Recognising Effort in a Follow‑Up Email

Read/Listen first

Yesterday, I was drafting a short follow‑up email after our project review, and I realised our team has been working under a heavy workload. While I was checking the action list, one colleague had already quickly fixed a tricky issue and stayed late to support the client. I have noticed that when we acknowledge specific effort, morale improves and people stay engaged. So I wrote, “I really appreciate how you handled the escalation,” and I offered to adjust priorities so the rest of the week would be manageable. If we ignored these small wins, we would lose motivation, but a clear message can be an incentive. Tomorrow I’m going to share the updated plan and I will highlight one concrete contribution from each person. Could you review the wording before I send it, just to make sure it sounds sincere?

⚡ Learning goals

• Can write a short follow‑up email that acknowledges specific effort without sounding vague.
• Can describe workload pressure and propose a practical adjustment to priorities.
• Can ask for a quick review of wording to ensure a message sounds sincere.

✨ Key language

• I really appreciate how you handled… “I really appreciate how you handled the escalation.”
• Could you review the wording before I send it? “Could you review the wording before I send it?”
• If we ignored…, we would… “If we ignored small wins, we would lose motivation.”

⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures

1️⃣ Present perfect for a recent observation

Rule: Use **have/has + past participle** to describe a recent experience or observation with a present result.
Examples: I have noticed that morale improves after specific praise.; Our team has been working under a heavy workload.; I have realised the message needs to sound sincere.
Common pitfall + fix: Using past simple when the present result matters — Use present perfect when the effect is still relevant now.

2️⃣ Past continuous for background actions

Rule: Use **was/were + -ing** to set the scene or describe an action in progress at a past moment.
Examples: I was drafting a follow‑up email after our project review.; While I was checking the action list, I spotted a gap.; We were working late when the client called again.
Common pitfall + fix: Using past simple for an action in progress — Use past continuous for the ongoing background action.

3️⃣ Past perfect for sequence of past actions

Rule: Use **had + past participle** to show one past action happened before another past action.
Examples: He had already quickly fixed the issue before I wrote the email.; She had stayed late, so the client felt supported.; We had agreed on the plan before the review ended.
Common pitfall + fix: Mixing the order and using only past simple — Use past perfect for the earlier action, past simple for the later one.

4️⃣ Second conditional with would for hypotheticals

Rule: Use **If + past simple**, **would + base verb** to talk about an unreal or unlikely situation and its result.
Examples: If we ignored small wins, we would lose motivation.; If the wording sounded forced, it would not feel sincere.; If we adjusted priorities, the week would be manageable.
Common pitfall + fix: Using “will” after “if” in second conditional — Use past simple after “if”, then “would” in the result clause.

✍️ Vocabulary

  follow-up

Meaning: an additional message or action after an earlier meeting, call, or email
Synonyms: subsequent message, check-in
Chunk/Idiom: send a follow-up email
Example: I sent a follow‑up to confirm the updated plan.
Morphology: noun (follow-up); adjective (follow-up)
Self-practice: Write one follow‑up sentence that sounds polite but clear.

  workload

Meaning: the amount of work a person or team must complete in a given period
Synonyms: volume of work, responsibilities
Chunk/Idiom: a heavy workload
Example: Our workload has increased since the deadline moved.
Morphology: noun (workload); adjective (heavy)
Self-practice: Describe your workload this week in one accurate sentence.

  acknowledge

Meaning: to recognise and openly mention someone’s effort, contribution, or result
Synonyms: recognise, give credit
Chunk/Idiom: acknowledge specific effort
Example: We acknowledged her effort during the review meeting.
Morphology: verb (acknowledge); noun (acknowledgement); adjective (acknowledged)
Self-practice: Rephrase: “Good job” into a specific acknowledgement.

  morale

Meaning: the level of confidence, enthusiasm, and team spirit in a group
Synonyms: team spirit, confidence
Chunk/Idiom: boost morale
Example: A quick thank‑you can boost morale in busy periods.
Morphology: noun (morale); adjective (high); adverb (highly)
Self-practice: Name one action that improves morale in your team.

  incentive

Meaning: something that encourages people to act, continue, or improve performance
Synonyms: motivation, stimulus
Chunk/Idiom: an incentive to stay engaged
Example: Clear feedback is an incentive to keep improving.
Morphology: noun (incentive); verb (incentivise); adjective (incentive-based)
Self-practice: Give one incentive that is not about money.

  priorities

Meaning: the most important tasks or goals that should be handled first
Synonyms: key tasks, main goals
Chunk/Idiom: adjust priorities
Example: We adjusted priorities to protect focus time.
Morphology: noun (priority/priorities); adjective (prioritised); verb (prioritise)
Self-practice: List two priorities for tomorrow in simple business English.

☁️ Examples (+ audio)

🔊 Play I have noticed that a specific thank‑you message boosts morale.

🔊 Play While I was checking tasks, he had already fixed the issue.

🔊 Play If we ignored small wins, we would lose motivation quickly.

🔊 Play Tomorrow I’m going to share priorities, and I will ask for a final review.

✏️ Exercises

Grammar

Vocabulary & Comprehension

✅ Guided practice

Mini-dialogue:

A: Could you review this follow‑up email before I send it?
B: Sure—what part sounds unclear or too formal?
A: I want to acknowledge the effort without overdoing it.

Why this matters:

Specific recognition builds trust. It protects morale during a heavy workload. It keeps priorities clear.

Verb & Adjective Pack:

acknowledge — “We acknowledged the effort in writing.”
manage — “We managed the workload by adjusting priorities.”
sincere — “The message sounded sincere and concrete.”

Try & compare: