Three Words That Cost Nothing
Grammar: Hedging and diplomatic language structures explicitly taught
A Business English English lesson exploring business.
What's in this lesson
A Business English ESL lesson on business, practising hedging and diplomatic language structures explicitly taught. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: Three Words That Cost Nothing
A 2022 study by the communication platform Grammarly tracked 500,000 workplace messages and found a striking pattern: emails containing direct negatives — no, can't, won't — received replies 23% slower than softened equivalents. Recipients paused. Some reread the message twice. A blunt no, it turns out, triggers a small decision cost before anyone can even address the content.
Vocabulary
- blunt
- disagreement
- suggest
- worry
- a slight concern
- I was wondering if
- it might be worth
- On reflection
- With respect
Grammar
- Softener: it might be worth
- It might be worth reviewing the figures. — suggests without ordering
- Softener: I was wondering if
- I was wondering if you could resend the file. — a gentle request, not a demand
Discussion questions
- Which is worse: a blunt refusal or a vague one?
- Would you rather get tough feedback by email or face to face?
- Which matters more in a message: speed or tone?
Three Words That Cost Nothing
Grammar: Hedging and diplomatic language structures explicitly taught
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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