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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: 4.5 (22 votes)
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Submitted by cittàutopica on Mon, 28/10/2019 - 18:31

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I usually work alone, but there are some projects which involve a working group. In these case we work together and we help one another. Therefore we needn't to thank reciprocally. In other circumstances however I needed help about an assignment which required domain expertise: in these case I thanked the colleague who helped me.

Submitted by gicandrade on Wed, 23/10/2019 - 09:39

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Hi peter, I hope you’re well. At first time, I’m so glad to have worked with you. Your expertise was fundamental for this project. Really thank. Your dedication for this project brought to us a new air and new perspective. That’s what we needed. Thank to step and support us. I’ll be in touch again soon about our next work. I look forward to working with you more closely this year. All the best,
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Submitted by r0000ma on Sun, 18/08/2019 - 03:28

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i want to develop my writing through write text to my teacher here how can i ? :(

Hello r0000ma

I think the best thing would be to ask your teacher for help. You are welcome to write practice messages here if you'd like to, but I'm afraid we aren't able to offer feedback on your texts.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

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