How NOT to end your next email. And why.

Although I’ve taken some time off, I’m still in contact with (potential) clients. I love connecting to people and finding out how I can serve them best as an English coach!
I saw a well-crafted mail recently that I knew took a lot of time to write. It was full of advanced vocabulary and grammar, and it was an absolute pleasure to read.Until I got to the last line.
It ended with ‘I look forward to see you!’

Ouch! You can do better! I explained the situation to my client and she was shocked. She had been ending her (business) emails this way for over 15 years, and no one ever told her that it was wrong!

I’ve seen this happen so often I had to write about it!
I even did an Instagram Live Lesson about it to spread the word.

The correct way to say this is:
‘I look forward to SEEING you.’

Let me explain why – the theory here is important so that you can UNDERSTAND why it’s wrong. That way you won’t make the same mistake again! YEAH!

‘Seeing’ here is a prepositional object. That means it’s the object of the ‘to’ in ‘looking forward to’. There are lots of other examples of prepositional objects out there, and some might be familiar to you already. Here are a few, and notice the words in bold.

I’m interested in learning Japanese.
She’s frightened of going out alone.
He’s curious about hearing the news.
They are excited about going on vacation.
I am fascinated by watching the stars at night.

All of these verbs have a preposition (info,about, by, etc) and then they are followed by the verb in the ‘ing’ form.

Do these sentences sound right to you?
I’m interested in learn French.
They are excited about go on vacation.

Not really, right?
And that, my dear, is exactly why ‘I’m looking forward to see you’ is wrong.

I hope this helps you the next time you want to end your emails!

If you’d like me to give you personal feedback on your writing style, pronunciation, website, presentation, or more, why not join my Great in 8 program? It’s 8 weeks of personal coaching and we work together on meeting your learning goals in English. This is combined with my Business English online course, and an exclusive masterclass day. I only have space left for a few more people, and then the doors will close for the rest of the year.

If you’re interested, just hit ‘reply’ and write GREAT! and I’ll be in touch with you soon!

Thank you so much!
I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Love,
Buffi

PS: Space is very limited for my Great in 8 program which starts in just a few weeks! If you’d like to work in a small, motivated group and totally change the way you communicate in English with personal feedback, weekly coaching sessions full of motivation, inspiration, and personal assignments, click here to get the scoop!