BUSINESS ENGLISH VOCABULARY

Writing Business Letters

Useful phrases and vocabulary for writing business letters.

Dear Mr. Brown

Dear Ms. White
Dear Sir
Salutation Dear Madam
Dear Sir or Madam
Gentlemen

We are writing
- to inform you that ...
- to confirm ...
- to request ...
- to enquire about ...
Starting 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 ...

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...
Referring to 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 ...
In addition, I would like to receive ...
Making a 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 Would you like us to ...?

 We would be happy to ...
We are quite willing to ...
Our company would be pleased to ...

We are pleased to announce that ...

I am delighted to inform you that ..
Giving good 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.

BUSINESS ENGLISH VOCABULARY

Writing Business Letters
(page 2)
Apologising
(US: Apologizing) We are sorry for the delay in replying to ...

I regret any inconvenience caused (by) ...

I would like to apologise for the (delay,

inconvenience)...

Once again, please accept my apologies for ...

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.

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 ...

Referring to payment
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 ...

Enclosing documents
I am enclosing ...
Sample Letter Requesting Information
In this business letter requesting information, Andrea Philips of
Dreamtime Movies writes to Lingua Services to ask for details of their
translation services.

Dreamtime Movies Ltd

54 Oxford Road, Skagnes SK3 4RG
Tel: 0223 123 4567
Email: info@dtmovies.co.uk

4 November 20--

Lingua Services Galactic Ltd

69 Milk Street
LONDON SW7 6AW

Dear Sirs

Translation Brochure

I should be grateful if you would send us your brochure and price list
about your translation services.

We are currently developing our sales literature and web sites and are
interested in translating these into five languages apart from English.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully

Andrea Philips

Andrea Philips
Marketing Manager
Sample Letter Sending Information
In this business letter sending information, James Brown of Lingua
Services responds to Dreamtime Movies' request for information about
Lingua's translation services, and encloses their brochures and price list
with his letter.

Lingua Services Galactic Ltd

69 Milk Street, LONDON SW7 6AW
Tel: +44 20 123 4567
Fax: +44 20 765 4321
Email: jb@linguaservices.ga

6 November 20--

Ms Andrea Philips
Dreamtime Movies Ltd
54 Oxford Road
Skagnes
SK3 4RG

Dear Ms Philips

Translation Services & Fees

Thank you for your letter of 4 November enquiring about our translation
services.

Lingua Services Galactic offer a full range of translation services to help

you in the development of sales literature and web sites. I have pleasure
in enclosing our latest brochures and price list from which you can see
that our prices are highly competitive.

I look forward to calling you in a few days.

Yours sincerely

James Brown
James T Brown
Sales Manager

Sample Change of Information Letter

In this business letter announcing a change of information, Colin
Fairchild of the Arrington Symphony advises Alicia Hathoway that prices
are increasing and urges her to continue her support.

Arrington Symphony
12 Main Street, Arrington, Tennessee, 37014
Tel: (615) 395-8765

November 4th, 20--

Alicia Hathoway
14 Sparks Rd
Arrington, Tennessee, 37014

Dear Ms. Hathoway:

Forthcoming Price Change

Season tickets for this year's symphony are going on sale next month
and we wanted you to be among the first to know.

As you probably know, rental prices have skyrocketed throughout

Tennessee this year. Due to our increase in rent at the Arrington Forum,
we are finding it necessary to raise the price of our season tickets from
$228 to $275. Single viewing tickets will also be subject to a price
increase.

We hope that you will consider purchasing season tickets for next year
despite this change. The Arrington Symphony has been together for 23
years, and relies on season-ticket holders to fill 25% of the seating at
each event. Without your support the Arrington Symphony could be
forced into retirement before its 25th anniversary.

To purchase tickets for the 20-- season, please visit our website at
www.arringtonsymphony.us, or call the ticket agent representative at
(615) 395-8750.

We look forward to having you in our audience again next year.

Yours truly,

Colin Fairchild

Colin Fairchild
Promotional Director

Useful vocabulary: skyrocketed, support, retirement

Sample Letter of Reference

In this letter of reference, also known as a recommendation letter,
the referee Penny Farthing of A.N.Y. Company assesses the character
and capabilities of former employee James Blond and recommends him
to potential future employers.

A.N.Y. Company Ltd

69 Any Street, Anyville, Anystate
Tel: 0123456789

4 November 20--

To Whom It May Concern:

Reference for Mr James Blond

James Blond joined the A.N.Y. Company in July 1998. Since then he has
proved to be a most reliable and effective member of the sales team.

James is professional and efficient in his approach to work and very well-
liked by his colleagues and executive clients. He is well-presented and
able to work both independently and as part of a team.

His contribution to all areas of company activity in which he has been

involved have been much appreciated.

I believe that James will make a valuable addition to any organization

that he may join. We deeply regret his decision to move on and I
recommend him without hesitation.

