【TOEIC Business English】Stop Saying “Contact to” — 3 Workplace Verbs Most Test-Takers Use Wrong

Office Daily English

In global business environments, professionals frequently need to share information, contact stakeholders, and inform clients of important updates.

These verbs often appear in formal emails, reports, and business calls. Using them correctly helps ensure clear and professional communication in real workplace situations.


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Dialogue

Mark: Have you shared the updated proposal with the client?
Linda: Not yet. I’ll share the revised version this afternoon.
Mark: Please make sure you inform them of the pricing changes.
Linda: Sure. Should I contact the legal team first?
Mark: Yes, contact them before sending the document.
Linda: Got it. I’ll also update our internal team.
Mark: Great. Let’s keep the regional office informed as well.
Linda: I’ll send them a summary email.
Mark: Please notify the finance department too.
Linda: Will do. I’ll inform them once I receive confirmation.
Mark: Thanks. Let’s share the final timeline tomorrow.
Linda: Sounds good.


Vocabulary Boost

WordIPAPart of SpeechMeaningExample Sentence
proposal/prəˈpoʊzəl/nounsuggestionPlease review the proposal.
inform/ɪnˈfɔːrm/verbnotifyWe will inform the client.
contact/ˈkɑːntækt/verbcommunicate withPlease contact support.
notify/ˈnoʊtɪfaɪ/verbinformHR will notify staff.
timeline/ˈtaɪmlaɪn/nounscheduleThe timeline changed.
confirmation/ˌkɑːnfərˈmeɪʃn/nounapprovalAwaiting confirmation.
summary/ˈsʌməri/nounbriefI sent a summary.
department/dɪˈpɑːrtmənt/noundivisionContact HR department.
revised/rɪˈvaɪzd/adjchangedSee the revised draft.

Grammar Points

StructureMeaningExample Sentence
share A with Bgive infoShare the report with them.
contact + personcommunicateContact the client.
inform A of BnotifyInform us of delays.
keep A informedupdateKeep me informed.
notify A about BtellNotify staff about updates.

📖 Transcript

M: You know, you’ve been navigating international business circles for quite a while now.

J: Yeah.

M: When you look at emails from non-native speakers, is there one thing that consistently trips people up?

J: Honestly, it’s… um… it’s rarely the big, complicated words. It’s actually the simplest verbs.

M: Really? Like what?

J: I see the same friction points over and over again with everyday words like “share” and “contact”.

M: I have to admit I’m guilty of that.

J: Yeah?

M: Especially with “contact”. My brain just naturally wants to put a preposition after it.

J: Yeah, you’re definitely not alone. But smoothing out those little bumps is the fastest way to elevate your professional presence.

M: Welcome to Win in 5 Minutes English.

J: Today we’re fixing those high-frequency errors.

M: Yeah, we have a realistic office scenario right here about handling a project rollout.

M: Let’s look at how they handle these tricky verbs.

English Dialogue
Mark: Have you shared the updated proposal with the client?
Linda: Not yet. I’ll share the revised version this afternoon.
Mark: Please make sure you inform them of the pricing changes.
Linda: Sure. Should I contact the legal team first?
Mark: Yes, contact them before sending the document.
Linda: Got it. I’ll also update our internal team.
Mark: Great. Let’s keep the regional office informed as well.
Linda: I’ll send them a summary email.
Mark: Please notify the finance department too.
Linda: Will do. I’ll inform them once I receive confirmation.
Mark: Thanks. Let’s share the final timeline tomorrow.
Linda: Sounds good.

J: Okay. To the untrained ear, that’s just a boring office chat.

M: But there is some serious grammar precision happening there. Did you catch that first stumbling block?

J: You mean when Linda asked, “Should I contact the legal team?”

M: Exactly. She didn’t say “contact to”.

J: Oh man, that is the number one mistake I see in emails. Our brains just want to say “speak to” or “write to”.

M: So we instinctively add the “to” after “contact”. But “contact” is a direct action verb.

J: Right. Like a laser beam.

M: It hits the target directly. You “contact the person”. No bridge, you know, no preposition needed. If you add “to”, you’re creating distance that shouldn’t even be there. So it’s “contact the supplier” or “contact the boss”.

J: Direct connection. Now, what about “share”? She had “shared the proposal with the client”.

M: This is another huge trap. You so often hear “share me the report” or “share to me”.

J: But grammatically, “share” is a transfer verb involving three parties. It’s you, the object, and the receiver.

M: You share the object with the person. It’s all about who you’re doing the sharing with. “Share the report with the team.” It just sounds so much smoother.

J: Now let’s look at “inform”.

M: The structure changes a bit here. Mark said “inform them of the pricing changes”.

J: So the formula is: “inform” + the person + “of” + the matter.

M: That’s the standard formal structure, yeah. But you also used a great variation: “Let’s keep the regional office informed”.

J: Oh, I love that phrase. “Keep me informed”. It implies a… well, a continuous loop.

M: Don’t just tell me once, but keep me updated if things shift. It sounds very proactive.

J: It really does. And notice he also used “notify the finance department”.

M: Which works just like “inform”. You notify someone about or of something.

J: It’s a great synonym to keep in your pocket so you aren’t repeating “inform” ten times in one single email.

M: For sure. Before we wrap, I do want to touch on the vocabulary choices. “Proposal”, “revised”, and “timeline”.

J: Small words, but they really signal professionalism. I mean, “revised” isn’t just “changed”.

M: It implies version control and actual precision. And “timeline” sounds much more authoritative than just “schedule”.

J: It’s all about executive presence. Using the right verb structure, like “contacting the team directly”, combined with those sharp nouns, is what elevates the email from “good” to “truly professional”.

M: It’s a small tweak that yields massive results in how people perceive your competence.

M: That’s it for today’s Win in 5 Minutes English. Remember, 5 minutes a day is all you need to win at work, win the TOEIC, and win over your colleagues.

J: If you found this episode useful, don’t forget to follow and share it with your friends.


Quick Check — TOEIC Quiz

Quick Check — TOEIC Quiz

1 / 5

Keep me _____ of updates.

2 / 5

Notify staff _____ changes.

3 / 5

Contact _____ for assistance.

4 / 5

Share the file _____ the team.

5 / 5

Please _____ the client of the delay.

Your score is

The average score is 0%

0%


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