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		Ask for help > Help with awkward phrase, please     
			
		 Help with awkward phrase, please 
		
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 redcamarocruiser
 
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							| Help with awkward phrase, please 
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							| A foreign academic friend asked me to help him with his letter of intent to take advantage of a three-year phased retirement package.   One of the sentences in his letter made me stumble: "I plan to take a three academic year (2018-21) retirement..."   Can you suggest a better way of phrasing this?    Thanks, Mary  |  27 Jan 2018      
					
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 jfaraujo
 
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							| I wonder if this makes more sense to a native speaker.    "I plan to take a three-year academic retirement."   This sounds better to me but I would like to have a native speaker �s opinion.  |  27 Jan 2018     
					
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 redcamarocruiser
 
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							| How about, I plan to take a three academic year (2018-21) phased retirement    or  I plan to take a phased retirement for three academic years (2018-21).   Are either better than the first version? |  27 Jan 2018     
					
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 joannajs
 
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							| Mary, how about " a phased retirement over the period of three academic years"?   best, joanna  |  28 Jan 2018     
					
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 Jayho
 
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							| Hi Mary   Depending on what else is written in his letter, then maybe one of these?   I plan to take (the offer of) the three-year phased retirement package for the academic year period 2018-2021 (or, the academic years 2018-2021). 
 OR 
 I plan to take the academic year periods of 2018-2021 (or, the academic years 2018-2021). 
 OR, if there is an option of a shorter or longer period, then: 
 I plan to take (the offer of) the three-year package for the academic year period 2018-2021 (or, the academic years 2018-2021). 
   Cheers   Jayho    |  28 Jan 2018     
					
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 yanogator
 
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							| I would say, "I plan to phase my retirement over three academic years". The other options, except for Joanna �s, sound like the person plans to come back from retirement after three years.   Bruce  |  28 Jan 2018     
					
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 redcamarocruiser
 
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							| I deeply appreciate everyone �s helpful suggestions. Thank you all so much!
Sincerely grateful,
Mary |  28 Jan 2018     
					
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