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Perfect Stranger Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

Would you say this level of politeness is not exaggerated?

Dear All,

I'm quite fond of using would you please be so kind... in my e-mails or letters and I think it's perfectly fine to use it. However, I've noticed that not many (in fact, very few) native speakers around me (and I work with over 20 of them) use this kind of request form. I hardly ever hear it. I don't hear it in movies or on TV. Do you use it?

For example, this is a part of my e-mail:

Would you please be so kind and remind me of the question you had right after our class today? I think it's worth further discussion.

Thanks
  

Top answer

Would you please be so kind and remind me of the question you had right after our class today? I think it's worth further discussion. This is not quite right.

— Clive

  • Would you please be so kind and remind me of the question you had right after our class today?
  • I think it's worth further discussion.
  • This is not quite right.
  • The standard wording is eg Would you please be so kind as to remind me of the question .
  • .
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10 Answers
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Would you please be so kind and remind me of the question you had right after our class today? I think it's worth further discussion.
This is not quite right. The standard wording is
eg Would you please be so kind as to remind me of the question . . .?
eg Please
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Thank you Clive.
CliveIt's a polite way of issuing an order or a strong request. It sounds stiff and old-fashioned to me.
What you said here made me a bit worried because I remember using this structure a few times when writing emails to my co-workers or supervisors. Do you think they might have taken my words the wrong way? Can this structure convey any kind of
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Don't worry. There's nothing that will cause offence. People probably didn't even notice.

Clive
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Perfect StrangerI've noticed that not many (in fact, very few) native speakers around me (and I work with over 20 of them) use this kind of request form. I hardly ever hear it.
Me neither. I don't hear it much, and I don't use it.
Perfect StrangerWould you please be so kind and remind me of the question you had right after our class to
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Hello there,

My British co-worker has just walked into my office and said to another co-worker of mine:

Mr. Jordan, would you please be so kind as to inform John Richards and Kathy of the meeting at 11:30?

(names have been changed by me)

Is it possible that this expression is just a British thing?
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Perfect StrangerIs it possible that this expression is just a British thing?
It is possible. It is also possible that even in Britain it sounds stiffly formal and, from the fact that it is so formulaic, may even suggest feigned politeness.

CJ
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Thanks CalifJim. By the way, I sometimes feel that could you is simply not enough.
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Degrees of politeness depend very much on who you are talking to.
eg your wife? your boss? your friend? the President of your country? a small child?

Clive
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Sure thing Clive. In this case - co-workers.
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Where I live, it's unusually formal for someone in an office to refer to a co-worker as 'Mr Jordan'.
First names are the norm.

Clive
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