Ask about a particular part of your work and clarify what the response means.

The idea

Use Could you tell me...? to request feedback, and name the aspect you want to improve. Ask Do you mean...? or request an example to clarify a response.

Examples

  • Could you tell me whether the introduction is clear?
  • What could I improve in the second chart?
  • Does the proposal explain the costs clearly enough?
  • Could you give me an example of the part you found confusing?
  • Do you mean the opening needs more detail?
  • Would it help if I shortened the final section?

Read-aloud uses a synthetic English voice on your device. Quality and availability vary; it does not assess pronunciation.

Watch out

A general question may bring a vague answer; identify the part or quality you want the other person to consider.

Try it yourself

  1. Could you tell me what I could ___ in this email? (improve / improved)

    Show answer or example answer

    improve

    improve is the base verb after could.

  2. Could you give me an ___ of the problem? (example / advice)

    Show answer or example answer

    example

    example asks for a concrete instance of the problem.

  3. Do you ___ the final paragraph is too long? (mean / means)

    Show answer or example answer

    mean

    mean follows do in this clarification question.

Use it today

Ask for feedback on a piece of work, then write a question that clarifies the response.