by return

[output]

Is the following sentence correct and natural?

Could you provide us the commercial invoice by return?

 

[probus]

It is correct but outdated. It is short for "by return of post", and goes back to the days when people received more than one mail delivery per day. When I first lived in London in the 60s you could mail a letter in the morning and it might well be delivered across town that very afternoon, and almost ceetainly by the next day.

 

[Tdol]

They used to have several posts a day- we inherited a collection of postcards in a house we moved into and there were invites to people for that afternoon. Post was the email of the 19th century.

 

[output]

It is correct but outdated. It is short for "by return of post", and goes back to the days when people received more than one mail delivery per day. When I first lived in London in the 60s you could mail a letter in the morning and it might well be delivered across town that very afternoon, and almost ceetainly by the next day.

so, we won't use this express "by return" in the email?

 

[Rover_KE]

So [no comma here] we don't use this express "by return" in an email?

No – it sounds rude — like you're expecting the recipient to drop everything and reply at once.

(On reflection, perhaps it always did.)