Study the email extracts below. Identify the style used in each extract and rewrite the sentences changing the language to formal or informal/neutral as appropriate.

1. I'd like to ask for some info on your product prices. Can you send me your current brochure?

2. We need more time to make the necessary changes to the contract.

3. I have reserved the hotel room. Please find attached the booking confirmation.

4. Could you provide me with further information on your products?

5. I assure you that I will contact you when your laptop is repaired.

6. About your ad in today's newspaper, I'd like to ask about your experience in management training.

Below are the styles used in each email extract and the rewritten versions, changing informal/neutral language to formal and formal language to informal/neutral, as appropriate.

1. Informal → Formal

Original: "I'd like to ask for some info on your product prices. Can you send me your current brochure?"

Rewritten (Formal): "I would like to enquire about the prices of your products. Could you please send me a copy of your current brochure?"

Explanation: The contraction "I'd" is replaced with "I would", "ask for some info" becomes "enquire about", and "Can you" becomes the more polite "Could you please".

2. Neutral → Formal

Original: "We need more time to make the necessary changes to the contract."

Rewritten (Formal): "We require additional time to make the necessary amendments to the contract."

Explanation: "Require" is more formal than "need", "additional time" is more professional than "more time", and "amendments" is particularly appropriate when discussing contracts.

3. Formal → Informal/Neutral

Original: "I have reserved the hotel room. Please find attached the booking confirmation."

Rewritten (Informal/Neutral): "I've booked the hotel room and attached the booking confirmation."

Explanation: "I have" becomes "I've", "reserved" becomes "booked", and the formal expression "Please find attached" is replaced with more natural, everyday language.

4. Formal → Informal/Neutral

Original: "Could you provide me with further information on your products?"

Rewritten (Informal/Neutral): "Can you give me some more information about your products?"

Explanation: "Could you provide me with" is replaced with the simpler "Can you give me", and "further information" becomes "some more information".

5. Formal → Informal/Neutral

Original: "I assure you that I will contact you when your laptop is repaired."

Rewritten (Informal/Neutral): "I'll let you know when your laptop is fixed."

Explanation: The formal phrase "I assure you that I will contact you" is simplified to "I'll let you know", while "repaired" becomes the more conversational "fixed".

6. Informal/Neutral → Formal

Original: "About your ad in today's newspaper, I'd like to ask about your experience in management training."

Rewritten (Formal): "With reference to your advertisement in today's newspaper, I would like to enquire about your experience in management training."

Explanation: "About your ad" is replaced with the formal expression "With reference to your advertisement", while "I'd like to ask about" becomes "I would like to enquire about".

Summary of answers

Key difference: Formal business emails generally use complete forms, polite requests, precise vocabulary and expressions such as "enquire", "require", "provide" and "with reference to". Informal or neutral emails use simpler words, contractions and more direct expressions such as "I've", "I'll", "let you know" and "Can you".