Professional English Communication Skills: 5 Mistakes That Undermine You

Why These Mistakes Cost You More Than You Think

Most professional English mistakes are not dramatic. Nobody writes “I are the manager” in a business email. The errors that actually hurt you are subtler: a word that sounds almost right, a sentence structure that feels fine until a native speaker reads it and thinks, “Something’s off.”

That’s the problem with almost-correct English. It doesn’t fail loudly. It quietly signals that you’re not quite at the level you want to be, and in professional settings, that signal travels fast.

Here are five mistakes that come up constantly in professional English communication, along with clear corrections and the logic behind them.

The 5 Mistakes

1. Using “discuss about” instead of “discuss”

Wrong: I’d like to discuss about the project timeline.

Correct: I’d like to discuss the project timeline.

Why: “Discuss” is a transitive verb. It takes a direct object with no preposition. Adding “about” is a direct translation habit from many languages, but in English it marks the sentence immediately as non-native.

2. Confusing “I will” and “I am going to” in formal contexts

Wrong: I am going to send you the report by Friday. (in a formal email commitment)

Correct: I will send you the report by Friday.

Why: Both forms can express future plans, but in formal written commitments, “will” carries a stronger sense of professional promise. “I’m going to” sounds like something you’re telling a friend. Save it for spoken conversation.

3. Writing “as per” when you mean “as” or “according to”

Wrong: As per our conversation, the meeting is confirmed.

Correct: As we discussed, the meeting is confirmed. or Following our conversation, the meeting is confirmed.

Why: “As per” is a legal and bureaucratic relic. Native English speakers in modern workplaces find it stiff at best and odd at worst. It’s the written equivalent of wearing a suit to a barbecue. Use it sparingly, or replace it entirely.

Phrases like “as we discussed” and “following our call” are what professionals actually use. This kind of natural, contextual phrasing is something we focus on in the daily coaching programme at richardg.xyz. For more details, click here.

4. Overusing “regarding” at the start of emails

Wrong: Regarding your email, I wanted to let you know that regarding the budget, we have some concerns.

Correct: Thank you for your email. On the budget side, we do have some concerns.

Why: “Regarding” is not wrong on its own. Using it two or three times in one email, though, makes you sound like you’re writing a formal complaint letter from 1987. Vary your connectors. “On this point,” “concerning,” “about,” and “with respect to” all work, and rotating them keeps your writing professional without becoming repetitive.

5. Writing “please revert” when you mean “please reply”

Wrong: Please revert at your earliest convenience.

Correct: Please reply when you get a chance. or I look forward to your response.

Why: “Revert” means to return to a previous state. “The company reverted to its old logo” is correct. “Please revert to my email” is not. This one is extremely common in South Asian business English and frequently causes confusion. If you’ve been using it, you’re in good company, but it’s worth fixing now.

The Underlying Pattern

Look at those five mistakes again. Most of them come from one of three sources:

1. Direct translation from your first language (“discuss about”, “please revert”)
2. Formality mismatch, where a phrase feels professional because it sounds old or complex, but native speakers find it stilted (“as per”, “regarding” overuse)
3. Register confusion, mixing casual spoken forms into formal written English (“going to” in commitment statements)

Once you recognise which category a mistake belongs to, it becomes much easier to self-correct. The goal of professional English communication skills is not to sound impressive. It’s to sound clear, natural, and appropriate for the context. Those three things will take you further than any complex vocabulary.

Quick-Reference Summary

• Say discuss the issue, not “discuss about the issue”
• Use I will for formal written commitments, not “I am going to”
• Replace “as per” with “as we discussed” or “following our conversation”
• Don’t repeat “regarding” multiple times in one email — vary your connectors
• Use “please reply” or “I look forward to your response”, not “please revert”

Vocabulary to Know

• transitive verb /ˈtræn.zɪ.tɪv vɜːb/ – Level: B2 – a verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning – Example: “Discuss” is a transitive verb, so you say “discuss the plan”, not “discuss about the plan”.
• register /ˈredʒ.ɪ.stər/ – Level: B2 – the level of formality in language, matched to a specific context or audience – Example: In a job interview, using the right register means avoiding slang and overly casual expressions.
• stilted /ˈstɪl.tɪd/ – Level: C1 – (of language or behaviour) unnaturally formal and awkward – Example: The email sounded stilted because it was full of outdated business phrases.
• commitment statement /kəˈmɪt.mənt ˈsteɪt.mənt/ – Level: B1 – a clear, written or spoken promise to do something by a certain time – Example: “I will send the report by Friday” is a strong commitment statement in professional English.
• connector /kəˈnek.tər/ – Level: B1 – a word or phrase that links ideas or sentences, also called a linking word – Example: Using a variety of connectors makes your writing flow more naturally.
• relic /ˈrel.ɪk/ – Level: C1 – something that survives from an earlier time, often no longer fully relevant – Example: “As per” is a linguistic relic from legal writing that has crept into everyday business emails.
• revert /rɪˈvɜːt/ – Level: B2 – to return to a previous state, condition, or practice – Example: After the rebrand failed, the company reverted to its original name.
• contextual phrasing /kənˈteks.tʃu.əl ˈfreɪ.zɪŋ/ – Level: C1 – choosing language that fits naturally within the specific situation or relationship – Example: Good contextual phrasing means knowing when “following our call” works better than “as per our discussion”.
• at your earliest convenience /æt jɔːr ˈɜː.li.ɪst kənˈviː.ni.əns/ – Level: B2 – a polite phrase meaning “as soon as you are able to” – Example: Please return my call at your earliest convenience.
• non-native /nɒn ˈneɪ.tɪv/ – Level: B1 – describing a speaker or feature of language that comes from someone who learned a language after childhood – Example: Some preposition errors are common non-native patterns that are easy to correct once you know them.

FAQ

Is it ever acceptable to use “as per” in professional writing?

In legal documents and highly formal contracts, yes. In a regular business email to a colleague or client, it tends to stand out as old-fashioned. Most modern style guides recommend replacing it with clearer, more natural alternatives. When in doubt, ask yourself whether a confident native speaker would write it. Probably not.

How do I know which level of formality to use in an email?

Look at how the other person writes to you. If your client uses contractions, a casual greeting, and short sentences, match that energy. If their emails are formal and structured, keep yours the same. Mirroring the register of the person you’re communicating with is one of the fastest ways to build professional rapport in English.

These mistakes feel small. Do they really matter?

In isolation, most of them won’t end a business relationship. Repeated across dozens of emails, they build a cumulative impression. Professionals who communicate clearly and naturally are taken more seriously, trusted faster, and promoted more often. That’s not speculation — it’s what research on workplace communication consistently finds. The small things compound.

One Last Thing

If you recognised two or more of these mistakes as things you’ve written yourself, don’t be hard on yourself. They’re common precisely because they feel right until someone points them out. The next step is practice with feedback, which is harder to find than most people expect.

That’s exactly what the daily coaching programme at richardg.xyz is built for: real corrections, real context, and consistent practice. For more details, click here.