From http://learn-english-today.com/business-english/business-letters.html
Writing Business Letters Useful phrases and vocabulary for writing business letters. |
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Salutation |
• Dear Mr. Brown • Dear Ms. White • Dear Sir • Dear Madam • Dear Sir or Madam • Gentlemen |
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Starting |
• We are writing - to inform you that ... - to confirm ... - to request ... - to enquire about ... • I am contacting you for the following reason... • 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 ... |
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Referring to previous contact |
• Thank you for your letter of March 15. • Thank you for contacting us. • In reply to your request, ... • Thank you for your letter regarding ... • With reference to our telephone conversation yesterday... • Further to our meeting last week ... • 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. |
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Making a request |
• 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 ... • In addition, I would like to receive ... • 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. |
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Offering help |
• Would you like us to ...? • We would be happy to ... • We are quite willing to ... • Our company would be pleased to ... |
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Giving good news |
• We are pleased to announce that ... • I am delighted to inform you that .. • You will be pleased to learn that ... |
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Giving bad news |
• We regret to inform you that ... • I'm afraid it would not be possible to ... • Unfortunately we cannot / we are unable to ... • After careful consideration we have decided (not) to ... |
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Complaining |
• 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. • 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. |
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Apologizing - US Apologising - UK |
· We are sorry for the delay in replying to ... · I regret any inconvenience caused (by) ... · I would like to apologize for the (delay, inconvenience)... · Once again, please accept my apologies for ... |
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Orders |
· 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° ..... · Your order will be processed as quickly as possible. · It will take about (two/three) weeks to process your order. · We can guarantee you delivery before ...(date) · Unfortunately, these articles are no longer available / are out of stock. |
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Prices |
· 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 notice. · We have pleasure in enclosing a detailed quotation. · We can make you a firm offer of ... |
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Referring to payment
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· Our terms of payment are as follows... · Our records show that we have not yet received payment of ... · According to our records ... · Please send payment as soon as possible. · You will receive a credit note for the sum of ... |
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Enclosing documents |
· I am enclosing ... · Please find enclosed ... · You will find enclosed ... |
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Closing remarks |
· 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 ... · 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. |
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Referring to future business |
· We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future. · We would be (very) pleased to do business with your company. · I would be happy to have an opportunity to work with your firm. |
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Referring to future contact |
· I look forward to seeing you next week. · Looking forward to hearing from you, ... · Looking forward to receiving your comments, · I look forward to meeting you on the (date). · I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience. · An early reply would be appreciated. |
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Ending business letters |
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