The Extension Email That Meets the 24-Hour Rule
You are a third-year Chinese major. A 1,500-character research summary is due Friday at 17:00. Your professor’s course page says: “Late work loses 10% per day; extensions require a request at least 24 hours before the deadline, with a specific new deadline.” On Thursday 16:00–20:00 you must attend a mandatory lab that was rescheduled from last week. You have a complete outline and 900 characters drafted, but two key sources are only available in the library’s closed reserve, which closes at 16:30 today and reopens Monday. You have a group presentation Wednesday evening. You can work Friday morning. The professor prefers formal Chinese email and dislikes vague requests.
1. Should you request an extension? Decide and justify using the professor’s stated policy and your schedule.
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Yes-but only if you send the request before Thursday 17:00. The deadline is Friday 17:00; the policy requires at least 24 hours’ notice, so the request must arrive by Thursday 17:00. You are in the mandatory lab from 16:00 to 20:00, so you cannot wait until after lab; send the email before 16:00. The request is not vague: the closed-reserve sources reopen Monday, and you can submit the completed 900-character draft plus outline by Friday 17:00. Ask for Monday 17:00 as the new deadline, not “next week.” If you miss the 24-hour window, the 10% per-day penalty applies, so an immediate email is the safer choice.
2. Draft the email in formal Chinese (or English with Chinese greeting/closing) that meets the policy. Include subject, situation, specific new deadline, and what you will submit by Friday.
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主题：关于研究综述延期至下周一17:00的申请
李老师： 您好。我是中文专业三年级学生王明。我的研究综述原定本周五17:00提交，目前已完成为900字及详细提纲。因周四16:00–20:00需参加临时调整的实验课，且两份关键资料在图书馆闭馆预约区，需待下周一开馆后才能查阅，我特此申请将截止时间延至下周一17:00。
本周五17:00前，我会先提交现有900字草稿、提纲和资料清单，供您了解进度。若您同意，我将按下周一17:00完成全文；如有不便，请告知可接受的替代时间。
给您添麻烦了，谢谢您。 学生 王明 [日期]
This meets the 24-hour rule if sent Thursday before 17:00, names a specific new deadline, and offers interim work.
3. Revise this sentence to fit the professor’s preference: “老师，我最近特别忙，能不能晚点交？” Explain the changes.
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Revision: “老师，您好。因周四16:00–20:00需参加临时实验课，且两份关键资料需待图书馆下周一开放后查阅，我想申请将研究综述的截止时间延至下周一17:00。周五17:00前我会先提交900字草稿和提纲。谢谢您。”
Changes: (1) replaces “特别忙” with verifiable causes; (2) names a specific new deadline; (3) states what will be submitted on the original deadline; (4) uses formal greeting and closing; (5) removes the vague “晚点” that would force the professor to negotiate the terms. The revision still makes a request, but it is easy to approve or reject.