Business English B2 · Lesson 1B

Grammar Bank

The rules behind this lesson — form, use, model sentences and the mistakes to avoid.

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Grammar focus of this lesson

Modals for polite requests

1 structure

Modals for polite requests (would, could, might)
Distance and tentativeness make requests sound professional.
I've got this
Rules & form
- ›Would you mind + -ing? · Could you possibly…?
- ›I was wondering if you could… — very indirect, very polite.
- ›might for tentative suggestions: We might want to reconsider.
- ›Answering Would you mind…? with No means agreement.
Examples
- “Would you mind sending the figures again?”
- “I was wondering whether you could review this today.”
- “You might want to double-check clause four.”
Watch out · Would you mind to send ✗ → Would you mind sending ✓.
Your own example