COMMONLY USED EXPRESSIONS

FOR BUSINESS WRITING

Beginnings and Endings
Style

Opening

Close

You dont know their

name

Dear Sir/Dear Madam

Dear Sir or Madam
Dear Sales Manager
(job title)

Yours Faithfully
(very formal!)
Sincerely (Yours)
Yours truly

Dear Mr Smith
Dear Dr Smith
Dear Ms Smith
Dear Mrs Smith (married)
Dear John
Hi John
John

Sincerely (Yours)

You know their name

You know someone well

(Bes t/Kind) Regards

Best Wishes
Take Care
(NB: CU Soon is best
left for a SMS or
scribbled note!)

Introduction
x With reference to your e-mail of 12
January
x Further to our discussion last
week
x Thank you for
x How are you?
Reason for w riting
x We are writing to
x Im just writing to
x Just a short e-mail to request /
confirm / inform you that / ask if /
clarify
Good New s
x We are delighted to confirm that
x You will be pleased to hear that
x We are pleas ed to inform you that
x Im happy to
Declining an offer / bad new s
x We regret to inform you that
x Im afraid that / Unfortunately,
x Im sorry, but
x It is not possible for me / us to
x Unfortunately, we are unable to

Offering help
x If you require more information, we
would be happy to
x Would you like me to/ Shall I.
x Do you want me to
x We would be delighted to
x If you dont mind
Saying sorry
x We must apologize for (not) / We
deeply regret
x I do apologize for(any
inconvenience caused)
x Im really sorry for/about
Attaching files
x We are attac hing / We attac h
x Please find attached / enclos ed
x Im attaching/Ive attached

Requesting
x You are requested to
x We would appreciate it if you
could
x Id be grateful if you could

Confirming
x Monday at 10h00 would suit me
perfectly.
x Tuesday is fine by me.
x Please reply without delay.

writing_prhases ELR, mkd

Ending
x Do not hesitate to contact us again
at (079) 221 4576 if you require
further assistance.
x If you have any further questions,
please contact me by e-mail.
x Let me know if you need any more
help.

x
x
x

Could you please

Would it be possible for you to
We would like to have

Obtaining information
x Could you let us know whether / if
x We would be interested to know
whether / if
x Would you please send me
x Please send me
x Could you please send further
details of
Expressing certainty and doubt
x It is clear that
x There is no doubt that
x We are convinced / confident that
Thanking
x We would like to express our
sinc ere thanks for
x Wed like to thank you for
x Thank you once again for your help.

Please let us know as soon as

possible (NB: asap is very
forc eful!)
x Would you please confirm?
x Please contact me at your earliest
convenience
Making suggestions
x May I suggest?
x Id suggest
x You could / might
x I propose that
x What would you say / do you think
about?
Apologizing
x We were very sorry to hear that
x We are very sorry for / that
x We apologize for
Closing
x We would like to thank you in
advance.
x I/We look forward to meeting/seeing
you next week.
x I/We look forward to hearing from
you.
x Please dont hesitate to contact me
under 058 456 1234 if you need any
further information.

Note: these abbreviations are good to know, but they are NOT APPROPRIATE
for business writing.

Abbreviations
asap = as soon as possible
br = best regards
btw = by the way
cc = copy (n.); send a copy to (Could you cc me, please?)
tia = thanks in advance

writing_prhases ELR, mkd