GratitudeThe phrase ‘Thank you' comes in many different versions. Here are a few: ‘Thank you' is the neutral, ‘safe' way to express acknowledgement, appreciation or gratitude. ‘Thanks' is more informal, fast and less deep. ‘Would you pass me the salt, please' -‘Here you are' - ‘Thanks'. ‘Dear Peter, thanks for your mail'. You may have heard or seen ‘Many thanks' - again quite informal, used among friends and close colleagues. ‘Thank you so much' is quite emotional, and yet not informal. Conversely, ‘Thank you ever so much' is both emotional and informal. My advice is that you refrain from using this expression in a professional context. ‘Thank you very much' or ‘Thank you very much indeed' express that you are grateful and really mean it. These expressions can be used in formal situations. There is one exception, though: again British TV - ‘Back to Peter in the studio' - ‘Thank you very much indeed'. Surely, Peter is not profoundly grateful here; he has just adopted one of the mannerisms of his trade.
- but gratitude may also sound sarcastic |
