Matching Pairs Direct and Hedging languageOnline version Match the direct phrase with its more polite equivalent. by Frankie Kemp 1 As I told you.... 2 The client will think you're... 3 How did you come up with that amount? 4 Do this right now. 5 Why did you do this? 6 You got it completely wrong. 7 You didn't tell me about this change. How was I supposed to know? 8 You've misunderstood. Following my email (below) This may be perceived as... We'll need to revisit the costings What was the rationale behind that decision? I don’t recall any mention of this. May I suggest we get together to sort out how we’re going to deal with this? Maybe I didn't make myself clear. May I request you do this now? I think there's been a misunderstanding.