report you?

[Ju1ian]

Hi- My first post here.
I have seen a business letter that goes, "We are pleased to report you that XXX and YYY were approved...". It is supposed to mean "We are happy to tell you that...". Now, I understand 'report' can be transitive, as in "I will report my neighbor to the police", but in the case of the above example, the use of 'report' as transitive makes me uncomfortable. I think it should say "pleased to report to you that...". What do you think? Thank you for your help.

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by Ju1ian

Hi- My first post here.
I have seen a business letter that goes, "We are pleased to report you that XXX and YYY were approved...". It is supposed to mean "We are happy to tell you that...". Now, I understand 'report' can be transitive, as in "I will report my neighbor to the police", but in the case of the above example, the use of 'report' as transitive makes me uncomfortable. I think it should say "pleased to report to you that...". What do you think? Thank you for your help.

Welcome to the forum.
You are right. The sentence is wrong, as you have explained.

[Ju1ian]

Can you also suggest other words that might be more appropriate than 'report' in a business letter ('notify', maybe?)? Or is 'report to you' all right?

[konungursvia]

Advise