Basics Name Previous contact Reason for writing Giving information, Attachments Asking for information Requests Promising action Offering belp Final comments % Formal/Neutral Informal Dear Mr/MesMs Dupuie Hi/Hello Mary Dear Mary Mary, ... (or no name at all) ‘Thank you for your email of ‘Thanks for your email, Further to your last email, Re your email, apologise for noc getting in Somry U haven't written for ages, contact with you before now, but I've been really busy. Jam writing in connection with Just ashore note about . Tam writing with regard to... T'm writing about In reply to your email, here are Here’ the... you wanted. ‘Your name was given to me by 1 got your name frm ‘We would like t9 point out that Please note chat Tm writing to let you know that Just a note to say .. ‘We are able to confirm chat We can confirm that Tam delighted to tell you that... Good news! We regret to inform you that .. Unforcunately, a eee rece Ea SE Please find attached my report. I've attached Tim sending you ... asa pa fie. Here isthe ... you wanted, Could you give me some information about Can you tell me a litte more about 1 would like to know Td like to know Tm interested in receivingfinding out ... Please send me Td be grateful if you could Please could you Lwonder if you could... Could you ...2 Do you think I could have ..? Can Ihave ...? ‘Tharik you in advance for your help in this matter, I'd appreciate your help on this. will tie 1 investigate che matter IL ook into it will contact you again shorely TU get back to you soon. et ence ‘Would you like me to...) Do you want me to... Ifyou wish, I would be happy to Shall L...? Let me know whether you would like me to Let me know if you'd like me to ‘Thank you for your help. ‘Thanks again for Do not hesitate to contact us again if you Let me know if you need anything require any further information, ele. Please feel free to contact me if you have Juse give me a call if you have any questions. My direct line is ‘any questions, My number is Tam looking forward to .. (+ ing) Looking forward to .. (+ ing) Give my regards to Best wishes t9| Best wishes Speak to/See you soon. Regards Bye (for now)/All the bestNegotiating a project Asking for information Requests Emphasising a main point Asking for a suggestion Making a suggestion ‘Negotiating: being frm ‘Negotiating: being flexible Negotiating: agrecing Next steps Closing What ace your usual changes (fesiates) for ...? ‘Can you give me some more information about ...? Do you think you could ...2 Would you be able to ...? My main concem at this stage is ‘The main thing for me is. How do you think we should deal with this! ‘What do you think isthe best way forward? Why don't you ...? ‘What about if we «7 understand what you're saying about ... (but...) Tan see what you're saying, but ‘We would be prepared to .. (if...) Tam willing to... (if...) ‘Olay, I'm happy with that for now. Thar’ fine Tbe in touch again soon with more details Let’ tall next week and see how things are going. [look forward to working with you I'm sorry that we coulda’e use your services this time, but I hope there will be another ‘opportunity. Checking understanding ‘Technical problems ‘Asking for clarification Giving clarification Close Phrase bank Did you get my last message sent on ...? Sorry, you forgot to attach the fle. Can you send it again? Igor your emai, but can't open the attachment. Did you mean to send this? don’t want to open it in case it's got a virus Tm not sure what you mean by ...? Could you clarify? Which ... do you mean? | don'e understand this poine. Can you explain in a little more detail! Are you sure about that! Sony, what I meant was .., not I thought... but I may be wrong. Tl check and gee back to you “The correct information is given below. Please amend your records accordingly Sorry, forget my last eal. You's right hope this clarifies the sitatin. Ger back to me if there’ anything cle. iArrangements Meetings Reason for writing Suggesting time/place ‘Saying when you are/ are not free Confirming Changing arrangements Close Invitations Inviting Prepare Accepting Refusing Formal/Neutral Informal I'm writing to arrange a time for our meeting. Just a quiek note to arrange a time ‘What time would be convenient for you! to meet. When would suit you? Could we meet on (day) in (the moming etc.) How about (day) at (time)? acne) ‘Are you fee sometime next week? would be able to attend the meeting on im free Thursday am. ‘Thursday moming mn out of the office until 2pm. I won't be around until ater lunch, Any