ONE MORE SC

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heshamelaziry
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Topic: ONE MORE SC
PostThu Nov 05, 2009 5:49 pm Reply with quote
The manager of regional sales spoke with the distributors about the late shipment and, after a lengthy and somewhat heated discussion, the freight fee was subsequently reduced.

A)

B) Spoke to the distributors about the late shipment and, after a lengthy and somewhat heated discussion, the freight fee was subsequently reduced.

C) Had spoken with the distributors about the late shipment and, after a lengthy and somewhat heated discussion, the freight fee was subsequently reduced.

D) Spoke with the distributors regarding the late shipment and, after a lengthy and somewhat heated discussion, the freight fee was subsequently reduced.

E)Spoke to the distributors with regards to the late shipment and, after a lengthy and somewhat heated discussion, the freight fee was subsequently reduced.




I didn't know that the idiom was "speak to". What is wrong with saying "with regards to " ? The OE says that "regards" should only be used in salutations. What is meant by "salutations" and can you give an example ?[/u]
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capnx
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PostThu Nov 05, 2009 11:36 pm Reply with quote
I'm not 100% on this, but "X spoke to Y about something" carries a sense of authority where X is in a more dominant role than Y; "X spoke with Y about something" carries a sense of equal authority and the conversation is more casual.
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gmatv09
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PostSat Nov 07, 2009 10:37 am Reply with quote
agree with capnx

IMO A ...

The salutation is the greeting, or beginning, of a letter. It usually is "Dear xyz,"
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heshamelaziry
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PostSat Nov 07, 2009 11:54 am Reply with quote
OA B
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fruti_yum
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PostMon Nov 09, 2009 1:32 pm Reply with quote
heshamelaziry wrote:
OA B
What's the OA...

Is it spoke with or Spoke to??

I picked A as well ..
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heshamelaziry
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PostMon Nov 09, 2009 2:07 pm Reply with quote
OA B. "spoke to" is preferred to "spoke with"; i guess because it implies authority. "about" is preferred to "with regards"; i guess because it is less formal but i do not know why not be formal here if we use "spoke to" to show more authority. Maybe, the manager wants to be less formal with him to put him down, or maybe " with regards" implies that they are equal and consequently less authoritative.
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capnx
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PostMon Nov 09, 2009 3:40 pm Reply with quote
heshamelaziry wrote:
OA B. "spoke to" is preferred to "spoke with"; i guess because it implies authority. "about" is preferred to "with regards"; i guess because it is less formal but i do not know why not be formal here if we use "spoke to" to show more authority. Maybe, the manager wants to be less formal with him to put him down, or maybe " with regards" implies that they are equal and consequently less authoritative.
the idiom is "speak to/with someone about something"

It's an idiom thing... so no good explanation as to why "regarding" is not appropriate here.

Usually you use regarding when the focus is on an issue:

Regarding the city's proposal, I believe...
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