Making Polite Requests in Email, Part 2
2022-08-05
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1In this week's Everyday Grammar report, we will continue telling about how to communicate politely in emails.
2Murat, a reader of our website, asked if we could talk about how to open and close our emails when making a polite request.
3Thank you, Murat, for this idea.
4Today, we will talk about greetings, how we can close our emails and finish our discussion about polite requests.
5To set a good tone for your request, consider the subject heading, the opening and the closing of your email.
6Some greetings include:
7Dear (name of receiver),
8"Dear" is considered very formal.
9Hello (name of receiver),
10"Hello" is an acceptable greeting, but it is less formal.
11If the person answers with a less formal greeting, like "hi" or "hey," then this is a signal that they prefer a less formal tone.
12You may want to change how you answer them.
13For closings, express your appreciation and remind the receiver that you expect an answer.
14You could say something like this:
15I really appreciate your help. I look forward to your reply.
16Thank you for taking your time to read this email. I hope to hear from you soon!
17Some simple ways to end the message include:
18Sincerely, (followed by your name)
19Similar endings are:
20All the best,
21Best wishes,
22Thanks,
23Or
24Thank you,
25These are all common, formal expressions to politely close your emails.
26When making a request by email, we want to show awareness of the receiver's situation.
27To do this, we use hedging expressions to soften what we want to say.
28Hedging expressions let the writer of the email say what they want to say but in a less direct way and more politely. For example, one could say:
29I'm sorry to bother you, but would you have time to review this report?
30I know you're busy, but if you get some free time later, would you like to meet up for coffee?
31This is a lot to ask, but do you mind waiting for me? I'm almost finished.
32The hedging expressions come before the word "but" in the questions.
33The request comes after.
34These expressions show the receiver of the email that we understand their situation.
35We can also use the words "possible" and "possibly," when hedging a request.
36These words express the probability or chance of the request being fulfilled.
37Let us look at these examples:
38Could you possibly drive me to the train station later?
39Is there any possible way for you to meet me downtown?
40When using "possibly" with a modal verb like "could," it shows the receiver that you are even more aware that the request might not be fulfilled.
41Giving the receiver the chance to say "no," makes the request more polite.
42When making polite requests, we can offer a good thought or action to balance the request.
43For example, you can show your appreciation or thankfulness.
44I would really appreciate the favor.
45The verb "appreciate" is a transitive verb, which means it takes a direct object.
46You can add the adverb "really" to strengthen the expression.
47You can also offer something in exchange for the request. For example, you could say:
48I owe you a favor.
49Or
50I can cover for you next time.
51"To owe someone a favor" means that you will return a kindness or service to someone because they have done something for you.
52"To cover for someone" means that you will take their place for a task next time.
53You can include a reason for the request. This could be an explanation or an excuse.
54For example you could say:
55Would you mind reading my essay? I'd like really like your feedback.
56Or
57Would it be okay if we reschedule our lunch for next week? I'm not feeling well today.
58In these examples, the reason is a separate statement that comes after the request.
59We do not always need a reason for the request, but giving a reason makes the request more polite, and the receiver may be more willing to help you.
60In today's Everyday Grammar, we looked at additional ways to express a request politely in an email.
61We can use hedging expressions and "possibly" to show awareness of the receiver's situation.
62We can offer a good thought or action to balance a request.
63We can include a reason to support the request.
64And be aware of your openings and closings in emails.
65A formal and thoughtful greeting can make your request more likely to receive the answer you hoped for.
66I'm Faith Pirlo.
67And I'm Jill Robbins.
