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  3. B1 writing
  4. A thank-you message

A thank-you message

A thank-you message

Learn how to write a thank-you message to a colleague.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.

Preparation

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Reading text

From: Paco
To: Maria
Subject: Thanks

Hi Maria,

I hope you're well.

I'm just writing to say thanks for your help on the project last month. We really appreciate you stepping in to support us. I know you had to put in extra hours to catch up on your own work, so thank you very much.  

Your expertise was vital for this project and we couldn't have finished it successfully without you. You really helped us and we hope to work with you again on future projects.

I'll be in touch again soon about possible future collaborations. I look forward to working with you more closely this year.

All the best,

Paco

Tips

  1. Start with a friendly comment:
    I hope you're well.
  2. It's usually best to use an informal style with colleagues:
    Hi Maria, …
    Thanks for your help.
  3. Keep it short.
  4. Mention the good work they did and the positive effect of it:
    Your expertise was vital for this project.
    We couldn't have finished it successfully without your help.
  5. End with a positive comment about future collaboration:
    I hope to work with you more closely in future.
    I look forward to working with you again.

Task 1

Exercise

Task 2

Exercise

Task 3

Exercise

Discussion

When was the last time you thanked a colleague for something?

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Language level

B1 Intermediate
Average: 4.6 (25 votes)

Submitted by gayrat-arapov on Sat, 29/06/2019 - 08:21

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i tried doing some of them and i find it very useful.

Submitted by barno.egamberdieva on Thu, 27/06/2019 - 10:13

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Thank u for interesting and usefull text

Submitted by dw3222 on Sat, 25/05/2019 - 12:15

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In sentence ' Your expertise was vital for this project and we couldn't have finished it successfully without you. ' Couldn't we eliminated 'have' and say? Your expertise was vital for this project and we couldn't finished it successfully without you
Hello dw3222 No, I'm afraid that wouldn't be correct. You can read more about modals with 'have' and a past participle on https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference/modals-have-0 and more about this use of 'couldn't have' in the Possibility and impossibility section of https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference/can-and-could . I think those explanations should help you understand this, but if you have any other questions about this, please don't hesitate! All the best Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by smell08 on Thu, 16/05/2019 - 10:55

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since April 2019, My colleuge is substituing me by end of June. So, I'm just wrting to say thanks for his help on my work. I really appreciate he handed in assignments instead of me. I have known he have been busy without my assignments. He has been putting in extra hours to catch up on his own work, so thank you very much. His expertise has been vital for my job and other people couldn't finished my job without him or me. He reaaly helped us and I hope to work with him again on July. I'll be in touch again soon about possible future collaborations. I look forward to working with hime more closely this year. All the best

Submitted by Viethuynh217 on Sat, 02/03/2019 - 10:49

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I can not remember exactly when was the last time I thanked a colleague for something but I really appreciated all the help my best friend gave me. This means a lot to me.

Submitted by Eveline on Thu, 21/02/2019 - 13:27

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Very useful and interesting topic, thatks a lot
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Submitted by JORGE E VELASQUEZ on Tue, 19/02/2019 - 02:07

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Very practical and interesting text