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Lesson planB265 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
I'd Be Grateful If…: professional emails for requests, chasing and replies
Students learn how to open, request, chase and close in professional emails, and write a polite but firm chasing email to a supplier.
Skills · Business · Emails · Work · Communication
Or download everything as a ZIP (4 PDFs)This lesson plan and its PDFs are free.
Plan at a glance
Aims
- Practise professional emails for requests, chasing and replies
- Learn and use 24 words and phrases in 3 sets: Email words, Requesting and chasing, Opening and closing
- Read for detail: an email thread
- Writing task: a polite chasing email
Stages · 65 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about business and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 15 minControlled practice: Ex. 2–4
- 10 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 5–6
- 10 minReading: Ex. 7
- 15 minWriting: Ex. 8
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 4 PDFs)Grammar notes
Opening and closing
- Formal (new contact): Dear Ms Patel, … Kind regards, / Best regards,
- Neutral (colleague you know): Hi Sam, … Thanks, / Best,
- Opening: Thank you for your email of 3 March. · I'm writing to ask about…
- Closing: I look forward to hearing from you. · Please don't hesitate to contact me.
Requests and chasing
- Polite requests: I was wondering if you could… · Would it be possible to…? · Could you possibly…?
- Very polite: I'd be grateful if you could let me know by Friday.
- Chasing: I'm just following up on my email of… · As I haven't heard back,…
- Urgency without being rude: I'm afraid this is now quite urgent, as… (give the reason)
Study tips
- Before you send an email, ask: who is the reader? Choose the opening and closing to match.
- When you chase, always give a reason and a clear deadline: it sounds firm, not rude.
Glossary
- Email words9 items
- Requesting and chasing6 items
- Opening and closing9 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Email words
Match each word with its meaning. There is one extra word.
Tap an item…
…then its match
2
What is the writer doing?
Read these lines from business emails. Put each one in the right group.
- a
Thank you for your email of 3 March.
- b
I was wondering if you could send me your price list.
- c
I'm just following up on my email of last week.
- d
I look forward to hearing from you.
- e
Would it be possible to change the delivery date?
- f
I hope you had a good weekend.
- g
As I haven't heard back, I wanted to check that you received our invoice.
- h
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
- i
Could you possibly send us the contract by Friday?
- j
Sorry to chase, but the deadline is tomorrow.
3
Professional or not?
You are writing to a new client. Which lines are professional, and which are too informal or too direct? Put each one in the right group.
- a
Hi there, what's up?
- b
Dear Ms Patel,
- c
Send me the invoice now.
- d
Kind regards,
- e
I'm afraid there has been a short delay with your order.
- f
Where's my order???
- g
Could you let me know when the goods will arrive?
- h
Cheers, see ya!
4
Complete the emails
Complete the lines from business emails with the words in the box. There is one extra word.
Word box
Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.
- a
Thank you for your about our training courses.
- b
Please find the for April's work attached.
- c
The full price list is in the to this email.
- d
This is just a friendly that the payment is due on Friday.
- e
Our has told us that the paper will arrive two days late.
- f
The for sending your documents is 5 p.m. on Thursday.
- g
I would be very for your help with this.
- h
Could you reply today, please? It's quite .
- i
I'll up with the client after the meeting.
5
Make it more polite
Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first but sounds more polite. Use the word given and between two and five words, including that word.
- a
Send me the price list.
WONDERING
I was send me the price list.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- b
Change the date.
POSSIBLE
Would the date?
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- c
Tell me by Friday.
GRATEFUL
I'd let me know by Friday.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- d
You didn't answer my email of last Monday.
FOLLOWING
I'm just my email of last Monday.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- e
The invoice is attached.
FIND
Please attached.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- f
Answer quickly. It's important!
URGENT
This is , so I'd appreciate a quick reply.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
6
Find and correct the mistake
Each line from a business email has one mistake. Write the correction.
- a
Please find attach the invoice for May.
- b
I look forward to hear from you.
- c
I am writing for ask about your delivery times.
- d
Could you send me the report until Friday?
- e
I would be grateful if you can reply today.
- f
Could you send me more informations about the course?
7
Read: an email thread
Read the email thread. Are the sentences true, false or not given?
From: Carla Mendes, Office Manager, Brightwell Design To: Tom Hale, Northgate Office Supplies Subject: Enquiry about desk chairs Dear Mr Hale, I'm writing to ask about your Comfort Plus desk chairs. We are moving to a new office next month and need twenty chairs. Would it be possible to send us a price list? I was also wondering if you could deliver before 14 May. I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards, Carla Mendes From: Carla Mendes To: Tom Hale Subject: Re: Enquiry about desk chairs Dear Mr Hale, I'm just following up on my email of last Tuesday. I'm afraid this is now quite urgent, as our move date is getting closer. I'd be grateful if you could reply by Friday. Kind regards, Carla From: Tom Hale To: Carla Mendes Subject: Re: Enquiry about desk chairs Dear Ms Mendes, Thank you for your enquiry, and thank you for the reminder. I'm sorry for the slow reply; I was away at a trade fair. Please find our price list in the attachment. We can deliver twenty chairs on 12 May, and we will send the invoice after delivery. Best regards, Tom Hale
- a
Carla needs the chairs because her company is moving office.
- b
Carla's first email asks for a price list and a delivery date.
- c
Carla's second email is longer and more informal than her first.
- d
Tom replied late because he was on holiday.
- e
Brightwell Design has bought chairs from Northgate before.
- f
Northgate will send the invoice before the chairs arrive.
8
Write: a polite chasing email
Write a polite chasing email.
Two weeks ago, your company ordered 500 printed brochures from a supplier, Clearline Print. They promised delivery by last Friday, but nothing has arrived and they haven't answered your first email. You need the brochures for a trade fair next Wednesday. Write a polite but firm chasing email to your contact there, Jo Fenwick (130–160 words). Refer to your first email, explain why it is urgent, ask for a new delivery date and request a reply by a clear deadline. Use at least five words from the box. Word box: enquiry · attachment · invoice · supplier · reminder · urgent · grateful · follow up · deadline Example: Dear Jo, I'm just following up on my email of 2 June about our order of 500 brochures…
Suggested minimum: 130 words
0 words · aim for at least 130
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 24 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 3 sets.
Email words
- enquiry
- a question or request for information
- attachment
- a file that you send with an email
- invoice
- a document that asks a customer to pay for goods or work
- supplier
- a company that provides goods or services to another company
- reminder
- a message that helps someone remember something they need to do
- deadline
- the time or date by which something must be done
- urgent
- needing attention or action immediately
- grateful
- feeling or showing thanks
- follow up
- to contact someone again about something you discussed before
Requesting and chasing
- I was wondering if you could
- makes a polite request
- Would it be possible to
- asks politely if something can be done
- Could you possibly
- makes a request sound softer
- I'd be grateful if you could
- makes a formal, polite request
- I'm just following up on
- reminds someone about an earlier email
- Sorry to chase, but
- chases politely when something is late
Opening and closing
- Thank you for your email
- opens a reply politely
- Please find
- introduces an attachment, followed by attached
- I look forward to hearing from you
- closes an email that needs a reply
- Please don't hesitate to contact me
- offers more help at the end of an email
- Kind regards
- a polite way to end an email before your name
- Dear
- starts a letter or email before the person's name: Dear Ms Patel,
- I'm writing to
- introduces the reason for an email: I'm writing to ask about…
- I hope you had a good weekend
- a friendly, polite opening line
- Best regards
- a polite way to end an email, slightly warmer than Kind regards
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