighter one — and both mean ‘by / due to,’ marking a basis or a passive agent: 법에 의하여 정해진다 (is determined by law), 전문가에 의해 분석되었다 (was analyzed by experts). 에 의하면 is the reporting form, ‘according to,’ used to introduce a source’s claim: 통계에 의하면 인구가 줄고 있다 (according to statistics, the population is shrinking), 뉴스에 의하면 (according to the news). Quick test: if you can say ‘by ___’ or ‘set by ___,’ use 에 의하여/에 의해; if you mean ‘according to ___ (says),’ use 에 의하면.
Do verbs and adjectives take the same -는다 ending in written style? No — this is the classic trap. VERBS add -ㄴ다 after a vowel (가다 → 간다, 오다 → 온다) or -는다 after a consonant (먹다 → 먹는다, 읽다 → 읽는다). ADJECTIVES and 이다 do NOT change — they stay in the plain dictionary form -다: 춥다 (it’s cold), 좋다 (it’s good), 객관적이다 (is objective), 학생이다 (is a student). So 인구가 줄어든다 (verb) but 결과가 객관적이다 (adjective). A quick test: if the 해요체 is 먹어요/와요 it’s a verb → -는다/-ㄴ다; if it’s 좋아요/추워요 it’s an adjective → leave it as -다. The past -았/었다 (갔다, 분석되었다) and future -(으)ㄹ 것이다 work the same for both.
Next: grade 4 review & mini TOPIK II. Previous: giving presentations — -으며, -으로써. Full path: curriculum hub.