Writing: A Polite Schedule Change Email
You are staying with the Sato family in Yamaguchi. You planned to arrive at 5:30 p.m., but your train is delayed 40 minutes, so you will now arrive at 6:30. The Satos wrote that dinner is at 6:00. You need to send a short email in 25–35 words.
You have three notes: (1) the train is delayed 40 minutes; (2) your new arrival time is 6:30; (3) you do not want them to wait for you. You also want to be polite. A direct translation of 'Please keep dinner warm' might sound like an order. You must combine the notes into one or two clear sentences and choose a polite request. The email should not be longer than the word limit.
1. Write the email in 25–35 words. Include the delay, the new time, and a polite request.
Read the worked answer
Subject: Train delay
Dear Sato family, I am very sorry, but my train is delayed 40 minutes. I will arrive at 6:30. Please start dinner without me. Thank you for your understanding.
This is 29 words in the body. It includes the reason (40-minute delay), the new time (6:30), and a request that frees the hosts from waiting. The apology comes first, which sets a polite tone for the schedule change.
2. Why is 'Please keep dinner warm' alone risky? Rewrite it politely.
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It is risky because it sounds like an order and focuses on the food, not on the hosts' time. The Satos may feel they must wait or do extra work.
A better request is 'Please start dinner without me' or 'Please don't wait for me.' If you really want food kept, soften it: 'If it is not too much trouble, could you keep a little dinner for me?' The first version is shorter and more considerate because it frees them from waiting.
3. Which order is better: (a) 'I am sorry for the change. I will arrive at 6:30 because my train is delayed 40 minutes.' or (b) 'I will arrive at 6:30 because my train is delayed 40 minutes. I am sorry for the change.' Explain.
Read the worked answer
(a) is better for an apology email. It puts the apology first, so the reader knows the writer is sorry before reading the details.
(b) is not grammatically wrong, but it makes the reader process the change first and the apology second, which can feel like an afterthought. In a short email, the first sentence sets the tone; starting with 'I am sorry' is safer when the news affects the hosts' dinner plan.