We often have to make requests and ask for things in our letters and emails. To do this, we use phrases like ‘could you’ and ‘would you’.
Below you can see some ways of doing this, using different levels of politeness:
Here are some other examples of requests:
| I would request … (+ noun) I would request your immediate attention to the matter. |
[very formal] This is used to express dissatisfaction. |
|
| Could you possibly send me … ? | [tentative] | |
Adverbs such as ‘also’ and ‘therefore’ can be inserted into a request as follows:
- I would also be grateful if you could send me … .
- I would therefore be grateful if you could send me … .
- Could you therefore please send me … ?
- Could you therefore send me … ?
- Could you also send me … ?
- Therefore, please send me … .
If you make two requests in a letter or email, the second request should include the word ‘also’, as we can see here:
Dear Mr Smith
I recently saw an advertisement for your new range of kitchen equipment.
I own a small retail shop selling household goods and am interested in buying some of your new products. Could you therefore please send me your price list? [first request] I would also be grateful if you could include details of delivery and postage. [second request]
Thank you in advance.
Best regards
