Writing polite e-mails Practice 3

Write an e-mail for each of these cases. According to the situation, use a more or less formal register.

1.       It’s April. You have just seen this great offer online, a long weekend in Stockholm return flight + hotel at a very affordable price. You were not supposed to go on holidays until summer but you don’t want to miss this cheap getaway. You certainly have the right to take some days off but your boss is not a very friendly person. Write him a polite e-mail asking if you can take a few days off.

2.       You have asked your colleague for some help understanding a report that is a bit outside your area of expertise. You really need to get his feedback to continue your work. You told him you were in a hurry but a week after you still haven’t got an answer. Send him a reminder asking about the state of it. The purpose of the e-mail is pushing him a bit but it should nevertheless be polite.

3.       Your data provider has sent the monthly report. The new intern must have done it because you spotted lots of mistakes. Write an e-mail and tell your main contact in a polite way.

4.       You just got a written proposal from your supplier with an exorbitant price. You are really looking forward to carrying out this project but you cannot afford it. Tell them in a polite e-mail that you need them to give you a better price.

5.       Your client is in a hurry to get some report from you. You know that you won’t be able to deliver on time no matter how many hours you put into it. This is a new client so you really want to make a good impression and this is not a good start. Write an e-mail to your client giving them the heads up.

Answers: there is no such thing as the perfect e-mails but there are certain ways to sound more polite. Check out some Tips for Writing Polite E-mails here.