| WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS Useful phrases
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| Salutation
| · Dear Mr Brown
· Dear Ms White
· Dear Sir
· Dear Sirs
· 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 ...
· I am writing to tell you about ...
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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
| - We would be happy to ...
- Would you like us 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
| - We are sorry for the delay in replying ...
- I regret any inconvenience caused
- I would like to apologize for (the delay/the inconvenience) ...
- Once again, I apologise for any inconvenience.
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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 (three) weeks to process your order.
- We can guarantee delivery before ...
- 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 ...
- Our terms of payment are as follows :
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| Referring to payment
| - 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
- to receiving your comments
- I look forward to meeting you on the 15th
- I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience.
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| Ending business letters
| - Sincerely,
- Yours sincerely, (for all customers/clients)
- Sincerely yours,
· Regards, (for those you already know and/or with whom you already have a working relationship.)
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