Revising an Extension Request Email
A student writes this email to a professor: 'Dear Professor, I am writing to ask if you could possibly consider to give me an extension on the research paper. Due to the fact that I had a lot of works this week, I could not finish it. Also, I was sick and went to the clinic, so I have a medical note. I would be very appreciated if you could give me until next Monday. I know the syllabus says extensions require documentation, and I am willing to provide it. Please excuse my poor writing because I am very busy.' The professor's syllabus allows extensions only with documentation submitted at least 48 hours before the deadline. The student's deadline is Thursday at 5 p.m., and it is now Tuesday at 10 a.m. The student has the medical note but has not attached it.
1. Revise the sentence 'I am writing to ask if you could possibly consider to give me an extension' for grammatical accuracy and concision.
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A better sentence is: 'I am writing to ask whether you could give me an extension.' The verb 'consider' takes a gerund, not an infinitive, so 'consider to give' is incorrect; if 'consider' is kept, the correct form is 'consider giving.' The word 'possibly' is redundant with 'could' and weakens a request that should be direct. 'Whether' is also clearer than 'if' in a formal request. The revision keeps the polite meaning but removes the grammar error and unnecessary words.
2. The phrase 'a lot of works' is incorrect in this context. What is the error and what should it be?
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In this context, 'work' should be uncountable, so the phrase should be 'a lot of work.' The plural 'works' usually refers to literary, artistic, or industrial products, not to general tasks or assignments. A more academic alternative would be 'many assignments' or 'a heavy workload.' The original sentence also uses 'Due to the fact that,' which is wordy; 'because' would be more concise. The key vocabulary error is 'works,' because it changes the meaning from general labor to countable products.
3. Revise 'I would be very appreciated if you could...' and explain the grammar.
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A correct revision is: 'I would be very grateful if you could...' or 'I would appreciate it if you could...' The original is wrong because 'appreciated' is a past participle describing the speaker as if the speaker were the thing being appreciated. A person can be 'grateful,' or a person can 'appreciate' something. The active form 'I would appreciate it' is also concise and appropriate for an academic email. The revision should keep the polite conditional 'would' and avoid the passive mismatch.