Needful

Is the word "needful" correct?

The sentence used is: Please do the needful
Which one is more appropriated, "Please do as required", "Please do as needed", "Please do the necessary" or "Please do the needful".

What i am looking for is requesting someone to take necessary steps

Thanks in advance
-muttalebm

Quote:

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Originally Posted by muttalebm

Is the word "needful" correct?

The sentence used is: Please do the needful
Which one is more appropriated, "Please do as required", "Please do as needed", "Please do the necessary" or "Please do the needful".

What i am looking for is requesting someone to take necessary steps

Thanks in advance
-muttalebm

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We see "Please do the needful" on this forum quite regularly. It seems to be perfectly acceptable in some forms of English (Indian English, for example), but it does not work in British English (nor AmE, I think).

I would use "Please take the necessary steps" or "Please take the necessary action".

It's incorrect in AmE, too.

It's very common and completely acceptable in Indian (South Asian) English.