Business Writing

A. Ways of communicating
something someone
send a document (=papers to James
with written information. Bestco
e.g. a letter)
fax
post
by email
courier
 I’ll send it to you by
fax.

email someone
post something to James
fax Bestco

I’ll fax it to you.

write
a letter
send
a message
receive / get
a fax
read
an email
reply to
 I received the fax yesterday

Please reply to this message as soon

as possible.

I get over 50 emails every day.

 B. Formal and informal style

If you know someone well, you use an informal

style.
If you don’t know the person or the communication
is very serious or official, you use a formal style.
You need to think about formality when you begin
and end your writing.
Beginnings
More formal Less formal
Dear Sir Dear Mr Randall Dear Jack

Dear Madam Dear Ms Dunn

Dear Mrs Dunn Dear Gina

Less formal
Endings
More formal Less formal
Regards All the best Best
Best regards
Yours
Yours sincerely Best wishes

Yours faithfully

Note: You use ‘Yours faithfully’

BrE: Yours sincerely
only in BrE, when you don’t
AmE: Sincerely
know the person’s name.

Less formal
Exercises
1. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.
Look at A to help you.

1. I’ve__________(written/got)
written five faxes this
morning, but I haven’t sent them yet.
2. I_____________(replied/received)
received her letter
yesterday.
reply (read/reply) to this
3. There’s no need to_________
email.
 got (got/posted) this email from Rita.
4. I _______
read
5. I’ve _______ (written/read) your message, but I
replied
haven’t ___________(replied/sent) to it yet.
6. I’ll __________________
fax (fax/reply) the
information to her.
 2. Kay Lumsden receives the messages below (1—5).
Are they formal (F) or informal (I)? Look at B to help
you.

1. Her colleague, Tom, asks Kay if she’s free for lunch. I

2. A journalist (Tony Kent) writes to ask her for an
interview. F
3. Her friend, Serena, asks Kay if she’s free for a game
of tennis. I
4. A supplier that she doesn’t know (Roger
Olafsson) writes to ask Kay for a meeting. F

5. Janet Freeman, who doesn’t know Kay’s name,

writes to ask for a job. F
3. Write the beginning and ending of each message
in the previous exercise.

1. (beginning) Dear Kay

(ending) Best wishes,

Tom

2. (beginning) Dear Ms Lumsden

(ending) Yours sincerely,

Tony Kent
3. (beginning) Dear Kay
(ending) Yours,
Serena

4. (beginning) Dear Ms Lumsden

(ending) Best regards,
Roger Olafsson
5. (beginning) Dear Madam
(ending) Yours faithfully,
Janet Freeman
A. Starting the message
Thanking someone

Thank you (very much) your email.

(Many) thanks for a very useful meeting

yesterday.
Thanking someone

coming to Lisbon
Thank you (very much) yesterday.
for
(Many) thanks sending the information
I asked for.
Giving a reason for writing

let you know our new

contact details.
I’m writing
This (email/fax/letter) is to tell you that I’m coming to
Boston next month.

confirm the details of

your/my trip.
B. Future action

 Would it be possible to postpone the

meeting?
 Could you send us the information as soon
as possible?
 Can you call me next week?
 hearing from you (receiving
your reply).

I look forward to seeing you in Budapest.

meeting you/your colleagues

next week.
 I’ll speak to you next week.

 I’ll call you as soon as possible.

 Please let me know if you need

anything else.
C. Enclosures and Attachments

Something that you send with a letter is an

enclosure.
Something that you send with an email or a fax is
an attachment.
You can write:

Please find enclosed brochure

I’m enclosing map
a photo
Please find attached report
I’m attaching catalogue
Exercises:
1. Complete the following email. Look at A, B and C to
help you.
Dear Ms Howard

Thank______
(1)______ you ______for agreeing to see me next week.
I’m _________
(2) ______ writing _________
to confirm some details
of my trip: I’m flying from London on Thursday afternoon,
26 July, and staying at the Hilton in the centre of Cape
Town.
Could ______
(3)_______ you send me a map showing where your
company is?
 I’m
(4)_______ attaching some information about my
_________
let
company, World Wine Imports. Please (5)_______
me
_________ know
___________ if you need any more
information about the company before the meeting.
look __________
I (6) _______ forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Rita Sandoro
2. Match the situations (1-6) to the sentences (a-f).
Look at C to help you.
1. You send a photo with an d. I’m attaching a picture
of our product.
email.

2. You send information about a. I’m enclosing

some brochures.
your products with a letter.

3. You send a drawing to show your b. Please find

company’s location with an email. attached a map.
4. You send a document about a
c. I’m attaching a report.
particular subject with a fax.

5. You send a drawing to show

f. I’m enclosing a map.
your company’s location with a
letter.

6. You send information about a e. Please find

particular subject with a letter. enclosed a report.
3. Write a message to an important client who is
visiting your company next week, and send a map to
show where your company is.
Remember to use formal language.
Writing Emails

Like any document, an email has a standard format:

it is organised in different parts.
1. Look at this email and label the parts correctly.
H
B

D
I
E
A

G
C
2. Read the email in exercise 1 and answer the questions.

1 Who writes the email and who does she work for?
Antonia Fantinel, who works for Bettoli.

2 Who receives the email and who does he work for?

Brian Baker, who works for Topsport.

3 When is the email sent?

On 13th March 2011 at 15:38

4 What is attached to the email?
It’s a business offer.

5 Why does Ms Fantinel write the email?

To send the customer an offer with sales terms.

When you write an email you must follow some rules
about language, style and structure.
These questions can help you write the perfect email.

1 Is the message short and clear?

2 Are grammar and spelling correct?

3 Are the attachments mentioned in the

message attached?
4 Are paragraphs separated by a line space?

5 Is the subject included and is it clear?

6 Does the body contain all standard parts

(opening, body, closing and signature)?
3. Read the email above, ask the questions 1 to 6 in the box
and take notes of your answers to decide if it is a ‘perfect’
email or not.
1. Yes, it is.
2. No, they aren’t.
Grammar errors: I have attach. - I have attached
Spelling errors:
telephone, August, Richardson

3. No, the attachments aren’t there.

4. No, they aren’t.

5. There is no subject.
6. Yes, it’s all there.
4. Now rewrite the email correctly.
Subject: Appointment
Attachments: document1; document2
Dear Mrs Owens,

Following our telephone conversation, I would like to

fix an appointment for 20 August at 10, if it is OK for
you.

I have attached the documents we will discuss

together.

Please confirm our appointment.

Best regards

Tina Richardson
5. Listen to a businesswoman dictating an email to
her secretary and complete the email.

a. it
Appointment
(empty)
Fabbri
email
July
meeting
appointment
10 o’clock

Taylor
Transcript