Learning Unit 2

TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTERS – INQUIRY

LETTER
Content
2.1. Inquiry Letter
2.2. Self assessment Test 1
2.3. Learning unit short presentation
2.4. Bibliography

Learning Unit Objectives

1. Know the types of business letters
2. Understand the characteristics of inquiry letters

Average study time: 2 hours

2.1. Inquiry Letter

Pattern of an INQUIRY

Dear Sirs:
Gentlemen:
Smith & Co.
are indebted for your name and to UK Embassy in your country
address Mr. Pierce
We understand from your
have learnt advertisement that you sell/produce a new line
have seen of plastics
Please send us
Will you please price lists/catalogues/
your quotations for these goods
Kindly let us have
expect a considerable demand your bedrock prices
As for these we would
we hope to attain a considerable require special terms and discounts
turnover
are in a position to handle large a wholesale discount
amounts
your quality comes up to our expectations we would be prepared to place
If you can supply from stock large amounts

Yours faithfully,
sincerely,

Specimen Sentences
- The companies never had previous commercial relations, the
introductory sentences:
o ’We are importers and exporters specializing in building materials’;
o ’We are a wholesale importing house having many customers throughout
the country both in wholesale and retail trades’;
o ’We are one of the largest jewellery and diamond industry distributors’;

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 o ’I refer to our appointment on May 21st at your trade office when I had
discussions with representatives who had come from your country to
International Autumn Fair’;
o ’Your commercial office in our city has advised us that you handle the
export of nuts and screws of which we are large buyers’.

- The companies had previous business relations, introductory

sentences:
o ’We are under contract to supply spare parts which you produce’.
o ’We are in the market for folding chairs experiencing an ever increasing
demand’;

- When price lists, patterns, pattern books etc. are asked for, the
sentences are:
o ’We would be grateful/obliged if you could send us your catalogues/
price lists/ patterns/ pattern books’.
o ’Kindly (please) quote us your lowest (best/ keenest/ most advantageous)
prices for the goods listed below’;
o ’We would be glad (pleased) to receive your illustrated catalogues,
folders and prospectuses’.

- If there are claimed advantageous conditions of payment or

discounts, the sentences are:
o ’As we expect/ anticipate/ foresee considerable demand for this line/ type
of products, we would require special terms/ a special discount’;
o ’If your prices are competitive we will probably give you large/ regular/
orders’;
o ’If your quality comes up to our expectations, we will be able to do good
business to mutual advantage’;
o „If you can supply right away from stock, we would be prepared to place
an initial order at once.”

- Closing sentences:
o ’We thank you in anticipation of a prompt reply’;
o Thank you for your prompt reply / Your prompt reply would be
appreciated’.

- Straight replies to inquiry letter:

o Known partner: ’Thank you for inquiry in reply to which we are
sending you our illustrated catalogue under separate cover ’; Thank you for
your inquiry. You will find our illustrated catalogue sent under separate
cover.; OR if the catalogue is enclosed: Thank you for your inquiry. You
will find enclosed our illustrated catalogue.
o New partner: ’We are pleased to receive your letter in reply to our
advertisement in The Trade Review’;
o Inquiry cannot be immediately solved: “Your inquiry is receiving our
careful attention and we hope to be able to send you our quotation soon”;
o Inquiry refusal: „We regret to inform you that at the present time we
cannot offer the goods you requested”
“Our company does not export the mentioned goods, so we have
sent your inquiry to….who is the sole exporter of such goods in our country.
He will be contacting you at his earliest convenience.”

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 2.2 Self-assessment Test

Task 1. Find in the inquiry letter below the six inappropriate vocabulary
mistakes (informal or ungrammatical words) and change them.

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing this letter to ask the stopping of mine and my
husband’s Westpac credit card.
The card is a Gold Card with the number: ----4 ----0 ----9 ----
1, open until 11/04.
The reason is that we are living in the UK for the seeable
future, and will not be using the credit card, and do not wish
to get the annual fee. If there is any other information you
need, please do not wait to contact us at the above e-mail
address.
Thanking you in advance.
Yours faithfully,
Claire Weetman

Task 2. Rearrange the words in the following sentences in grammatically

correct order.

1. of Robinson a valued customer ours I Mr received a letter

from recently
2. written to the purchases arrived damaged complain that He
has
3. ourselves in explanation as how this mishap would like an We
pride quality of occurred to the products and our
4. grateful if resolved to possible so most as matter can I
would this satisfaction you everyone's be would reply soon as
that be

Once ordered, combine them with the following sentences and write down
the complaint letter, inquiring for resolving a matter.

5. Customer Services Manager

6. He purchased an Italian coffee table and four French dining-
room chairs from us, which your company delivered to his
residence.
7. Even though the items are insured, our reputation is at
stake.
8. Sincerely
9. Dear Mr Thompsen
10. Jackie Middleton

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Task 3. Write the letter of inquiry to which the letter below is a reply.

Task 4. In his letter of inquiry, Mr Chan asked the questions below.

Rearrange them so the questions make sense and add the necessary
capitals and punctuation.

1.offer do you large a orders discount on

2. details of can you prices please me send your
3. after-sales do an offer you service
4. guaranteed are for how goods long the
5. goods can how delivered soon the be
6. terms what payment your of are
7. can buy where the I goods
8. you do what quantity discounts sort offer of
9. can send mail please your by me you express catalogue

Then, in the offer below (sent by e-mail) find the answers to the main
matters which Mr. Chan brought up in his inquiry letter.

1. the date of delivery 2. details of prices 3. purchasing

places 4. after-sales service and guarantees 5. means of
transport 6. terms of payment 7. quantity discounts 8. cash
discounts 9. details of the available range of goods 10. bank
handling the transaction.

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Task 5. Write out correctly, add capitals, and divide the body of the letter
into four paragraphs in the reply for an information inquiry below.

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 The solutions to the self assessment test are to be found in the
Learning Unit 2, pg. 18 – 20.

2.3. Short presentation of the Learning Unit 2

In this chapter, we studied Inquiry letter: specimen sentences,

pattern, examples, replies to inquiry letter, helping students to
correctly write business correspondence and identify possible
mistakes that may occur in practice.

2.4. Bibliography

1. Guffey, Mary Ellen, Essentials of Business Communication,

South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning, 2007
2. Johnson, Christine, Intelligent Business Pre-Intermediate, Person
Education Limited, 2006
3. Seglin, Jeffrey L., Coleman, Edward, The AMA handbook of
business letters, AMACOM, 2002

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