Emails and Prepositions (1): About

Do you have to write lots of emails every day?  Do you think there is some way you can make email writing easier for you?

Yes, there is.  One of the ways is to pay attention to ‘about’.  ‘About’ is very helpful. It can help you to do (at least) two things in your emails.  Which two?

a. About (1): Saying Sorry

You have done something wrong, and your customer is angry.  What are you going to do?  

Quit your job?  Kill the customer?  But what about saying sorry by an email?    

The easy one is :  I am sorry about the mistake.

You learned it at kindergarten?  Alright.  What about this?

I am sorry about the mistake  + in + the order (you made yesterday).

So, if you want to be more specific, you need help.  And the word ‘in’ comes to your rescue.  

a1. Sorry about VS Sorry for

Well, you may have a question.  What is it?  What about ‘sorry + for’?  In other words, what is the difference between ‘sorry about’ and ‘sorry for’?

When you use sorry with for, you talk about doing something. What do I mean by doing something?  Read the 2 sentences:

I am sorry about                         the mistake.

I am sorry for         making     the mistake.

b. About (2): Asking for It

Well, back to ‘about’.  You may think saying sorry is a bit negative.  Actually you can use ‘about’ positively: asking for something (making requests).  For example:

I have a few questions about your products.   

Sounds too casual?  Alright.  What about this:

I would like to ask about your products.

b1. What about you don’t want to use about?

Well, there are lots of choices.  You can have:

a. One-Word Prepositions:

regarding

concerning

respecting

Lucky you!  They all end in ‘ing’.  So the sample sentence becomes:

I have a few questions regarding your products.   

b. Three-Word Prepositions:

Yes, some prepositions come in three words.  So the sample sentence becomes:

I have a few questions with regard to your products.   

Other members in this team of three-word prepositions include:

with reference to

with respect to

C. Key Points

When writing emails, think about ‘about’.  About helps you to

a. to say sorry (sorry about that)

b. to ask for something (ask about your product)