time after chat would be fine. Any time after that is okay, Ym afraid I can't manage next Monday. Sony, can't make it next Monday. Pd like co confirm ‘Thursday is good for me. ‘That’ fine, I will callemail you tomorrow ‘That should be okay, I'l get back. to confirm the decals 0 you if there's a problem. This isto let you know that Iwill not be able Re our meeting next week, I'm to attend the meeting next Thursday. ‘afraid I can’t make Thursday. I wonder if we could move it to ...? How about ... instead? apologise for any inconvenience caused. Sorry for the inconvenience. Took forward to meeting you in Brussels. See you in Brussels Let me know if you need to change Give me a cal if anything changes the arrangements. We would be very pleased ifyou could come ta... ['m uriting to invite you to [would like to invite you to... /attend cur... Would you like to come to ..? Please let me know if you will beable to attend. Please let me know if you can make it. ‘Before the meeting it would be useful if Please prepare... before the meeting. you could prepare Te would be helpful if you could bring Please bring co the meeting ‘Thank you for your kind invitation. ‘Thanks a loc for che invitation. ‘The dace you suggest is fne ‘The date’ fine for me. I would be delighted to attend the Td love to come to the meeting. It meeting. Iam sure it will be very useful, sounds lke a great idea ‘Thank you for your kind invitation, ‘Thanks a lot for your kind invitation. Unfortunately, I have another appointment ‘Unfortunately, I have something else on that day. Please accepe my spologies. ‘in my schedule on that day. hope we will have the opportunity ro meet hope we can meet up soon, Good ‘on another occasion in the neat future. Iam luck wich che meeting! sure chac the meeting will be a great success Phrase bankWriting styles Formal/Informal. Formal/Newtral Example phrases ‘Thank you for your email received 12 Feb. ‘With regardjeference to would be grateful if you could We regret to advise you that Please accept our apologies for | was wondering if you could We note that you have not ... We would like to remind you tha Ie is necessary for me to. Ieis possible that I will Would you like me to ..1 However, ... {In addition, ... / Therefore, Ifyou require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. ook forward to meeting you next week, Latin / Anglosaxon _assistancefdue cofenquire/informinformation origin obtain/occupationy/possess/provide/repair request/requirementsverify Direct/Indirect Direct Requests Can you ..2 Please could you Asking for permission Can I Could T...? Offering help Cant. Shall 7 Making a suggestion What about .. (+ sing)? Shall we ..? Softening a strong, ‘There is a problem, comment ‘That will be very expensive. We can'e do that ‘That gives us very litle eime. Ie will be better to ask Heidi. I disagre. Phrase bank Informal ‘Thanks forthe email Re Please could you .. I'm sorry to tell you that I'm sony for Could you ...2 You haven't Don’t forget that Tneed to might Shall 1.2 Bur, -../ Also, .../ So, If you'd like more details, le me know, See you next week, hhelpjbecause offsl/tellfaces sevjobfhavelgivelix ask for/needsjcheck (prove) Indirect: politediplomatic : Could you ..2 was wondering if you could Is ical right if Twonder if [could ..? ‘Would you like me to ...? Do you need any help with ...7 Why don't we Pethaps we shoul Pm afraid there is a small problem. Ie seems there i slight problem. ‘That might be quite expensive. Won't that be abit expensive? Tm not sure we ean do that Actually, chat doesnt give us much time | ‘Wouldn't be beter to ask Heidi? Jean see what you're saying, bur Don't you think thac..? To be honest, I think it might be better co |Commercial Request for information (customer) Saying how you got the contact Giving reason for writing General requests Specific requests Close ‘We met lat Thursay on your stand at the Munich Trae Fae Tam emailing you off your website, which I found through Google ‘We are a manufacturer/supplier/pravider of... . We ae interested in . ‘We are a Turkish company exporting to the EU, and we need ‘We would be grateful for some information about Please send us information about your product range and prices. In particular, we would like to know Please send full details of your prices, discounts, terms of payment and delivery times. Could you also say whether there is any minimum order. ‘An early reply would be greatly appreciated [ook forward to an early reply, and am sure that there is a market for your products here in Hungary. Giving information (supplier) ‘Thanks Giving factual information Saying what you are attaching Highlighting one or two key points Answering specific questions Close ‘Thank you for your email of 4 June inquiring about . We can quote you a price of... CIF/FOB Istanbul. We can deliver by ... (date) within ... (petiod of time) The goods will be shipped 3 days from receipt ofa firm order. We can offer a discount of .. on orders over We require payment by bank transferflerter of credit ‘Our normal procedure is 0 (Our normal zerms for first-time customers are ‘We can supply the items you require directly from stack. 