How to write politely

It's important to achieve the right tone when you write. If you sound angry, impatient, or even over-formal, you risk alienating your reader.

This is especially important if you are writing to your boss. (See How to Write a Letter or Email to Your Boss for m more help.)

Here are some phrases which make you sound impatient when you write:

1. Could you please...

Putting "please" after "could you" makes it sound as if you have already asked the person to do something, and that you are reminding them again. It makes you sound exasperated with the other person. Instead, you could write "Please" at the beginning or the end of the sentence.

"Please could you send me the details of the insurance policy?"
"Could you send me the details of the insurance policy, please?"

Alternatively, omit "please", as using "could you" is already polite enough.

2. Would you be so kind as to...

This phrase makes you sound almost sarcastic, as if you think the other person is likely to refuse your request. In business, a person doesn't need to be "kind" to do something: it's generally their job!

Instead, use a phrase such as "Could you..." or "I'd be grateful if you could...." to make a request.

3. Kindly...

This word makes you sound angry, or that you think the other person is incompetent and can't do their job properly. It's much better to use a phrase such as "Could you.." to give instructions to someone.

4. Immediately / without further delay

Avoid using these. If something is urgent, use the following expressions:

"As this matter is urgent, I would appreciate a reply as soon as possible."
"I would be grateful for your prompt reply."
"I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible."
"I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience." (Slightly old-fashioned.)

29 thoughts on “How to write politely”

mmxia October 23rd 2014 at 19:11

great tips! thank you!!

oliuu November 25th 2014 at 10:51

"I'd be grateful if you could..." ??
I thought no could in if-clauses!?

Clare Post authorDecember 1st 2014 at 13:56

You can have both could and would in requests:
"I'd be grateful if you could send me a catalogue"
(As a reply to "Can I give you a hand?" you could say "If you wouldn't mind."

Annie Anish Oommen December 18th 2014 at 08:20

Very useful tips!
Thank you

ewelina February 5th 2015 at 22:03

thank you for this article, I found it very helpful :)

elisa June 10th 2015 at 16:49

very helpful

Ivan June 26th 2015 at 20:16

Wow! I was looking for these nuances for such a long time! Very helpful! Thnak You!

Pauder July 8th 2015 at 12:10

This is very helpful. Thanks very much

Nomzi July 20th 2015 at 14:04

Thank you . Great tips.

Aryo September 4th 2015 at 09:43

as non-native speaker... this helped me a lot...

MD OMAR AHMED November 13th 2015 at 11:39

right approach for learning english

hamed December 11th 2015 at 11:11

Thank you,, very helpful

Naksha February 5th 2016 at 07:46

Excellent tips!! Thank you very much!!

Widira April 8th 2016 at 04:53

Thank you, very helpful

Hoc April 18th 2016 at 16:55

Thanks, it's very helpful

Yoeperd May 27th 2016 at 13:52

Thought it to be nic

Mariam Khan August 5th 2016 at 08:07

If i wouldn't come..please tell me is it correct sentence or not?

Clare Post authorAugust 5th 2016 at 08:39

No. It should be either "If I didn't come" or "If I don't come" - depending on what conditional form you want to use. Check out our page on conditional sentences for more information: https://www.english-at-home.com/grammar/if-sentences/

Mauricio August 24th 2016 at 18:59

Thanks for that! Very useful =)

tifa November 24th 2016 at 03:38

thanks! very helpful..

Farah Diba November 26th 2016 at 02:49

thanks for the great tips. Really useful to me

Ibrahim Danbaba January 11th 2017 at 23:21

Thanks for the wonderful tips. Keep it up.

Giex January 12th 2017 at 09:33

Useful tips!

Thanks

Kelli January 25th 2017 at 16:14

I want Know the CORRECT FORM to use?!?

Clare Post authorJanuary 27th 2017 at 15:35

Hi Kelli - I've made suggestions for correct (or more polite) forms to use for each of the four examples. For instance, instead of using "Kindly", you could write "Could you":
"Could you return this form to me?" instead of "Kindly return this form to me."
Hope that's clearer!

victoria February 28th 2017 at 05:11

How to rewrite' the favour of your early reply will be obliged

Clare Post authorFebruary 28th 2017 at 18:38

Looking forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Shafiullah August 8th 2017 at 14:47

Thanks a lot for sharing this kind of useful information.

shabnam October 18th 2017 at 13:49

thanks , very helpful

Comments are closed.