Requests

Requests are phrases we use to ask someone to do something. In English we can make requests more or less polite depending on the words and structures we choose. In professional situations, choosing the right level of politeness helps maintain good relationships and clear communication.

• Requests ask someone to perform an action or provide information.
• Formality levels: direct (imperative), neutral (can/could), and very polite (would you mind, would you be able to).
• Use softening language (please, could, would) to be polite in business contexts.

Match your language to the situation: choose a more polite structure in formal or professional contexts. Soften direct commands with modal verbs and please.

• Use 'could' or 'would' to be polite: Could you send the file?
• Use 'Would you mind + -ing' for very polite requests: Would you mind checking this?
• Add 'please' to soften imperatives: Please sign the form.

Politeness affects tone and clarity in business English.

Avoid these universal errors when making requests in English.

• Being too direct in formal situations (e.g., 'Send the file.' instead of 'Could you send the file?').
• Mixing registers: using informal slang in professional emails.
• Incorrect question word order (e.g., 'You could send the file?' instead of 'Could you send the file?').
• Overusing multiple modals or softeners that confuse the message (e.g., 'Would you maybe be able to...').
• Forgetting to use 'please' or a softener when the context requires politeness.

Pick one clear level of politeness and keep the sentence structure correct.