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We request you to kindly send us the feedback

Two objects: The verb "send" in it has two objects, "us" - Indirect object" & "the feedback" - Direct object

We request you to kindly send the feedback to us

Object + Prepositional phrase: The verb "send" in it has "the feedback" - Direct object and "to us" - Prepositional phrase

I think both sentences are correct and interchangeable.

I learned that the choice of sentence pattern depends on the point of interest. My point of interest here in the above example is "the feedback", so it should come at the end of the sentence i.e, the first example is correct - "We request you to kindly send us the feedback"

However, the second example "We request you to kindly send the feedback to us" seems to be more formal than the first one.

So I want to know which one is more formal and common in use.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks in advance.

Question update:

I asked the above question for a different reason and now I'm stuck in another different subject. I have searched a lot in Google and got results that "request you to" is wrong and we should always use "request that". Also got results that "you to send" is correct but not "you to kindly send" because of split infinitives.

But we Indians always use "request you to kindly". So please clarify that is it acceptable to use as a grammar method we can follow in Indian English or we are still using it wrong and need to change it.

If we need to change our writing method, is the below example correct?

"We request that you kindly send us the feedback"

Also I have one more doubt that,

"We kindly request that you send us the feedback" has different meaning than "We request that you kindly send us the feedback"

Because, one doesn't need to be kind enough to request but the other person is the one who we request to be kind to give us feedback. Right?

Please help me understand the above. Thanks in advance.

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    Any semantic difference depends on context. Both can be equally "formal", again depending on context. Both are relatively common. This is more a question of writing style -- sometimes one "sounds" better than the other.
    – Andrew
    Commented Dec 20, 2017 at 15:39
  • You don't have "one more doubt"; you have "one more question".. Mis-using doubt to mean question is another of those notorious English mistakes that makes native speakers shake their heads. It's always a mistranslation from some foreign language's pattern into English. You should also say "the following example" or "this example" not "the below example": there's no such thing as "a below" in English, for below is an adverb not an adjective, and cannot be nominalized.
    – tchrist
    Commented Dec 23, 2017 at 13:54
  • @tchrist Correct me if I'm wrong about anything. I will definitely correct it next time. I always want to learn from linguists like you. English is my second language. So I make mistakes and I'm learning everyday. However, I can show you examples for "below example" and "one more doubt" which is widely accepted and used.
    – Raj 33
    Commented Dec 23, 2017 at 14:18
  • These glitches are all ones that second-language learners of English commonly pick up (especially but not uniquely those living in the Indian Subcontinent) that come off as sounding “funny/weird/off/wrong” to native speakers in the US and the UK. We should help you guys out by finding some Internet resource that summarizes these if you'd like to be aware of ways that Indian English differs from various other forms of English. It might be thought of as being a colorful local dialect/accent, but you may sometimes wish to avoid risking making a bad impression outside of your region.
    – tchrist
    Commented Dec 23, 2017 at 14:25
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    @Raj33 The is fine there; the speaker believes the listener will be able to identify what specifically information refers to. But this would be better if you posted it as a separate question instead of in the comment section.
    – user230
    Commented Dec 24, 2017 at 11:53

1 Answer 1

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Neither is right. You do not "request...to...". You "request that...".

Your two examples also have different meanings. The first one indicates that the user will be kind in sending feedback. The second says that you are asking kindly (meaning politely) for feedback.

You can instead say

We kindly request that you send us feedback.

Which is the most natural and formal rewriting. If there is a previously mentioned feedback that we are referring to, we can say

We kindly request that you send the feedback to us.

If you are intent on using "to," then you can use it with "ask."

We kindly ask you to send us feedback

But it's strange to use "kindly" with the less formal "ask."

================ Edit: additional info about kindly ===============

Kindly is a little bit of an archaic word in both the context of kindly asking someone to do something and asking someone to kindly do something.

Kindly asking someone to do something is used frequently in written English, especially formal English. It just means you are asking them politely. Here the archaic nature of the usage lends the word its formality. "We kindly ask that you..." is used in a lot of official or formal correspondence when the speaker is emphasizing that they do not wish to bully you.

Asking someone to kindly do something is less common but could also appear in written, formal language or in sarcastic language. Asking someone to kindly do something is frequently used in old movies and books by a stuffy schoolmarm asking children to kindly pay attention or kindly sit up straight. I would suggest that you avoid it unless you are speaking to people who are not native English speakers and therefore think it is common and polite usage.

The statement by both you and the writer of the page that you reference indicating that you do not need to be kind to ask is based on faulty logic. When you "kindly ask" it means "politely ask," so don't base your choice on the literal meaning of the word in isolation. Does the person have to do what you are requesting kindly? No, they don't. They may respond rudely--it's their choice and if you are polite you will accept either a rude or a kind response. By instructing them to do something kindly you are talking down to them in a way that is not frequently done in modern English.

I notice that the link you sent seems to be written by Indians about Indian English. Because India is a nation that speaks English as a second language, Indian English has a lot of quirks that the rest of the English-speaking world would consider incorrect. If you plan to speak exclusively with people from India/Pakistan, then you may want to use what is accepted there, regardless of whether a native English speaker would say it is correct.

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  • Thanks for the answer. I have been using "request you to" for years and also seen others using the same. I have one doubt in your answer, you said "Your two examples also have different meanings. The first one indicates that the user will be kind in sending feedback. The second says that you are asking kindly (meaning politely) for feedback." My question is, which one is appropriate here? I should be kindly ask or I ask the other one to be kindly help? Because in some cases, we ask others eg. "Kindly do the needful".
    – Raj 33
    Commented Dec 21, 2017 at 1:33
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    The first page is wrong. Their "correct" examples are very wrong. I'd stick with advice from native speakers if I were you.
    – farnsy
    Commented Dec 21, 2017 at 14:54
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    India learned a poor version of English while under British rule and many usages that are wrong are now commonplace in India. If you are dealing with Indians, then perhaps making the same error would be fine, but if you ever deal with Americans, British, Australians, or other real native speakers, avoid "request you to" as it is wrong. The placement of kindly is grammatically correct in either location. I have given you my opinion on where it is more common. Avoid the rediff page, as the writer appears to have poor understanding of English.
    – farnsy
    Commented Dec 21, 2017 at 15:01
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    Also I would like to say that this comment is little rude - "India learned a poor version of English while under British rule and many usages that are wrong are now commonplace in India" Please try some other way to make these kind of sentences whenever you talk to other natives.
    – Raj 33
    Commented Dec 21, 2017 at 15:11
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    @Raj33 These sociolinguistic attitudes are unfortunate but common. Indian English is difficult to fit into some descriptive frameworks that privilege the native speaker above all else because it is spoken almost exclusively by non-native speakers, so people deny its validity as a language variety. And yet, many characteristics of IndE are well-established and undeniably not mistakes, for example new lexemes like prepone. They only become errors when used in other varieties of English like American or British English where they are non-standard; in India there is nothing wrong with them.
    – user230
    Commented Dec 24, 2017 at 11:57

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