Work emails · Plain-English guide
What does “Close of business” mean?
The time the business finishes work for the day.
“The business may close. The ambiguity remains open.” — Arthur
What it means in practice
This asks you to think in terms of office hours, but not every business closes at the same time. A shop, an overseas office and a remote team may have quite different schedules.
An example and a clearer version
The original wording
We need your reply by close of business.
In plain English
Please reply by 5 pm on Friday.
What to say instead
the end of the working day.
How to make the next step clear
Write an exact deadline when another task depends on the reply. If you are replying to a vague deadline, confirm the time rather than assuming that your working hours match theirs.
Wording you can adapt
Please approve the artwork by 4 pm on Thursday so we can send it to the printer.
The wording around a phrase matters. Keep the names, dates, amounts and conditions from the original when you rewrite it.
Try “Close of business” with Arthur →