The pattern

"Please make sure" plus a sentence (or "to" plus a verb) asks someone to check that something happens. "Please make sure the door is locked" is a clear, polite instruction with a small warning inside: this matters. It is standard at work, in emails and in any handover: before you leave, before you send, before the guests arrive.

Two shapes, same meaning: "Make sure you lock the door" and "Make sure to lock the door". In speech people often drop "please" with friends: "Make sure you eat something." With "I'll", it becomes a promise: "I'll make sure it's done."

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

  1. With friends, "please" often drops.

  2. A promise: I will take responsibility for it.

  3. A polite way to check you understood correctly.

Check yourself

1What does "Please make sure the door is locked" ask for?
2Which is a promise to take care of something?
3How do you politely check that you understood?

Practice · 3 min

Give or accept a clear instruction. Prompt on the left, one natural sentence on the right.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.