WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS
Useful phrases
; Dear Mr Brown
; Dear Ms White
; Dear Sir
; Dear Sirs Salutation ; Dear Madam
; Dear Sir or Madam
; Gentlemen
; We are writing to inform you that ...
to confirm ...
to request ...
to enquire about ...
; I am contacting you for the following reason. Starting ; I recently read/heard about . . . and would like to know . . .
; Having seen your advertisement in ... , I would like to ...
; I would be interested in (obtaining/receiving) ...
; I received your address from ... and would like to ...
; I am writing to tell you about ...
; Thank you for your letter of March 15 ...
; Thank you for contacting us.
; In reply to your request ...
; Thank you for your letter regarding ...
Referring to ; With reference to our telephone conversation yesterday ...
previous ; Further to our meeting last week ...
contact ; It was a pleasure meeting you in London last month.
; I enjoyed having lunch with you last week in Tokyo.
; I would just like to confirm the main points we discussed on
Tuesday . . .
; We would appreciate it if you would ...
; I would be grateful if you could...
; Could you please send me . . .
; Could you possibly tell us/let us have... Making a ; In addition, I would like to receive ...
request ; It would be helpful if you could send us ...
; I am interested in (obtaining/receiving...)
; I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.
; Please let me know what action you propose to take. Offering help ; We would be happy to ...
; Would you like us to ...
; We are quite willing to ...
; Our company would be pleased to ...
; We are pleased to announce that ...
Giving good ; I am delighted to inform you that ...
news ; You will be pleased to learn that ...
; We regret to inform you that ...
; I'm afraid it would not be possible to ...
Giving bad news ; Unfortunately we cannot/we are unable to ...
; After careful consideration we have decided (not) to ...
; I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with ...
; I am writing to complain about ...
; Please note that the goods we ordered on (date) have not yet
arrived.
Complaining ; We regret to inform you that our order n?--- is now considerably
overdue.
; I would like to query the transport charges which seem
unusually high.
; We are sorry for the delay in replying ...
; I regret any inconvenience caused
Apologizing ; I would like to apologize for (the delay/the inconvenience) ...
; Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience.
; Thank you for your quotation of ...
; We are pleased to place an order with your company for ...
; We would like to cancel our order n?...
; Please confirm receipt of our order.
; I am pleased to acknowledge receipt of your order n?...
Orders ; Your order will be processed as quickly as possible.
; It will take about (three) weeks to process your order.
; We can guarantee delivery before ...
; Unfortunately these articles are no longer available/are out of
stock.
; Please send us your price list.
; You will find enclosed our most recent catalogue and price list.
; Please note that our prices are subject to change without Prices notice.
; We have pleasure in enclosing a detailed quotation.
; We can make you a firm offer of ...
; Our terms of payment are as follows :
; Our records show that we have not yet received payment of ...
; According to our records ... Referring to ; Please send payment as soon as possible. payment ; You will receive a credit note for the sum of ...
; I am enclosing ...
Enclosing ; Please find enclosed ...
documents ; You will find enclosed ...
; If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know
; If I can help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me
; If you require more information ...
; For further details ...
Closing remarks ; Thank you for taking this into consideration
; Thank you for your help.
; We hope you are happy with this arrangement.
; We hope you can settle this matter to our satisfaction.
; We look forward to a successful working relationship in the
Referring to future
future ; We would be (very) pleased to do business with your company.
business ; I would be happy to have an opportunity to work with your firm.
; I look forward to seeing you next week
; Looking forward to hearing from you
Referring to ; " " to receiving your comments future ; I look forward to meeting you on the 15th
contact ; I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience.
; An early reply would be appreciated.
; Sincerely, }
; Yours sincerely, } (for all customers/clients) Ending ; Sincerely yours, }
business letters
; Regards, (for those you already know and/or
with whom you already have a working relationship.)
; Yours faithfully