I would gladly answer any request for further information.

Sincerely,

Penny Farthing

Penny Farthing
Managing Director
penny.farthing@a-n-y.com

Useful vocabulary: approach, attitude, conscientous, contribution,

dependable, effective, efficient, hard-working, highly-skilled, initiative,
professional, punctual, reliable, respected, supportive, versatile, well-
liked

Sample Letter of Resignation

In this letter of resignation, also known as a resignation
letter, employee Annie Wright writes to her employer Fielders Pharmacy
giving three weeks' notice of her intention to leave her employment.

22 Tufton Street
London, SW1P 3TL
Tel: 020 7593 1760

4 November 20--

Josie Waters
Fielders Pharmacy
14 Broadway
London, SE1 7DG

Dear Mrs. Waters,

I am writing to provide formal notice of my resignation from Fielders

Pharmacy. My last day will be 20 November 20--.

I trust that two weeks is sufficient notice for you to find a replacement
for my position. I would be pleased to help train the individual you
choose to take my place.

Thank you for employing me for the past three years. My experience as
clerk, supervisor, and floor manager has been very positive and I'm
confident that I will use many of the skills I have learned at Fielders in
the future.

If you have any concerns, please contact me at my personal email

address.

All the best,

Annie Wright
Annie Wright
awright@hom-e-mail.com

Useful vocabulary: formal, notice, resignation, sufficient, replacement,

confident, concerns

Sample Lay-off Letter

In this lay-off letter, employer Franco Belliniowner of Pino's Pizzaria
writes to employee Joanne Montague advising that the company can no
longer employ her.

Pino's Pizzaria
Viale Silvani
10, 2345 Bologna, Italy
Tel: 051 520799

4 November 2015

Joanne Montague
Via Belmeloro 18
40123 Bologna

Dear Ms Montague,

As you are probably aware, the recent smoking ban has had a profound
impact on our business. Our sales have dropped 40 percent in the last
six months. Though we do not expect this to be a long-term concern for
our business, we don't expect sales to return to normal until the summer
when our patio opens for the tourist season.

Due to the loss in business we regret to inform you that we are laying-
off all of our hosts and hostesses for the winter and spring. With
business being so slow our servers can handle the task of greeting and
seating customers on their own.

You are entitled to two week's severance pay, which will be paid in full
on your next paycheck. Please come in for any scheduled shifts next
week.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication at Pino's Pizzaria. Please
apply again for our next summer season.

Sincerely,

Franco Bellini
Franco Bellini
Owner

pinopizza@italia.com

Useful vocabulary: profound, impact, dropped, regret, lay-off,

severance, dedication

Sample Request for Payment Letter

A request for payment letter may be sent when an invoice is overdue
that is, has not been paid within the agreed timeframe.

Sampson's Stationary
30 Silverstone Ave
Kamloops, BC
V2A 8B1
Tel:250-429-0002

February 21st, 20--

Mr. Ken Davis

Hanson's Montessori School
15 Main St.
Kamloops, BC
V2A 7B5

Our ref: #223

Dear Mr. Davis:

Outstanding Invoice

Our records show that you have an outstanding balance dating back to
January, 20--. Your January invoice was for 445.00 and we have yet to
receive this payment. Please find a copy of the invoice enclosed.

If this amount has already been paid, please disregard this notice.
Otherwise, please forward us the amount owed in full by March 1st,
20--. As our contract indicates, we begin charging 5% interest for any
outstanding balances after 30 days.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation. We hope to continue doing

business with you in the future.

Sincerely,

Maria McPhee
Maria McPhee
Accountant

Enclosure: Invoice #223

Useful vocabulary: records, outstanding balance, invoice, enclosed,

disregard, indicates, cooperation

Sample Welcome Email for New Staff

In this welcome email, Jack Long, Sales Manager of KC Electronics,
welcomes new employee Kim Gun to the company and team, and
introduces her to other employees by sending a cc (copy) to all staff.

To: Kim Gun <kgun@kc-e.com>

Cc: All Staff
From: Jack Long <jlong@kc-e.com>
Subject: Welcome to our Team!

Dear Kim,

Welcome to our Team!

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the staff of KC Electronics. We are

excited to have you join our team, and we hope that you will enjoy
working with our company.

On the first Monday of each month we hold a special staff lunch to

welcome any new employees. Please be sure to come next week to meet
all of our senior staff and any other new staff members who have joined
us this month. Alice Peters will email you with further details.

If you have any questions during your training period, please do not
hesitate to contact me. You can reach me at my email address or on my
office line at 340-2222.

Warm regards,
Jack

Jack Long, Sales Manager

KC Electronics
jlong@kc-e.com
Tel: 340-2222

Useful vocabulary: pleasure, welcome, senior staff, do not hesitate,

reach me