Your audience and purpose shape the tone of a message.
The idea
For formal requests, use complete, courteous wording such as Could you and I would appreciate. With friends, contractions and expressions such as Thanks can sound natural.
Examples
- Could you send the revised schedule by Friday?
- Please let me know if the venue is available.
- I would appreciate a response by next Tuesday.
- Hey, can you send me the photos tonight?
- Thanks for helping with the garden!
- I am writing to request information about the course.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic English voice on your device. Quality and availability vary; it does not assess pronunciation.
No English device voice is available. You can still read the examples.
Watch out
Formal does not mean unfriendly or needlessly complicated; informal wording can still be polite.
Try it yourself
In a formal message to a council: I am writing to ___ information. (request / grab)
Show answer or example answer
request
request suits a formal message to a council.
In a message to a close friend: ___ for the lift! (Thanks / I hereby express my gratitude)
Show answer or example answer
Thanks
Thanks fits a friendly note about a lift.
In a formal request: I would ___ a reply by Monday. (appreciate / love)
Show answer or example answer
appreciate
appreciate makes the deadline a courteous request.
Practice round
Answer questions and rebuild English sentences to practise. Your score is shown.
In a formal message to a council: I am writing to ___ information. (request / grab)
In a message to a close friend: ___ for the lift! (Thanks / I hereby express my gratitude)
In a formal request: I would ___ a reply by Monday. (appreciate / love)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Write the same request to an office and to a friend, adjusting the greeting and tone.