In-Depth Tips from Dr English
Dr English is the resident expert in language and communication training at Workplace English Training E-Platform (WETE). The informative and often in-depth articles below will help more advanced learners to understand and improve various aspects of their English, especially the English they need for work. You can read Dr English's tips on your PC, laptop or mobile device. These articles are only available for members of WETE. If you would like to subscribe and receive email notifications of future postings, please subscribe by clicking the Newsletter link above.
7 Problem Phrases in Business Writing |
02 Jan 2024
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The problem with this sentence is that the ending ‘well received’ is used in the wrong context. ’Well received’ essentially means that people are happy with what they have read or heard. E.g. “The chairman’s speech was well received by the shareholders.’ Alternative: ‘Thank you for your report’ or ‘I have received your report’.
In this sentence there is redundancy as ‘please’ and ‘kindly’ have the same function, and the duplication does not intensify the meaning of the sentence. To maintain the modern neutral writing style, use the active voice as it is more personal and reduces the distance between the writer and their reader. Alternative: ‘I have attached…’
This sentence shows overuse of the passive voice and is overly formal. The main problem with the overuse of the formal style and the passive voice is that native speakers are likely to assume that you are being unfriendly and unhelpful unless you are writing regarding a formal topic. As above, the active voice is better and more modern, as it shows that you are personally helping the reader. Alternative: ‘I have attached…’
“As per” is a commonly used introductory phrase in Hong Kong writing. However, it is now regarded as an out-of-date expression. Alternative: ‘I am writing following our discussion last week regarding…’ or ‘As discussed last week…’
This sentence is a combination of the passive sentence ‘It would be appreciated if you could…’ and the active sentence ‘I would appreciate it if you could…’ forming a grammatically incorrect sentence. Alternative: Either of the above statements are correct depending on your chosen writing style.
This sentence is grammatically correct and a modern and therefore an acceptable phrase to use in your writing; however it is often misused. It should only be used for internal emails or memos that do not need a reply. The closing paragraph of an email or letter should reinforce your purpose of writing. Alternative: If you give your reader information, ‘If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me on xxxxxx’ is a correct sentence to use. If you require a reply, ‘I look forward to receiving your reply soon’ would be more appropriate.
This is a particularly common Hong Kong reply to information provided. To be honest, this expression is just unnatural. If you say that something is “Noted with…” , you would be referring to the method it was noted. Alternative: ‘Thank you for your information’ is much more natural. |
Problem Phrase 1: Your report is well received.
Welcoming Visitors: Using Open and Closed Questions |
19 Dec 2023
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Closed questions are questions which generally only require a yes/no answer. When you are asked a closed question, try to add some extra information to your answer. Conversations can quickly come to an end if you always answer with a simple yes or no. It tells the other person that you’re not really interested in talking to them. Here are a few closed questions you could ask a business visitor. Note the responses. POOR
MUCH BETTER
When welcoming visitors it's best to use a combination of open and closed questions. Perhaps start off by asking a few closed questions about your visitor's flight, hotel, etc. Then ask a few open questions to get your visitor to open up and speak more expansively about things. |
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In English (as in most languages), we can ask either open-ended questions or closed questions.Paragraph Unity
Contrasting the Past Simple with the Past Perfect
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