3. FORMAT OF BUSINESS LETTERS I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. I.

Writing styles Letter head/ Letter heading/ Heading Date Reference line Inside addresses Salutation Subject line The body of the letter Complimentary close Signature Initials and Postscript Enclosures Activities Writing styles Bredgate 51, DK 1276, Copenhagen K, Denmark Mrs. Sara Fisher The Manager Supersonic Ltd, 18 St. James Avenue, London SE231Jf United Kingdom 6th of May 2006 Our ref: SJA/ TR Dear Mrs. Fisher, Acknowledgment of order receipt We are pleased to acknowledge your order no. 202 dated 1st October 2001. Your order is already dealt with. We will inform you when the articles are ready for delivery. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further information. We thank you for your custom and again look forward to being of service to you in the future. Yours sincerely, M. Warrens M. Warrens (Mr.) Enc. p.p. D. Sampson Personal Assistant

a. Blocked style

b. Indented style Hotel de la Playa Avenida de la Playa 108 SP-03080 Alicante, Spain Tel: 35049033767/124 Our ref: SJA/ TR The Director of Tour Operations Sun and Fun Tours 25 Hammersmith Road Harlow, Essex CM19 5AA England October 23, 2006 Dear Sir/ Madam, Problems regarding refurbishing We are writing to you in connection with the modernization of our hotel because we have recently been informed by our contractor that he will not be able to meet his promised schedule for completion of the activities. We deeply regret this occurrence for both our guests' and your sake. We wish that there was something that could be done, but the causes of this unfortunate event are outside of our control. A combination of inclement weather and a strike have delayed completion of the repairs. Naturally, we will do our utmost to limit the impact of this work on our guests, and I can assure you that we will pressure the contractors to complete the work as soon as possible. Realistically, however, we cannot expect the work to be completed until the end of January. As both our interests are to ensure that our guests enjoy their vacation, I would appreciate it if you could contact me so that we can coordinate our efforts to achieve this goal. Yours faithfully, Michelle Fuentes Michelle Fuentes (Mrs.) Manager II. Letter head/ Letter heading/ Heading is centred on the correspondence page; replaces the senders address; may provide data about the senders company name, type of company, address, field of activity, telephone and fax number, postal code. III. Date is always placed under the heading, before or after the addresses; the usual order is day/ month/ year; it is recommendable not to type months in figures; can take different forms: (the) 2nd of August 2009, (the) 2nd of Aug. 2009. Jan., Febr., Mar., Apr., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.; May, June, July are never contracted.

IV. Reference line is introduced by Ref./ Our ref./ Your ref. may include the initials of the writer/ the typist, a file or department reference; aims at an easy identification of previous correspondence. V. Inside addresses the recipients address should be typed on separate lines, as it would appear on an envelope; the sender should address the recipient exactly as he/ she signs their letters; if a persons title is known, it should be used immediately after the name; if the sender does not know the persons name, but only his/ her position, the latter is specified, preceded by the definite article; if a letter is confidential, it is usual to incorporate CONFIDENTIAL as part of the inside address on a separate line before the name.

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.

VI. Salutation Dear Sir Dear Madam Dear Sir or Madam; Dear Sir/ Madam Dear Sirs Dear Mesdames Dear Mr. Smith Dear Mrs. Smith Dear Ms. Smith Remark: a. The comma after the salutation is compulsory. b. In the USA, a letter to a company usually opens with Gentlemen, followed by a colon, not with Dear Sirs. VII. Subject Line is placed immediately under the salutation; is generally underlined; saves introducing the subject in the first paragraph; immediately draws the attention to the topic of the letter and allows the writer to refer to it throughout the letter. VIII. The body of the letter I. First paragraph sets the tone of the letter and gives the reader the first impression of you and your company; should be short and state the purpose of the letter (to make an enquiry, complaint, request something etc.); can introduce you and your company. Useful vocabulary A. For first letters The subject of our letter is to inform you of / announce you the / acquaint you with / remind you ./ notify you / call your attention / give you warning of

 B.

We have the pleasure to advise you that / let you know that We are pleased/ glad/ happy to We hereby inform you This is to let you know

For letters of reply In reply/ answer/ Replying to your letter of . We have just received. We are very pleased/ glad to receive/ to have your letter of . We are glad/ pleased to learn/ hear that We are in receipt/ in possession of your letter of/ dated. Your letter of / datedhas arrived yesterday morning We are pleased to receive your letter of . Referring/ We refer/ With reference to your letter of .. In respect/ With regard to your letter of Further to your letter . Many thanks of your kind letter of . We take the opportunity to thank you for your letter of

C. For letters of acknowledgement We confirm/ Confirming/ In confirmation of This is to confirm.. We hasten to acknowledge/ confirm (the receipt of) your letter of Following our talk II. Middle paragraphs beginning with the second paragraph, supporting details are stated to justify your purpose; this is the main part of your letter and concerns the points that need to be made, answers you wish to give, questions you want to ask etc.; should follow a logical sequence; the information should be kept to the essentials; a few short paragraphs within the body of the letter should be enough to support your reasoning. Useful vocabulary A. Letters aiming at an agreement between partners Owing to the fact that At your request/ suggestion/ insistence, we In consequence of our talks According to/ Complying to/ In accordance/ compliance/ conformity with your recommendation/ desire/ wish We are willing/ positive/ ready/ decided/ convinced to We are not doubtful that . We have been informed/ advised that B. Letters expressing a disagreement We very much regret to let you know that we have to decline your offer of/ we are obliged to refuse your order

