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This is the message that I wrote earlier to my prof, thru which they knew that English is not my first language. What's wrong with it?
"I had been wondering if you could graciously tell me your office hour times" Did I have to say "tell me what time your office hours are"
It sounds a bit weird and "office hour times" is weird too.
"I was wondering if you could tell me your office hours." would be a better way to say it.
"I had been wondering if you could graciously tell me your office hour times"
Were you trying to be sarcastic, when you asked if they could 'graciously' tell you something. By using such an 'over the top' word, it suggests that they were in fact, reluctant to tell you the 'office hours'. Something much simpler, such as: Please tell me your Office Hours? or Could you please tell me your Office Hours? would be much better, to ask.
I think the big giveaway is not anything grammatical per se, but that it's way too flowery and formal (and downright old-fashioned -- I mean Dickensian!) to come out of a native-speaker's mouth! Although "had been wondering" is a little strange -- I think the more obvious choice would be "was wondering".
I would have said something much shorter and to the point -- "When are your office hours?"
<<Were you trying to be sarcastic, when you asked if they could 'graciously' tell you something.
By using such an 'over the top' word, it suggests that they were in fact, reluctant to tell you the 'office hours'.>> I agree with Robin there. Using "graciously" in a request like this sounds ironic, if not sarcastic. This word is extremely formal and a slightly old-fashioned, and hardly used in everyday communication (not even in formal language). If used, it has a negative connotation; it implies that you are absolutely furious because your prof refused to answer your question. Write instead: I was wondering if you could tell me your office hours. or Could you please tell me your Office Hours? |