Basics Name Previous contact Reason for writing Giving information Attachments ‘Asking for information Requests Promising action Offering help Final comments Close Forma/Neutral Dear MefMs/Ms Dupuis Dear Mary “Thank you for your email of . Further to your last eral, apologise for not getting it contact with you before now. Tam writing in connection with Tam writing with cegard 00 In reply to your email, here are ‘Your name was given to me by ... ‘We would like to point out that {im writing to let you know that... ‘We are able to congirm that {Lam delighced co tell you chat We regret co inforen you that... Please find attached my report (im sending you ... 2 a pdf ile. Could you give me some information about would like to know... I'm interested in receiving/finding out [rd be grateful if you could... | wonder if you could... Do you think I could have «7 Thank you in advance for your help in this matter. will TU investigate che martes. {will contact you again shortly. Would you like me to If you wish, I would be happy to Let me know whether you would like me to “Thank you for your help. Do not hesitate eo contact us again if you requite any further informacion. Please feel fee to contact me if you have any questions, My direct line is {Lam looking forward to .. (+ -ng) Give my regards to Best wishes Resards Looking forward to Bye (for now)/All the best Informal HilHello Mary Mary, ... {or n0 name at all) ‘Thanks for your email Re your email, ... Sorry I haven't wricren for ages, but I've been really busy. Jose a short noce about I'm writing aboue Here's the ... you wanted. I got your name from ... Please note that Just a note to sy « ‘We can confirm that Good news! Unforeunately, I've attached Here is the .. you wanted. Can you tell me a litle more about. Ud like to know ... Please send me Please could you .. Could you ...? Can Thave ..? Ud appreciate your help on this. ru TH took into ie PU gee beck to you soon. Do you want me to... Shall ...? Lec me know if you'd like me to ‘Thanks again for Lee me know if you need anyching else. Juse give me a call if you have Best wishes to Speak ro/See you soon.Negotiating a project Asking for information Requests Emphasising a main point Asking for a suggestion Making a suggestion. Negotiating: being firm ‘Negotiating: being flexible Negotiating: agreeing Next steps Closing ‘Whar ace your usual charges (feesiates) for ...2 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... eS How do you think we should deal with this? ‘What do you think is the best way forward? eee eee ‘Why don't you ...? - What abour if we ...1 ——— SSS understand what you're saying about... (but...) can see whae you're saying, but ee ‘We would be prepared to .. if.) Tam willing © .. (f...) a Olay, 'm happy with that for now. That’ fine. eee Fl be in touch again soon with mote details. Lec talk next week and see how things ate going, eee ook forward to working with you. tm sorry that we couldn't use your services this time, but I hope there will be another opportunity. Checking understanding Technical problems Asking for clarification Giving clarification Close Did you ger my Jase message sent on «..? Sorry, you forgot to attach the file. Can you send it again? | got your email, bur I can't open the attachment. Did you mean to send this? [ don’t want to open it in case i's got a virus, I'm not sure what you mean by ...? Could you clarify? Which ... do you mean? | don'e understand this point. Can you explain in a litle more detail? ‘Are you sure about that? ee Sony, what I meant was .., not [thought ..., but | may be wrong. TW check and get back to you. ‘The correct information is given below. Please amend your records accordingly Soy, forget my last email. You'ee right. [hope this clarifies the situation. Get back to me if here’ anything eseArrangements Meetings Reason for writing Suggesting time/place Saying when you are/ are not free Confieming Changing arrangements Close Invitations Inviting Prepare Accepting Refusing Formal/Newtral Informal {Yon writing o arrange a time for our meeting. Just a quick aote to arrange a time What time would be convenient for you! ro meer. When would suie you? Could we meet on (day) in (the morning etc.) How about (day) at (time)? ‘Are you ftee sometime next week? | would be able to attend the meeting on 1m free Thursday am. ‘Thursday morning. 1'm out ofthe ofice until 2pm. {won't be around uncil afer lunch. ‘Any time after that would be fine. ‘Any time after that is okay. Ue afaid {can’t manage next Mona Sorry, can't make it next Monday. 1 like co confi ‘Thursday is good for me. That’ fine [wll callemail you tomorrow ‘That should be okay. I'll ge back to confirm the details. to you if there's a problem, This is to lee you know hat will not be able Re cur meeting next week, 'm attend the meeting next Thursday. afraid { can't make Thursday. wonder if we could move it to 7 How about... instead? | apologise for any inconvenience caused. Sorry forthe inconvenience. Took forward co meeting you in Brussels See you in Brussels. Let me know i you need to change Give me a call f anything changes the arrangements, We would be very pleased iF you could come to... Fm writing to invite you to I would like r0 invice you to... attend our ‘Would you like t0 come to 7 Please lec me know if you will beable to atcend. Please lee me know if you can make Before the meeting it would be useful if Please prepare ... before che meeting you could prepare I would be helpful if you could bri Please bring to the meeting Thank you for your kind invitation. Thanks @ lot for the invitation. The date you suggest i fine The dates fine for me | would be delighted ro aecend the Ed love ro come to the meecing. Ie meeting. 