According to science, the human brain is genetically designed to seek order or pattern and loathe chaos.
This is one of the reasons why we tend to find ourselves indulging in linguistic inquiries, searching for a deeper meaning of even the most mundane English phrases on earth.
To make sense of the obscure, we’ll look into the subtlest nuances behind the expression “for your convenience” today through contextualization and grammaticalization.
But, why don’t we start with the easy part?
What does “for your convenience” mean?
“For your convenience” is a common remark that is used to convey the apparent benefit of a speaker or writer’s activity or situation toward an addressee. This is a prepositional phrase containing a preposition, a determiner, and a noun that functions as an adverb of purpose in a sentence.
Contextualizing “for your convenience”
Apart from the phrase being discussed, other language-related queries like “Is it correct to say I myself?” and “Can we use “that that” in sentence construction?” continue to puzzle people online.
“Meaning” only gets clearer through contextualization, comprehensive grammatical discussion, as well as learning how to use words and phrases in sentences.
Hence, for your convenience, this section covers all these nuances in detail.
Loosely speaking, “for your convenience” is an expression used to explicitly convey the benefit of a writer or speaker’s utterance.
To put it in context, the writer or speaker may use the expression “for your convenience” to deliberately inform an addressee of the expected outcome of an action or situation.
For example, a coffee shop may hang a poster containing the following information:
In the example above, we can immediately deduce that the message is addressing coffee shop customers in general, as well as potential ones.
Also, logic would tell us that some schedule adjustments have recently been made even if the message does not straightforwardly indicate so.
This is because of the presence of the phrase “for your convenience” which has been paired with the remaining details of the sentence.
However, this is not the only way in which we can apply the exact phrase being discussed because we can also look into it using a different angle.
“Convenience” also collocates with “store,” thereby forming the compound noun “convenience store.” Because of this, we may also notice another usage of “for your convenience” in a sentence.
By the way, since I’ve introduced the term “compound nouns,” did you know that appositive phrases are a special type of nouns that explain or identify another noun or pronoun?
That’s just additional info that may help you make sense of adjective-like nouns.
Digression aside, the meaning of “for your convenience” shifted three-sixty degrees in the last example given, didn’t it?
The latter sentence implies that a nephew or a niece is giving his or her mother or father’s sister a present that could be used or displayed in the establishment mentioned.
That’s how language works. Although we could use general assumptions in explaining what words and phrases mean, they would still change depending on context and grammar.
Now, let’s also explore the grammatical aspects of “for your convenience” in detail.
Grammatical background on “for your convenience”
“For your convenience” is an adverb prepositional phrase that is used to indicate the purpose of an utterance, which is often an activity or a situation.
“For” functions as a preposition in the phrasal construction “for your convenience,” while “your convenience” functions as the object of the preposition.
“Your convenience” is a noun phrase made up of the possessive determiner “your” and the abstract noun “convenience” that completes the meaning of the preposition “for.”
You may use “for your convenience” as an introductory expression in a sentence.
It may also be used as an adverbial phrase of purpose that bears a restrictive meaning to the sentence. Hence, no comma should be placed before the entire expression.
Or, you may also deliberately use it as a parenthetical element in your sentence – a grammatically inessential expression that can be conveniently inserted to make an utterance more persuasive.
This time, you need to offset it with a comma or commas to demonstrate its grammatical dispensability from the rest of the sentence.
Encapsulating “for your convenience” with commas also draws more emphasis toward the phrase.
In a nutshell, emphasizing “for your convenience” through the power of commas could become a double-edged sword.
It could meanwhile accommodate the connotation that the speaker or writer seems to want the addressee to feel like owing to a debt of gratitude.
And hence, you had better use it with maximum caution if you don’t want your target addressee to raise his or her eyebrows or feel uncomfortable in the least.
Synonyms for “for your convenience”
Knowing other expressions that mean exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase helps us avoid being like a broken record.
For instance, we have to be equipped with other ways to say “in order to” because it is a connective device that we may need to repeatedly use, especially in writing.
In business correspondence, learning synonyms for “I am looking forward to hearing from you” is also likely going to amplify your writing skills.
Now, let’s also go over some synonyms for “for your convenience” in the context wherein we want to convey the positive result of an action or event.
Here are five expressions denoting the same meaning as “for your convenience” altogether with example sentences:
For your benefit
“For your benefit” is a great synonym for “for your convenience” that can be used in formal talks and correspondence.
Because of its rather formal connotation, it can be an excellent choice for serious conversations such as in something involving legal matters like the one below:
For your advantage
Similarly, “for your advantage” is also a formal synonym for “for your convenience” that can be used in business-related contexts like in this example:
For your satisfaction
Like the two previous expressions, “for your satisfaction” can be used in formalistic situations involving customer experience or other legitimate issues.
For your comfort
On the other hand, the formality level of the expression “for your comfort” somehow decreases because of the rather personal connotation of the last word.
