ChatterFox How to Make Polite Requests in American Business English
ChatterFox How to Make Polite Requests in American Business English breaks a polite request into three parts: a softener, the request itself in plain words, and a reason where one helps. It then gives four patterns, from could you to would you mind, I was wondering if and do you think you could, sets each beside the direct command it replaces, and carries the patterns into email with a sample message.
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How It Helps Your Business English
The article sets out why a request is phrased carefully in American workplaces, then gives a three-part formula: a softener, the action asked for, and a reason when one helps. Four patterns follow, each with examples and the blunt command it replaces, with sections on adding a deadline without sounding pushy and on making the same request by email, including a sample message.
You learn the three-part formula first, then choose the pattern that matches how much you are asking for and who you are asking. Set your own sentence beside the direct version given for each pattern to hear the difference, and keep the email example as a model for the next request you have to put in writing. The section on deadlines is worth reading before you ask for anything urgent.
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