Business English Tip of the Week

These four verbs are all similar, but have different shades of meaning and use.

Allow and permit can be followed by an object, and optionally, a verb or another object:

Let needs a different construction; the object is followed by an infinitive without to:

Note the use of allow to politely introduce something you want to say:

If you allow for problems, extra expenses etc. you include extra time or money to be able to deal with them:

To enable means 'to make something possible'; Allow also has this meaning as in:

Enable is often preferable if there is no idea of 'permission':

Note that these verbs must be followed by a personal object before an infinitive. We cannot say:

The correct version is:

In the key expressions box below, you'll find a number of standard phrases that you might find useful for handling difficult requests at work. Click on the audio link to listen to the expressions.