“Comfort” suggests being in a state of physical ease, tranquility, contentment, or relief. Hence, it evokes a more emotional tone to the hearer or reader.
For your (own) good
Likewise, “for your (own) good” is also commonly used in conversations that entail a personal tonality, such as in giving a piece of advice to a friend or family member.
Although the adjacent placement of “your” and “own” is a bit redundant (due to the emphatic intent of the expression), its idiomatic connotation is deemed unmistakably clear by any native English speaker.
Alternatives for “for your convenience”
Formal correspondence entails linguistic flexibility especially when one of your tasks is to regularly create and respond to emails and business letters.
Thus, learning alternatives to “thank you for your cooperation” or “please find attached” should come in handy if you are one of these people.
Besides the synonyms enumerated in the previous section, we may also have to seek alternative expressions to “for your convenience” in other contexts.
So, here are five alternatives that are otherwise applicable in various situations:
For your easy access
“For your easy access” is something you would notice especially in business correspondence, such as in email conversations.
In the example below, the expression helps inform the recipient that an additional action has been taken by the sender for the benefit of the former.
In order to help you
By the same token, the quite wordy phrase “in order to help you” also bears a particular connotation that is strictly applicable in formalistic discourses.
Apparently enough, you would most likely notice the usage of this expression in anything that would require a consultative tone of voice.
For your (own) sake
To reduce the formality level of the earlier alternatives, we can use “for your (own) sake” instead.
You would notice the presence of this expression in giving recommendations or pieces of advice between or among people with intimate relationships.
For your liking
“For your liking” is something we would say if we want to express the meaning “to suit one’s taste or preference.”
Most of the time, this expression is used to assume that something could either be too extreme or too basic for one’s taste.
For your pleasure
This alternative expression should be used with caution because of its tendency to be used in discourses involving sensual gratification or entertainment.
It is needless to say that you had better avoid using “for your pleasure” when exchanging emails with clients, superiors, and professors.
Variations for “for your convenience”
Lastly, most people’s confusions are also rooted in the subtle variations of certain English expressions, either at the phrasal or clausal level.
When we construct sentences, a slight change in the preposition, article, determiner, or part of speech could also prompt a minor or major shift in the holistic meaning of a sentence.
For example, this can be observed in the formalistic and polite remark “give my regards” whose meaning could vary even with the slightest addition or adjustment of some words.
You may also notice meaning alterations with the transition phrase “in contrast” when it is structured either as “in contrast to” or “in contrast with.”
So, here are five common variations of “for your convenience” which are a likely source of uncertainty among native and non-native English language users alike:
At your convenience
“At your convenience” is a variation rather than a convenient replacement for “for your convenience.”
This expression is less likely going to be misinterpreted than the latter because this one aims to consider the target addressee’s time, place, or effort, which is an act of politeness.
At your earliest convenience
To make the expression “at your convenience” even more powerful or persuasive, we can add the adjective “earliest” before “convenience.”
“At your earliest convenience” works pretty well in expressing enthusiasm towards an upcoming meeting, discussion, or interview.
Whenever it is convenient for you
“Whenever it is convenient for you” is a hedging device that expresses caution and probability towards the remaining parts of the statement.
It lessens the “imposing tone” of the writer or speaker when asking for requests or favor from the message recipient.
When it would be convenient (for you)
A more polite variation than the former expression, “when it would be convenient (for you)” is expressed in a conditional mood using the modal verb “would.”
It means that the speaker or writer aims to be less assumptive about the availability of the target message recipient, and hence, a mark of politeness.
if it/that is convenient for you
Using “if” instead of “when” suggests the introduction of a conditional or possible situation, rather than assuming that it is a realistic one.
Meanwhile, using “when” suggests a situation that is certainly going to happen in the future or something that is more probable than the meaning implied by “if.”
Frequently Asked Questions on “For Your Convenience”
Should it be “at your ‘convenience’ or ‘convenient’”?
Without any other word coming after the phrase, we can simply use “at your convenience.” Otherwise, we should say “at your convenient time” or “at your convenient date.”
Which is correct, “for your convenience” or “at your convenience”?
Both expressions are grammatically correct, but “for your convenience” is used to convey an activity’s purpose or intent, which could sometimes have a negative connotation. Meanwhile, “at your convenience” is used mainly as a hedging device to express tact and politeness towards the addressee.
What is the meaning of “attached for your convenience”?
“Attached for your convenience” is an expression commonly found in emails that indicates that an additional file has been included by the sender to make the information more accessible for the recipient.
Conclusion
As you may have figured, “for your convenience” is an expression that could be interpreted two ways, depending on the context in which it operates.
This idea is also true with so many other English expressions, and thus, this only goes to show that word meanings and interpretation of meanings are indeed relative.
Hey fellow Linguaholics! It’s me, Marcel. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com. Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich. It is my utmost pleasure to share with all of you guys what I know about languages and linguistics in general.