Hearing a quiet no: a junior proposal is gently parked
A partner turns down a junior analyst's proposal without ever saying no; she has to hear the refusal in the wording and step back gracefully.
Business English
Business English is the register you need when the reader is a colleague, a client or a manager, and tone matters as much as accuracy. The material here concentrates on written work: making requests without sounding blunt, and the ready-made openings and closings that let you write an email quickly. A few workplace terms that come up constantly in meetings and reports are included too. It starts at B1, so bring a working grasp of everyday Grammar first.
Read the strength of a soft objection: complete the softening word
Five polite sentences from a senior colleague, each hiding a firm no behind one missing softening word.
Understatement in senior meetings: how small words carry a large no
In a British meeting the softer the wording, the firmer the objection; this lesson teaches you to hear a polite sentence at full strength.
Disagreeing with a colleague's plan without turning the meeting into a fight
Two colleagues disagree about a launch date and keep the meeting from turning into an argument.
Ringing a company to move an appointment you cannot keep
A client rings to move an appointment his flight will make him miss; the receptionist offers alternatives.
The four parts of a strong interview answer, and what weakens it
A good interview answer is a tiny story in four fixed parts, and most weak answers skip one of them.
Choosing the right line for each move in a work email
A work email is a sequence of moves; here is a ready-made line for each move at three levels of formality.
Refusing a request without causing offence
Complete the fixed phrases that let a work email say no without giving offence.
Reporting a claim without owning it
How formal written English lets you pass on what people are claiming while quietly making clear that you are not the one claiming it.
Passing on a claim you do not vouch for
Supply the small grammatical word that lets a sentence pass on a claim without endorsing it.
How to write a polite email in English that does not read as rude
Politeness in a professional email in English is carried by the shape of the request. The format, the phrases and the habits that make formal emails land well.
To use what you already have to gain an advantage
The corporate verb for using an asset or position you already have to gain more from a situation.
Asking for things politely in work emails
Why direct commands fail in work emails, and which softening frames native writers use instead.
Anyone with an interest in how a project turns out
Core project vocabulary for anyone with an interest in how something turns out.
Ready-made lines for opening and closing an email
Opening and closing lines for workplace email, sorted by how formal the relationship is.