Please Be Aware: Email Usage and Alternatives
“Please be aware” asks the reader to know or take account of a fact. It is grammatically standard, but its tone depends on context; professional alternatives should be chosen by function—such as stating the fact directly, using “please note,” or explaining the consequence—rather than claiming one phrase is universally more polite.
Use “please be aware” to draw attention to information the recipient should know. In routine professional email, a direct statement of the fact or its consequence can often be clearer than relying on the attention marker alone.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Tone is contextual. The phrase is not inherently rude or incorrect, and alternatives should be selected for audience and purpose rather than ranked as universally better.
Further guidance
Application
When clarity matters, follow the phrase immediately with the concrete fact, consequence, deadline, or limitation the reader needs to understand.
Core Rule
Use “please be aware” when the communicative job is to make sure the recipient knows a relevant fact or condition.
Practical Application
Use “please be aware” to call attention to information the reader should take into account. For routine email, clarity often improves when you state the fact and consequence directly or use a lighter marker such as “please note,” depending on context.
Reader Check
Is the phrase adding useful emphasis, or is it delaying the actual information? Could the sentence simply state the fact and what the recipient needs to do?
Worked Example
Instead of “Please be aware that the office closes at 4,” write “The office closes at 4, so please arrive by 3:30” when the consequence is what matters.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- aware — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct dictionary evidence that be aware of/that means knowing about something, supporting informational email use without implying a universal tone judgment.
- Business Email Phrases — Professional Alternatives (opens in a new tab)LanguageTool · Current professional-email phrasing and specificity guidance
- How to Write a Proper Email — Email Writing Tips (opens in a new tab)Grammarly · Professional email clarity and cliché-avoidance context