1In this week's Everyday Grammar report, we will continue telling about how to communicate politely in emails. 2Murat, a reader of our website, asked if we could talk about how to open and close our emails when making a polite request. 3Thank you, Murat, for this idea. 4Today, we will talk about greetings, how we can close our emails and finish our discussion about polite requests. 5Openings and closings 6To set a good tone for your request, consider the subject heading, the opening and the closing of your email. 7Some greetings include: 8Dear (name of receiver), 9"Dear" is considered very formal. 10Hello (name of receiver), 11"Hello" is an acceptable greeting, but it is less formal. 12If the person answers with a less formal greeting, like "hi" or "hey," then this is a signal that they prefer a less formal tone. You may want to change how you answer them. 13For closings, express your appreciation and remind the receiver that you expect an answer. 14You could say something like this: 15I really appreciate your help. I look forward to your reply. 16Thank you for taking your time to read this email. I hope to hear from you soon! 17Some simple ways to end the message include: 18Sincerely, (followed by your name) 19Similar endings are: 20All the best, 21Best wishes, 22Thanks, 23Or 24Thank you, 25These are all common, formal expressions to politely close your emails. 26Know your situation 27When making a request by email, we want to show awareness of the receiver's situation. To do this, we use hedging expressions to soften what we want to say. Hedging expressions let the writer of the email say what they want to say but in a less direct way and more politely. For example, one could say: 28I'm sorry to bother you, but would you have time to review this report? 29I know you're busy, but if you get some free time later, would you like to meet up for coffee? 30This is a lot to ask, but do you mind waiting for me? I'm almost finished. 31The hedging expressions come before the word "but" in the questions. The request comes after. 32These expressions show the receiver of the email that we understand their situation. 33We can also use the words "possible" and "possibly," when hedging a request. These words express the probability or chance of the request being fulfilled. Let us look at these examples: 34Could you possibly drive me to the train station later? 35Is there any possible way for you to meet me downtown? 36When using "possibly" with a modal verb like "could," it shows the receiver that you are even more aware that the request might not be fulfilled. Giving the receiver the chance to say "no," makes the request more polite. 37Offering appreciation 38When making polite requests, we can offer a good thought or action to balance the request. 39For example, you can show your appreciation or thankfulness. 40I would really appreciate the favor. 41The verb "appreciate" is a transitive verb, which means it takes a direct object. 42You can add the adverb "really" to strengthen the expression. 43You can also offer something in exchange for the request. For example, you could say: 44I owe you a favor. 45Or 46I can cover for you next time. 47"To owe someone a favor" means that you will return a kindness or service to someone because they have done something for you. 48"To cover for someone" means that you will take their place for a task next time. 49Give a reason 50You can include a reason for the request. This could be an explanation or an excuse. 51For example you could say: 52Would you mind reading my essay? I'd like really like your feedback. 53Or 54Would it be okay if we reschedule our lunch for next week? I'm not feeling well today. 55In these examples, the reason is a separate statement that comes after the request. We do not always need a reason for the request, but giving a reason makes the request more polite, and the receiver may be more willing to help you. 56Closing thoughts 57In today's Everyday Grammar, we looked at additional ways to express a request politely in an email. We can use hedging expressions and "possibly" to show awareness of the receiver's situation. We can offer a good thought or action to balance a request. We can include a reason to support the request. And be aware of your openings and closings in emails. A formal and thoughtful greeting can make your request more likely to receive the answer you hoped for. 58I'm Faith Pirlo. 59And I'm Jill Robbins. 60Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 61___________________________________________________________________ 62Words in This Story 63politely - adv. to do something showing good behavior and respect for other people 64greeting - n. something that is said or done to show people that you are happy to meet or see them 65tone - n. a quality, feeling, or attitude expressed by the words that someone uses in speaking or writing 66formal - adj. following or according with established form, custom, or rule 67prefer - v. to like better or best; to favor 68appreciation - n. a feeling of being grateful or thankful for something 69awareness - n. the idea of knowing that something (such as a situation, condition or problem) exists. 70hedging expressions - n. (grammar) words or phrases used to soften what we say, making it more indirect to protect the receiver of the message 71modal verbs - n. (grammar) verbs that are used to express possibility, ability, or necessity. 72favor - n. a kind or helpful act that you do for someone 73feedback - n. helpful information or criticism that is give to someone for the purpose of improving performance or a product 74______________________________________________________________________ 75What other expressions do you use to politely request something in email? 76We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 77Write your comment in the box. 78Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. 79Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with "D" on it. 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