1am attaching a document that gives full detale of Jam attaching our current catalogue and price list asa pdf file. You will se that You will note that our line of... ison special offer. You will also note that .... Our experience in this field includes ‘We dispatch the goods within 24 hours of a frm order, and for is-time customers ‘our minimum order is €1,000. ‘Lam afraid that model is no longer available, However, We feel sure that... . May I suggest tat I call you at your convenience to discuss the matter further! If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. My direct TinFollowing up a call (supplier) Open, Summarising key points Giving additional information Saying you will call back. Close “Thank you for taking the time on the telephone this moming to explain .. understand that you are looking for ... and I am confident that we can find a good solution for your needs Thave attached some information about our company, including have attached a list of some of our clients, which you will see include As agreed, I'l give you a cal during the last week of September, [have made @ note ro call you again after you've had a chance to Perhaps then it would be a good idea to meet to discuss In the meantime, if you would like co discuss any other points, please don’t hesitate 1 give me a call on my direct line Asking for better terms (customer) Open Discussing terms Close ‘Thank you for sending ... . We are interested in ... . However, there are one of two things we would like to clarify before going ahead. Do you give any discount on an order ofthis size? ‘Would you be prepared to let us have the goods on credit? ‘We need these items by .. at che latest If we can reach an agreement on these matters we are sure thar we can do more business with you in the furure We look forward to hearing from you soon. Replying and agreeing terms (supplier) Open Saying yes Looking for a compromise Final details Close Phrase bank ‘Thank you for your emsil of .. inquiring about a possible order for In relation to ..., we would be happy to let you have Thave spoken to my line manager, and we ate able to... on this occasion, With regard to ..., unfortunately we are not able to... . However, Iam sute we can find an acceptable compromise ‘We are prepared to accept ‘We would be grateful if you could supply bank references. Please return the attached form asap so that your order can be processed without any lay. Please note that we have recently improved the functionality of our website, and it is now possible to place an order on-line. Altematively, you can print cut the attached order form and return it to us by mail have arranged for a member of our customer services team to give you a call ater in the week. They wll be able to deal with any further points ‘We hope you find our quotation satisfactory and look forward to receiving your onder. We assure you that i will have our prompe atention, IF you need any fer information, do not hesitate to contact ws. npMaking an order (customer) Open Close ‘Thank you for your recent email, and we accept your quotation, Our completed order form is attached, and we give full bank details below. Please acknowledge receipt of this order, Confirming an order (supplier) Open Close Your order has been received. ‘We can confirm that your goods have been shipped. You can track shipping decals on our website. Due to exceptional demand these items are temporarily out of stock. We hope to be able to ship your order within .. days and will keep you fally informed. