B2 · Module 03 · Class 12 — Closing the Case
Narrative Scene
Sarah Kimura has responded to Brian's letter. She is not satisfied with the wording alone — she has requested a face-to-face meeting and a formal proposal including a service credit. The meeting has happened. Brian negotiated a 12% service credit on the Phase 2 fee and a revised SLA with monthly delivery checkpoints. TechNova has agreed to continue the engagement.
Brian now needs to do two things: write a brief internal close-out note to James Whitfield summarising the resolution, and send Sarah Kimura a short confirmation email. Both documents must use the language of Module 3 — but at different registers. This class consolidates everything.
Quick Reference
Three tools for crisis communication. Each has a distinct function — they work best in combination.
Tool | Key structures | When to use |
Advanced passives | Passive infinitive, passive modals, impersonal it-clauses, subject-shift reporting | Incident reports, post-mortems, formal findings — when you need to report facts without assigning premature blame |
Epistemic modality | must / may / might / could, appear to / seem to / tend to, adverbial hedges (evidently, presumably, arguably) | Board presentations, investor briefings, stakeholder updates — when facts are not fully confirmed and calibrated certainty matters |
Concessive structures | although / while / notwithstanding / despite / however / nevertheless / albeit / be that as it may | Client response letters, negotiation correspondence, executive communications — when you must acknowledge one thing while asserting another |
Sarah Kimura's Response Letter
Read Sarah's formal reply to Brian's letter. Identify every Module 3 structure as you read.
TECHNOVA SOLUTIONS LTD 88 Wood Street, London EC2V 7RS 29 March 2026
Brian Okafor, Director of Strategic Partnerships Meridian Technologies 12 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6JJ
Dear Mr Okafor,
Thank you for your letter of 27 March. Whilst I acknowledge the care with which it has been drafted, I must be direct: TechNova's board is not satisfied with a process acknowledgement alone.
It is understood that the governance review is ongoing and that individual accountability has not yet been established. Notwithstanding this, the operational impact on TechNova has been real and measurable. Our Q1 internal reporting was delayed by ten working days as a direct consequence of the Phase 2 slip — a delay that is believed to have cost our finance team approximately forty hours of additional work.
That said, we do not wish to dissolve a partnership that has otherwise delivered consistent value. Although the delay was serious, TechNova's long-term interest lies in a successful Phase 2 completion, not in litigation. We are therefore prepared to continue the engagement, albeit subject to the following conditions:
1. A service credit of no less than 12% of the Phase 2 contract value 2. A revised SLA with monthly delivery checkpoints 3. A named Meridian escalation contact accessible directly to my team
These conditions may seem demanding. Nevertheless, they are, we believe, proportionate. We look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Kimura CEO, TechNova Solutions Ltd |
Analysis — find and label each Module 3 structure:
• Identify all passive or impersonal reporting structures (Module 3/C1).
• Identify all epistemic modal or hedge expressions (Module 3/C2).
• Identify all concessive or adversative structures (Module 3/C3).
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
___ the service credit was agreed, the revised SLA remains the more significant commitment. [concessive adverbial connector]
The forty-hour overrun ___ to have been caused by the delayed Phase 2 data feed. [passive infinitive: understand]
The engagement has been preserved, ___ at a reduced margin for Q2. [compact concessive: albeit]
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