So to answer your question, I would use an introductory paragraph and then a bulleted list of options for my client to choose. Finally, you have a situation that most people are not aware of: the date might be different for both parties. In Europe people are used to the 24-hour format but in the USA only people in the military use that format. Then, you need to refer to time in an AM/PM format or in a 24 hour format and this is a cultural issue, more than a language issue. There are significant time differences so 'suitable time' may not exist and people will need to be flexible. To begin with, you have to find a suitable time for two or more busy people. The issue here is not much of English usage but the fact that you are dealing with a complex topic most people think it is not very complex. See: here (funny comic about semicolons). The semicolon is basically the bullet point of a single sentence. This is probably what you are looking for, in fact. Here's my availability for the next two weeks: this Friday after 3pm prior to 5pm next Tuesday any other day after 1pm.Ĭould also use commas instead of semicolons but I believe it's appropriate to use semicolons as a sort of "super comma" when the things you are separating are complex. If I was speaking this to them on the phone, it would sound a lot like me reading that quote as-is. Here's my availability for the next two weeks: If you really need them to understand the full extent of your availability (perhaps because it is very important that you be available to be called at all times) then I really would consider a bulleted list: It's not as accurate but it's simple and probably gives them more than enough options on when to call you. Unless it's absolutely imperative that they know your every available hour, I would just trim it up a bit:Ĭall me anytime in the next two weeks after 1pm Tokyo time, except I don't need comments like "But bullet lists can actually be better than 'plain English'." ![]() I'd like to know "plain English" to express the same thing. Native speakers never bother to use a bullet list like the above for arranging a call in a business scene, for good or bad. In case we use email for arrangement, a single, long and detailed email is preferred over exchanging short ones over and over again.
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