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. ‘We are confident that the goods will meet your expectations. Should chere be any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, either by email or phone, Asking for payment (supplier) First reminder ~ open First reminder ~ action ‘Second/Third reminder — open Second/Third reminder ~ Final demand ~ open Final demand — action We are writing conceming a payment of €12,600 for invoice number KJ678 which is now overdue. A copy of che invoice is attached. According to our records, the sum of €4,500 is stil outstanding on your account. Please send a bank cransfr ta settle the account, or an explanation of why the ‘balance is still outstanding. Ifyou have already dealt with this matter, please disregard this email We would appreciate your cooperation in resolving this matter as soon as possible. (On (date) [wrote to you regarding your company’s unpaid account, amounting to £4,500. May we please remind you that this amount is still outstanding, | wish to draw your attention to my previous emails of (dates) about the overdue payment on your account. We are very concerned that the matter has not yet received your attention. We need a bank transfer in full sestlement without further delay. Clearly, this situation cannot be allowed ro continue, and we must ask you to take Immediate action to sere your account. Ifyou have any queries on this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your cooperation. Following my emails of (dates) I must inform you that we have still not received payment forthe ourscanding sum of €4,500 I wrote to you on (dates) regarding the balance of €12,600 on your acount. I attach, copies of both emails. This sum is now two months overdue. We ate very concerned that the mateer has not yet received your attention Unless we seceive paymene within seven days, we shall have no alternative but to take legal action to recover the money. In the meantime, your existing credit facilities have been suspended, PhraseComplaints and apologies Complaining (customer) Open Complaint Request for action Flose Apologising (supplier) Open Apologising Denying responsibility >eomising action ompensation Phrase bank Tam writing in connection with my order F5690 which arived this moming to complain about the quality ofa product I bought fom your website. to complain about the poor sevice we received from your company. to draw your attention to che negative ati of some people in your customer services section. (Our onder dated 16 Seprember clearly stated thar we wanted 1,000 items, however you ‘The goods were faulry/damagedjin poor condition. ‘There seems to be an error in the invoice/a misunderstanding “The equipment [ ordered has sill not been delivered, despite my phone call to you last week to say that it is needed urgently, ‘The product | received was well below the standard [ expected ‘To make matters worse, when I called your company your staff Please replace the faulty goods as soon as possible. ‘We must insist on an immediace replacementfull refund, Unless I receive the goods by the end of this week, I will have no choice but to cancel my order. hope that you will deal wich chis marter prompely as itis causing me considerable am writing in telation to your recent complaint. 1 was very concerned to leam about... Please accept my sincere apologies I would like to apologise for the inconvenience you have suffered. We appreciate that this has caused you considerable inconvenience, but we cannot accep: any responsibility in cis matter. ‘Can you leave it with me? I'l look into the matter and get back to you tomorrow. Thave looked inco the matter and have spoken to the staff involved, and ‘We will send replacement items/give you a refund immediately. Lean assure you that this will not happen again. We're having a temporary problem with... . We're doing everything we can to sort it out ‘To compensate for che inconvenience, we would like to offer you ‘Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. Please accept my assurance that it will not happen again. Once again, [ hope you will cept my apologies forthe inconvenience caused. [very much hope you will continue to use cur services in the future. If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me on my direct linePersonal Being friendly You heaed something, but are not sure eee eae ‘Something is true, but surprising ‘Actually, ... In fact, Something i obvious or already kaown (Cheeinie OF Same Good/bad fortune ‘Unfortunately, Luckily, Saying what you really think Tobehonest,.. Foakly, Going back to a topic ‘Changing the topic Well... Soy... Anyway, Anyway... So, .. By the way, ‘Summarising with the most important point Anyway... Basically, Asking for advice Formal/Neutral Informal Open 1d lke your advice about a problem I have. Tive got a bit ofa problem, Asking for advice | was wondering if you had any ideas about ....