BUSINESS COMMUNICATION PRACTICAL ENGLISH

LG 1
Academic Year: 2021/2022

CHAPTER 7: CORRESPONDENCE

Correspondence is defined as communication, generally through letters or emails.

Useful Vocabulary

• to send a letter/ an email • Sender / Addresser

• to send something by post/ mail • addressee / Recipient
• to email somebody • to attach
• to get/receive a letter or an email/mail • attachment
• to reply to letter or an email • to enclose
• to check emails • enclosure
• parcel • outgoing mail
• post/ mail • incoming mail
• postman • airmail
• letterbox (BrE) / mailbox (AmE) • collect the mail
• electronic mailbox • deliver the mail
• envelope • sort the mail

Common abbreviations
 ASAP as soon as possible
 Attn for the attention of
 cc Carbon copy
 bcc Blind carbon copy
 enc. enclosures
 Re: Reference (the letter is about the following subject)
 Tel. no. telephone number
 pp (per pro = procurationem) put before your name if someone else signs the letter for
you
 SENDING AN EMAIL
Opening phrases:
Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. Mbaye, (formal; use the last name after the title)
Dear Sir/Madam, (formal; you don’t know who the addressee is)
Dear Simon (semi-formal; use the first name after the title)
Dear all, (a group of addressees)
Hello Sir/ Ms. Mbaye/ Simon, all (neutral)
Hi Fatima/guys/all, (informal)

-I hope you are (all) having a nice day/week-end.

-I hope you spent a nice week-end.
-I hope this email finds you well.

Saying thanks
Thanks for:
- Your reply
- Getting back to me
- Taking your time to reply
- Your email
- Following
- The info
- The heads up
- Your help with…
- Following up on…….

Reason for the email

• Introducing a topic or informing
- This is to inform you that…………
- This is to inquire about………..
- Just to inform you that……………
- Just a quick note to……
- I am sorry to inform you ....

• Following up a previous discussion/email

- As (we) discussed,………..
- To follow up on our discussion, …………….
- Following our discussion…………….
- In reply to your email……..

• Asking and requesting

- I’d like to………
- I’d appreciate if you could………
- Could you please………..
- Do you have…………
- Would you please……..
- Please………
 • Attaching documents
- I attached ....
- Please find attached….

Ending your email

- I’ll get back to you as soon as I can / ASAP (as soon as possible)
- I’ll let you know
- I’ll keep you posted
- Please keep me posted
- See you soon
- Thanks
- Thank you
+
- Take care
- (Best, Kind, Warm) regards / Regards!
- All the best
- Best Wishes
+
Your name

Example Email
To karl@gmail.com CC BCC

Subject: Confirmation of invitation

Hello Karl,
I hope this message finds you well. Just a quick note to confirm that I’m coming to
Berlin on May 5 and I’ll stay there until May 7. I hope these days will be enough to
discuss our future partnership. Please let me know when it would suit you.

Regards,

Zakaria
 SENDING A LETTER

Components of a Business letter

The following 12 components of a business letter are considered:
 1 Heading or Letterhead - address of the sender
 2 Date - in long form: eg.: January 1, 2012 or 1 January 2020
 3 Inside Address- address of the recipient (company and individual to whom the letter
is intended)
 4 Attention Line (Attn) - it routes the letter (optional)
 5 Re: (Reference) (optional)
 6 Salutation - greeting the recipient
 7 Body - content of the letter
 8 Complimentary Close – the ending of the letter
 9 Signature- sign and write your legal name below
 10 Enclosure (Enc): additional material included with the letter (optional)
 11 Postscript (P.S.) – information we added only after we’d signed off. (optional)
 12-Carbon Copy or “CC” - informing your reader that you have sent copies to other
recipients (optional)

Opening phrases (salutation)

- Dear Mr/ Mrs/ Ms/ Miss Peterson (formal; you know who the recipient is)
- Dear Sir/Madam (formal; you don’t know who the recipient is)
- Dear Jack (semi-formal; you know Jack)
- Hi Jerry (informal)
Reason for writing
- This letter is to ... .
- am writing to ... .
In reply to a letter
- In reply to your letter, ... .
- Thank you for your letter of May 14th concerning … .
- Thanks for your letter ... .
- Following our phone conversation, .
Enclosing documents
- I enclosed…
- Please find enclosed…
Closing phrases
- See you soon (informal)
- Please contact me again if you need any more information. (formal)
- If I can be of any further assistance, please do contact me again. (formal)
- Let me know if you need anything else. (semi-formal)
- I look forward to hearing from you soon. (formal)
- Hear from you soon. (informal)
- Hope to hear from you soon (informal)
- See you in Dakar (informal)

Complimentary closing
- Take care. (informal; close friend)
- Best wishes/ Kind regards (semi-formal)
- Yours sincerely (formal; you know who the recipient is)
- Yours faithfully (formal; you don’t know who the recipient is)
+
Your signature and name

Example of a business letter

NewTech Ltd
21 Clifton Road
Portsmouth PR4 7PY

February 28, 2022

Mr Karl Zorn
Production manager, TSP Technologies
Georgenstrasse 132
Berlin 3287
Germany

Dear Mr Zorn,

Re: Visit to Berlin

Further to our telephone conversation, I would like to confirm my next visit to Berlin.
I hope to be in Berlin on May 5, 6 and 7, and I would be very pleased if we could meet
to discuss our production requirements for next year. Please let me know when it
would be convenient for you.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely
Chris O’Connel
 Practice: Correspondence

1- Rewrite the following extracts from business letters as emails.

A
Dear Carol
Thank you for your letter of October 13. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend your
workshop in Stockholm. Could you please send me some information on future workshops
planned ...
Best regards
David Burns
B
Further to our telephone conversation this morning, I’d be pleased if you could send me
further details of your proposal.
If I can be of any further assistance, please do contact me again.
I look forward to hearing from you

2- These extracts from emails need to be rewritten as letters to make them sound more formal.

C
Hi
Thanks for your email received last night. Sorry for the delay in replying.
This email is to confirm we have reserved five single rooms for Friday October
14 and 15.
See you in Venice.
Take care
Danielle Torri
D
Just a quick note to confirm our appointment on May 11. My flight gets in
about 11 a.m.. Any chance somebody could pick me up at the airport? In attach a file that I
promised to send.
See you next week.
Michelle Debois
3- Correct the mistakes in the following business letter.

February 21th

Dear Alan Green

Thank you for your letter from February 18 and for your interest in our products.
I am sorry to hear that you won’t be able to attend our presentation on March but I hope
we can to arrange a
later date. We’re planning another presentation for April 11. I attach a copy of our latest
catalogue and prize list.
Contact me again if you need any more information.
I look forward to hear from you.
Your sinsirely
Paul Kominsky