1am sure ic will be very useful sounds like a great idea, “Thank you for your kind invitation. Thanks a lor for your kind invitation Unfortunately, | have another appointment Unfortunately, [ have something else oon that day. Please accept my apologies jn 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 near Future. | am luck with the meeting! sure that the meeting will be a great successWriting styles Formal/Informal Example phrases Latin / Anglosaxon origin Direct/Indirect Requests ‘Asking for permission Offering help Making a suggestion Softening a strong Formal/Neutral Thank you for your email received 42 Feb. With regardlreference co | would be grateful i you could We regret to advise you that lease accept our apologies for | was wondering if you could We note that you have not ‘We would like co remind you that Iris necessary for me to fis possible chat [ will, Would you like me to ..? However, ... In addition, ... | Therefore, If you require any further information, please cdo nor hesitare co contact me. [ook forward co meeting you nexe week assistance/due tojenquirelinformyinformation beainjoccupation/posessiprovide/epair requesttequtementslveriy Direct Can you Please could you Cant Shall [...2 What about Shall we 2 (+ sing? There is a problem, ‘That will be very expensive, We ean do that ‘Thae gives ws very litle time Ir will be better to ask Heid 1 disugre. Could you 1 Informal ‘Thanks for che email Re Please could you 1m sorry to tell you chat hm sorry for Could you ...! You haven't Dont forger char Teed to L might Shall L...2 Burt, ... Also, .. | So, If you'd like more details ler me know. See you next week. hhelpybecause offask/ellfacts getliobhhavelgivelix, ask forineede/eheck (prove) : politediplomatic was wondering if you could Is teal eighe iff 2 wonder if [could «2 ‘Would you like me to ...? Do you need any help wich ...? Why don we ..! Perhaps we should U'm affaid there isa small problem. Ie seems there isa slighe problem, ‘That might be quite expensive. Won'r that be a hit expensive? Fm not sure we can de that, ‘Actually chat doesa’t give us much time ‘Woulda’s it be better to ask Heidi? can see what you'e saying, but Doa’t you think that ...! To be honest, [ think it might be better toCommercial Request for information (customer) Saying how you got the contact We met last Thursday on your stand ac the Munich Trade Fai. Tam emailing you off your websice, which I found through Google. Giving ceason for writing We are a menufzerurereupplier/provider of... We are interested in We are a Turkish company exporting to the EU, and we need General requests ‘We would be grateful for some information about Specific requests In particular, we woud lke to know Please send fll derail of your prices, discounes,rerms of payment and delivery times. Could you alo say whether cher is any minimum ordet Close ‘An early reply would be greatly appreciated look forward to an early reply, and am sue that there is @ market for your products here ia Hungary Giving information (supplier) ‘Thanks “Thank you for your email of 4 June inguiring about Giving factual information We ean quote you a price of. CIF/FOB Isanbul We can deliver by .. (date) / within ... (period of time) “The goods wll be shipped 3 dys from receipt ofa firm order We can offer a discount of .. on orders over We require payment by bank canserltter of credit: ‘Que normal procedure is» ‘Que normal terms for Sest-time customer ae ‘We can supply the izems you require dteztly from stock. Saying what you ace attaching | am arcaching a document that gives full decals of| Highlighting one or wo You will see that kkey points You will aote that our line of... ison special offer. ‘Answering specific questions You will also nove chat... Our experience in chisfeld includes We dispatch the goods within 24 hours of a firm order, and for first-time customers cour minimum order is €1,000, {am afraid chat model is no longer available, However, Close ‘We feel sure that .. . May I suggest that I call you at your convenience ro discuss che marr furcher? If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. My direct Tine is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 morning to explain —eeee ie a on the Relephone this morning to explain understand that you are ooking for ... and I am confident that we can find a good solution for your needs Mo 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 call during the last week of September. have made a note to call you again after you've had a chance to Perhaps then it would be a good idea to meet to discuss... eee OE eee In the meantime, if you would like to diseuss any other points, please don’t hesitate {0 give me a call on my direct line eee Asking for better terms (customer) Open. Discussing terms Close ‘Thank you for sending ... . We are interested in ... . However, there are one of #0 things we would like to clarify before going ahead. Ores eee Do you give any discount on an order of this size? ‘Would you be prepared to let us have che goods on credit? ‘We need these items by ... atthe latest. ~~ ‘If we can reach an agreement on these matters we are sure that we can do more business with you in