Learn how to avoid some common mistakes in your business emails in today’s blog post.
Before we begin, there are a couple of pieces of vocabulary to review that will feature in the post.
Vocabulary
- Shed some light (phrase) – to explain, to reveal, to clarify.
- Merger (noun) – a combination of two things, especially companies, into one.
It’s important to remember – we all make mistakes. In life, in language and, of course, in business. This blog post, however, will shed some light on some of the most common email mistakes and, therefore, prevent you from making them.
Affect vs Effect
Here’s the first thing to remember: affect is a verb and effect is a noun.
Affect refers to the influence something (or someone) has over you. For example:
The business will be affected by the merger.
In this sentence the speaker is saying that the recent merger will be felt by all the employees.
Effect, however, refers to the result of a particular influence.
The merger has had no real effect on the business. Our sales are still very low.
In the sentences, the speaker is explaining what the merger has resulted in for the company.
It’s important to know the difference between ‘affect’ and ‘effect’. Using it incorrectly makes you look like an amateur. A simple way of differentiating them is:
Affect = Influence. / Effect = Result.
Bring / Fetch
These are two verbs that are constantly misunderstood. Look at the example below to understand the difference:
Sarah is sat by the window in the living room.
Colin is working in the kitchen.
Sarah says, ‘Colin, will you bring me a glass of water, please?’
Colin pours Sarah a glass of water. He then walks into the living room, over to the window (where Sarah is sitting) and gives her the glass of water.
Now, look at this example:
Colin and Sarah are both sitting by the window in the living room.
Sarah says, ‘Colin, will you fetch me a glass of water, please?’
Colin leaves the window and the living room to go into the kitchen. He then pours Sarah a glass of water, returns to the living room and gives it to her.
Do you see the difference? In the first example, Colin was at point A (the kitchen) whilst Sarah was at point C (the living room). Sarah wanted Colin to get her a glass of water and, therefore, bring it to her.
In the second example, Colin and Sarah are both sat together, by the window, in the living room (point A). Sarah asks Colin for a glass of water. He has to leave the room – and therefore Sarah – in order to get the water (point B). He then returns to the original spot (point A).
Here’s a simple way of remembering the difference:
Bring = for when a person is in a different place from you.
Fetch = for when a person is in the same place as you.
Borrow / Lend
This is one of the most common mistakes made by native language speakers. So it’s important to distinguish between the two verbs.
‘Borrow’ means to take and use (something belonging to someone else) with the intention of returning it. For example: ‘Can I borrow your book?’
When ‘lend’ means to grant someone the use of something on the understanding that it will be returned. For example: ‘I would happily lend you my book.’
Send / Take
‘Send’ means to cause to go or be taken to a particular destination. So, if you send your children to summer camp, you do not go with them.
‘Take’ means to move something/someone from one place to another. So, if you drive your children to summer camp – and therefore ‘drop them off’ – then you take them to summer camp.
We use ‘take’ when we are going to hand something to someone. For example: ‘I must take these files to the office immediately.’
We use ‘take’ when we are asking someone to do a delivery. For example: ‘Will you please take these files to the office?’
This blog post is taken from the Business English: Writing Emails course in the Intrepid English Academy. Ready to boost your business English skills? Intrepid English Members can head over to the full course in the Intrepid English Academy, and complete the quiz to test your knowledge. See if you can identify mistakes in emails and practice the use of the words in this lesson.
Business English Phrase Bank
If you found this blog post useful, you’ll love our free Business English Phrase Bank ebook! Got an important meeting coming up next week? Working on a presentation at the moment? There’s something in this phrase bank for everyone who speaks English in the workplace. Learn essential vocabulary to help you develop all of the central business skills. Download your copy right here.
Communication problems at work?
Do you or your team use English at work? Perhaps you struggle with how to talk about mistakes or problems in business. Our Employers Who Empower courses are designed to give your team the skills to communicate with confidence.
This is a comprehensive CPD-accredited corporate programme designed to help your employees develop the English and business skills they need to thrive, provide an excellent customer experience and become ambassadors for your growing company.
Our programme includes:
- 46 training sessions for groups of up to 8 participants
- English language communication training
- Essential business and cultural training
- Diversity and inclusion training
- Hand-picked business English trainers
- Interactive and engaging teaching methods
- Accessible and gamified learning materials
If you think our Employers Who Empower business English and communications training could benefit your company, don’t hesitate to book a free consultation today.