| Dear Mrs.Wilson Dear Madam Dear Ms Hemsuchi Dear Susanna Dear Mr Gonzalez Dear David Dear Sirs | 1. Best wishes Peter 2. Yours faithfully Richard Sanders 3. Yours sincerely Senaa Al Jalahma |
Content and style.
Giving good news
| I am | pleased delighted happy | to tell to inform to advise | you that….. |
Bad news
| I | regret am sorry | to tell to inform to advise | you that…… |
Saying what you can and cannot do
| We are unable to….. We are able to…….. We have been forced to…… |
Requesting action
Here are some ways to ask people to do something for you.
| Please could you... We would be grateful if you could... We would appreciate it if you could... | If it is urgent, add: as soon as possible without delay immediately |
Note: Please could you..,' is the most direct. You can use this when you are asking for something usual.
Apologising
| We must apologise for... We apologise for... We are extremely sorry for... |
Notes: - Use the '-ing' form after these phrases.
EXAMPLE We are extremely sorry for losing your order. - You can also say 'We are extremely sorry that...' e.g. We are extremely sorry that we lost your order.
Usually, it is polite to give the reason for the problem and then apologise again at the end of a letter.
| Please accept our apologies once again. We hope that this has not caused you any inconvenience. With apologies once again. |
Making a mild complaint
To make a mild complaint you can:
- say that, unfortunately, something is wrong,
EXAMPLE 'Unfortunately, we have not yet received the filing cabinets.’ and then, using the phrases you learnt before:
- request some action.
Making a strong complaint
To make a strong complaint you can:
- say exactly what is wrong,
EXAMPLE 'It is now over nine months since we placed this order and we are still waiting for the cabinets.'
- make a point connected with this,
EXAMPLE 'I should like to point out that we have already paid for these cabinets.' and then:
- demand immediate action.
EXAMPLE 'We really must insist, therefore, that you deliver them immediately.' If you think that it is necessary you can also:
- give a warning.
EXAMPLE 'Unless we hear from you, we will take legal action.'
PRACTICE
Exercise 1.
Complete these sentences using phrases for referring and giving good or bad news. The first one has been done for you.
EXAMPLE____________your order for some cupboards, ____________we have had to increase the price.
With reference to your order for some cupboards, I regret to inform you that we have had to increase the price.
1. __________________________________your application for a post as secretary________________that we would like you to start as soon as possible.
2. _______________________________________your application for a post as secretary_____________________________________you were not successful.
3. _________________________________our telephone conversation this morning, ___________________________that your car is now ready to collect.
Exercise 2.
Sort out the jumbled words below to make six sentences typical of business correspondence. Add capital letters and punctuation as necessary.
1. grateful / soon / a / as / we / for / would / possible / reply / as / be_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. for / find / please / cheque / £49.50 / a / enclosed______________________________________________________
3. further / please /if / us / information / you / any / contact / need__________________________________________________________
4. April / your / you / letter / thank / 5 / of / for___________________________________________________________
5. you / we / forward / to / from / look / hearing_______________________________________________________6. pleasure / price list / enclosing / have / a / catalogue / our /1 / spring / and / in____________________________________________________________
Exercise 3.
This is a letter about arrangements for a business trip. At present it is difficult to understand because the ordering of the information is not clear. Rearrange the letter in a clearer sequence. Fill in the box.
| a) Dear Mr Jackson b) NICOSIA COMPUTER TRAINING COURSE c) I am writing with information about the arrangements we have made for your visit. d) Unfortunately, Mr Charalambides will not be able to meet you in Larnaca on Thursday 15 June, as you requested, because he will be returning from a visit to our subsidiary in Spain. However, he will be back in the office the following day, so I have arranged for him to see you at 14.30. e) On Friday 9 June your flight to Larnaca will be met by our driver, who will take you to the Amathus Beach Hotel, where we have booked you in for the first two nights. The driver will call for you at 17.00 on Sunday and drive you to the Training Centre at Nicosia. Most of the trainee operators will have had some experience of the new program by the time you arrive at the centre, but they will need a good deal of instruction on the more complex areas of the system. f) We hope you enjoy your weekend at the hotel. The driver will pick you up from the Training Centre on Wednesday evening, at the end of the course, and take you back to the Amathus Beach Hotel, where I have booked you in for a further two nights. g) Please could you confirm that you plan to return to London on the 18.30 flight on Friday 16 and also that the arrangements outlined here suit you? h) Thank you for your letter of 18 May giving us the dates of your trip. I look forward to hearing from you. i) Yours sincerely Elena Theodorou Training Manager |
| 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. | 9. |
Exercise4.