the future. We look forward to hearing ftom you soon. Replying and agreeing terms (supplier) Open Saying yes Looking for a compromise Final details Close ‘Thank you for your email of... inquiring about a posible order for. In relation to ..., we would be happy co let you have have spoken to my line manager, and we are able to .. on this occasion. ‘With regard to... unforcunately we are not able to .... However, Iam sure we can find an acceptable compromise, We are prepared to accept pe We would be grateful if you could supply bank references. Please recurn the atached form asap so that your order can be processed without any delay. Please note chat we have recently improved the functionality of our website, and it 's now passible to place an order on-line. Alcematively, you can print out the attached order form and rerurn ic to us by mail {have arranged for a member of our customer services team to give you a call later in the week. They will be able to deal with any further poincs, We hope you find our quotation satisfactory and look forward to receiving your order. We asure you that it will have out prompe attention. If you need any further information, do not hesitate to contact us eee nee SE coneMaking an order (customer) Open. Close ‘Thank you for your recent email, and we acceps your quotation. Our completed order form is attached, and we give full bank decals be 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 details on our website. Due ro exceptional demand these items are temporarily out of stock. We hope co be able to ship your order within... days and will keep you fully informed. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. ‘We are confident thatthe goods will meet your expectations. Should there be any questions, please co not hesitate to contact me, ether by email or phone. Asking for payment (supplier) First reminder - open First reminder ~ action ‘Second/Third reminder — open ‘Second/Third reminder — action Final demand - open Final demand ~ action ‘We are writing concerning a paymens of €12,600 for invoice number KJ678 which is now overdue. A copy of the invoice is attached. According to our records, the sum of €4,500 is still outstanding on your account. Please send a bank cranser to settle the account, oF an explanation of why the balance is sll oustanding. Ifyou have already dealt with this mater, plese dlisregaed this email ‘We would appreciate your cooperation i resolving this matter as soon as gsible (On (date) [ wrote to you regarding your company’s unpaid account, amounting to £84,500. May we please remind you chat chis amount is still oustanding, | wish co draw your attencion to my previous emails of (daces) about the overdue payment on your account. We are very concerned hat che matter has not yet received your attention, ‘We need a bank transfer in full setlement without further delay. Clearly, chissiouation cannot be allowed co continue, and we must ask you to take immediate action to setle 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 muse inform you that we have sill noe received payment for the outstanding sum of €4,500. T rote to you on (dates) regarding che balance of €12,600 on your account. f attach copies of both erails. Tis sum i now ewo months overdue. We are very concerned that the matter has not yet received your attention. Unless we receive payment within seven days, we shall have no alcernacive bur to take legal action co recover the money. In the meantime, your existing credit facilities have beComplaints and apologies Complaining (customer) Open Complaint Request for action Close Apologising (supplier) fen Apoloising Denying responsibility Promising action Compensation [am writing ~~ in connection with my order FS690 which arrived this morning. ‘© complain about che quality of a product I bought from your websice. + £9 complain about the poor service we received from your company. £0 draw your attention to the negative attitude of some people in your customer services eee Our order dated 16 Sepeember clearly stated thar we wanted 1,000 items, however you ‘The goods were fauleyldamagediin poor condition. ‘There seems co be an eror in the invoice/a misunderstanding. ‘The equipment I ordered has still not been delivered, despite my phone call co you ast week to say that itis needed urgently. ‘The product I received was well below the standard [ expected. To make matters worse, when I called your company yout staff Please replace the faulty goods at soon as possible. ‘We must insist on an immediate replacementfull refund. Unless | receive the goods by the end of this week, | will have no choice but to cancel my onder {hope chat you will deal with this matter prompely as itis causing me considerable {Lam writing n relation to your recent complaint. {was very concerned ¢o learn about .. Please accept my sincere apolies. | would like to apologise for che inconvenience you have suffered. eee ‘We appreciate that cis has caused you considerable inconvenience, but we cannot accept any responsibilty in this matter, ‘Can you leave it with me? I'll Look into che matter and ger back to you tomorrow. {have looked inco the matter and . {have spoken to che staff involved, and ‘We will send replacement iterasigive you a refund immediately Tcan assure you chat this will not happen again. ‘We're having 2 temporary problem with .... We're doing everything we can to sort it ‘To compensate for che inconvenience, we would like