___Do you have any ideas about ...? ‘What would you advise me vo do? ‘What should 1 do? Close Please write back when you have the time Please email me when you gee the ‘and let me know what you think chance. Giving advice Open Giving advice Result Options Close Suggestions ‘Making a suggestion Accepting Formal/Neutral Informal Twa tony abearaboutyosr caren ifukie Tin sony pve ving chard time at the moment. | chink ie might be a good idea to... [think you should... Have you thought of. (+ -ng)? What about... (+ ng)? ‘This would mean that ‘That way, | think this option would be preferable T think ies better than .. (+ ng) to... (+ ing) hope I have heen of some help. Thope I've helped a bit, 1 think we should/l suggest chat wef Let’ go to Shall we(Perhaps we could/Why don't we goto I suggest[How about going to ..? les great idea! 1 think your idea would work really wel. Ic might be worth trying Phrase bankRejecting {rm act so sure about your idea. Tesounds ikea good idea, but I don'c think ic woukd work in practice Te sounds lize a good idea, but I can see one or wo problems. Special situations Thanks Good luck Congratulations Best wishes Bad news Job application Greeting (formal) Reason for writing Your background and experience The job itself Refering to your CV Final comments Close Phrase bank Just a quick note to sey many thanks for really appreciate everything that you have done. Good luck with would like to take chs opportunity to wish you every succes in the fare. Many congratulations on your promotion/nevr job. I was delighted to hear the news about ‘Well done! Please give my best wishesfregards 0 Tas 0 sorry to hear about was really sorry to hear you're not wel. ... Hope you feel better soon. If there's anything I ean do to help, ler me know. Dear Si(Madam With reference to your advertisement on the .. website, Iam interested in applying for the post of Tam 26 years old and am curently studying for a degree in... at... University. For the lase wo months/years I have been working as a... at Tam interested in this job because [eel chat L would be well-suited for this job as I enjoy/have alot of experience in have attached my CV asa Word document: You will notice that I... aswell as... . You will also nocice that | would be grateful if you would consider my application You will see from my CV that two people can be contacted as references, one is... ond the other is from ... am available for interview in ..fby phone any weekday afternoon, and you can email me or telephone me on the number below. 1 look forward to hearing ftom you soon. Yours fathéully 8Reports Report structure Introduction /Background As requested atthe Board meeting of 18 Apri, here is my report. “The repor wll discue/consderdleseribe/analysfreview “The repor is based on Thave divided the report into three sections Findings “The fangsfiguesresultinvestintions show that Ik appears chat... This has led toa sruation where. “The graph/table shows chat Signposts ‘As an be sen in table section igure 3, ‘As mentioned above, |... see below. and I wil discuss this in more detail below/in section 3.2. Conclusion / Recommendations I (would like to) suggest/tecommend that ‘My specific recommendations are as follows. Closing comments Please have a look at the report and let me have your comments. Please fee fice to contact me if you have any questions Linking words Sequence Fist... Secondly... Finals. ‘Talking generally In general, ... Usually, ..._ On the whole, ... Contrast, However, Nevertheless... On the other hand, ‘Adding another poine Inadition, ... Moreover, »- On another pint, Examples Forexample,... For instance, ©. Alternatives Ether or... Alrematvey, Instead of Real (surprising) situation Infact... Actually, .. Asamatter of fact, ‘Something is obvious Clearly, .... Obviously, ... Of course, ... Most important point Especially. Abowe all... In particular, Rephrasing, In other words, ... That is to say, ... ie. Result/consequence Asaresult, ... Therefore, ... For this reason, .. New topic Infelation 0 .. Regarding ... With reference to Careful, balanced style Giving both sides of an argument _In general ..., however (On the whole .., but ‘Making a statement less general Many/Some Usually Typically/Ofeen Making a statement less certain Its possible/probable that ...__ It semslappears that tends co be “Making a comparison less strong substantially/considerably/much (+ comparative adjective) ‘marginallyslightly (+ comparative adjective) Concluding Onbalance, Taking all the shove points into consideration, Phrese bank