to offer you ‘Thank jou for bringing this matter ro my attention. Please accept my sssurance that it will not happen again Once again, | hope you will accept my apologies for the inconvenience caused. | very much hope you will continue to use out services in che fre, | you have any further queries, please do nor hesitate to contact me va my disect linePersonal Being friendly You heard something, but are not sure Te seems chat ... Apparently, ‘Something is true, but surprising Actually, ... In fact, .. ‘Something is obvious ot already known Obviously, ... Of cours, ... Good/tad fortune Unfortunately, .... Luckily, Saying what you really think Tobe honest, .... Frankly, Going back to a topic Well... So... Anyway, ‘Changing the topic Anyway, ... So... By the way, Summarising with the most important point Anjway,.. Basically. Asking for advice Formal/Neutral Informa Open Ud like your advice about a problem I have. I've got a bit of a problem. Asking for advice I was wondering fyou had any ideas about... Do you have any ideas about 2 ‘What would you advise me to do? ‘What should I do? Close Please write back when you have the time Please email me when you get the {nd lee me know what yeu think chance. Giving advice Formal/Neutral Informal Open Iwas sorry to hear about your current difficulties. U'm sorry you're having such a hard time atthe momen. Giving advice I think it might be a good idea to U think you should Have you thought of ... (+ -ing)? What about ... (+ -ing)? Result ‘This would mean that ‘That way, ‘Options: I think this option would be preferable I think it’s better than ... (+ -ing) to... (+ -ing) Close Thope I have been of some help. T hope I've helped a bir. Suggestions Making a suggestion {chink we shoul surges that wef Ler’ oo ‘Shall we/Perhaps we could/Why don't we go to ...2 | suggest/How about going to ...! Accepting tesa great idea! | think your idea would work really wel. fe might be worth trying,Rejecting 1m not so sure about your iden fe sounds like a good idea, bur [ dn’ ehink it would work in practice. Te sounds like « good idea, but I can see one or two problems Special situations Thanks Good tuck 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 Just a quick note co say many thanks for {really appreciate everything thar you have done. Good luck with {would like to take this opportunity co wish you every success in the future ‘Many congraculations on your promocion/new job. { was delighted to heat the news about... Well done! a Please give my best wishes/regards to... eee | was so sorry to hear about {was really sorry co hear you're not well. ... Hope you feel better soon. lf there's anything [can do to help, let me know. Dear Sir/Madam With ceference to your advertisement on the .. website, Iam interested in applying for the post of {Lam 26 years old and am currently studying for a degree in... at... University For the last evo month/year | have been working a8 4. at. Lam interested in this jb because {eel that I would be well-suited for this job as I enjoy/have a lot of experience in have attached my CY as a Word documenc. You will notice that I... well as... Yow will also notice that .. {would be grateful if you would consider my application ‘You will see from my CY that two people can be contacted as references, one is... and the other i rom {lam available for interview in ..fby phone any weekday alternoon, andl you can email me of telephone me on the number Below | ook forward co hearing from you soon, Yours fhithiullyReports Report structure Introduction / Background Findings ‘Signposts Conclusion / Recommendations Closing comments Linking words Sequence Talking generally Contrast Adding another point Examples Alternatives Real (surprising) situation Something is obvious Most important point Rephrasing Resulconsequence New topic Careful, balanced style Giving both sides of an argument Making a statement ess general Making a statement les cern ‘Making a comparison less strong Concluding ‘As requested atthe Board meeting of 18 April, hese is my report. ‘The report will discuss/consider/describe/analyselreview ‘The report is based on U have divided the repore into chree sections. The findings fgures/tesults/investigations show that. Te appears that .... This has led co a situation where .. ‘The graph/table shows that ‘As cam be seen in table I/section 2/Sgute 3, ‘As mentioned above, ../... see below. and will discuss this in more detail below/in section 3.2 | (would like to) suggestrecommend thar My specific recoramendacions are as follows. Please have a look at the report and let me have your comments, Please feel free to contact me if you have any quescions. Fins... Secondly... Finally lngeneral,... Usually... On the whole, Howeres,... Nevertheles,.... On the other hand, Im addition, .... Moreover, .. On another point, For example, .. For instance, .. 6g Either... or... Altematively,... Instead of Tnfact,... Actually, .. Asa mater of act, Clearly. Obviously, ... Ofcourse, Especially... Above all, .. In particular, Tnother words, .. Thats say... i, Asa result... Therefore, .. For this reason, Ta relation ©... Regarding. With reference to In general however... On the whole .., but Many/Some Usually TipicallyiOfen Ieispossiblelprotable chat .._feseemwappears that tends to be substantially/considerably/much (+ comparative adjective) - marginally/slighely (+ comparative adjective) On Balances, Taking al che above points into consideration,