We are sorry/ regret to inform you To our utmost regret, we have to draw your attention to the fact that Much to our regret we have found that . You have to consider/ to take into consideration our opinion about

III. Last Paragraph may state what action you expect the recipient to take (to refund, send you information etc.); may briefly restate your purpose and why it is important; encourage further correspondence; if the purpose of your letter is employment related, consider ending your letter with your contact information; if the purpose is informational, think about closing with gratitude for the readers time. Useful vocabulary A. General specimen sentences Looking forward to receiving your answer, we remain We would greatly appreciate a prompt reply/ An early reply would be appreciated We are awaiting with great interest your answer/ confirmation. Please rest assured that/ You may be sure of B. For expressing thanks We thank you/ Thanks for your goodwill/ confidence/ support/ help We thank you once more/ in advance/ in anticipation May we thank you for your courtesy/ assistance With our best thanks

C. For expressing the wish for cooperation We hope to establish a close/ advantageous business relation/ a long and mutually advantageous cooperation with you We hope we will soon do business with you/ our services will meet your requirements/ you will find this information useful. We are sure you will agree with us on these conditions/ this solution/ you will see in this offer a real opportunity We entrust/ hope to hear from you soon/ before long We hope to receive your favourable reply D. For expressing a recommendation We count on hearing from you soon/ having your answer by We hope the matter will receive your attention/ will be closed as we agreed We kindly ask/ hope/ entrust that you are able to settle the matter as soon as possible/ by next week/ as agreed/ according to Kindly let us have your final/ definite answer We let you know that a prompt settlement of this matter will be appreciated We should be very much obliged if you sent us We look forward to receiving your agreement/ decision in this respect.

E. Expressing apologies

 IX.

Please accept our apologies for We (much) apologise for having neglected such./ being late in/ the error made in Apologizing once more Complimentary close a. b. c. d. e. Salutation Dear Sir Dear Madam Dear Sir or Madam Dear Sirs Dear Mesdames Complimentary close Yours faithfully,

f. Dear Mr. Smith g. Dear Mrs. Smith h. Dear Ms. Smith

Yours sincerely,

Remark: In AE, there is a tendency to use Yours truly, Truly yours. Avoid closing with old-fashioned phrases such as We remain yours faithfully, Respectfully tours etc. The complimentary close proper may be preceded (and sometimes even replaced) by phrases such as: We hope to hear from you soon, With our best wishes/ regards, best wishes, Kind regards. The comma after the complimentary close is optional, but it is commonly used. X. Signature the handwritten signature should always come before your typed signature; when signing on behalf of your company, it is useful to indicate your positioning in the firm in the signature block, after your typed signature; you may include a courtesy title in the signature block, in order for your correspondent to be able to identify your gender and give you the right title when he/ she replies; it is a matter of choice to sign with the initial from the first name or with full first name and surname.

XI. Initials and Postscript when signing on behalf of an employer, it is usual to write for/ pp./ per pro, which mean on behalf of. XII. Enclosures the most common form of indicating enclosures is to type Enc./ Encl./ Encs. These may refer to leaflets, prospectuses etc; all these documents should be listed. XIII. Activities 1. Choose the right option:

1. On your official letter your name should appear a. at the top, on the right; b. at the bottom; c. at the top and at the bottom. 2. If you start your letter with Dear Sirs, you end it with a. Yours sincerely; b. Best wishes; c. Yours faithfully. 3. The abbreviation Enc. should appear: a. at the bottom, on the left; b. at the bottom, on the right; c. below senders address. 4. Senders address should appear a. at the top, on the right; b. at the top, on the left; c. at the bottom, on the left. 5. The complimentary close of an official letter reads: a. I/We look forward about hearing from you; b. I/We look forward to hear from you; c. I/We look forward to hearing from you. 6. Tick the incorrect opening salutation a. Dear Madam; b. Dear Anne Morrison; c. Dear Anne. 7. Tick the incorrect date a. 12 January 2001; b. January 12, 2001; c. Bratislava, 12 January 2001. 8. The abbreviation for Missis is a. Mrs; b. Ms; c. Mss. 2. Make the necessary corrections in the following letter: Milan Juran Zelen 25 911 01 Trencn Slovakia English Language School 54 Poplar Street Trencn, 4 February 2001 LONDON SW8 7AC Dear Misters I should be grateful if you could send me your information brochure about courses offered by your school in 2001. My brother and I are university students and are interested in summer courses in July or August. Thank you. Yours sincerely Milan Juran

3. Translate into English: 1. Stimata Doamna/ Stimate Domn, In urma cu o saptamana firma noastra a rezervat la dumneavoastra patru bilete de avion pe ruta Bucuresti ?Los Angeles, iar acum trei zile am fost nevoiti sa anulam aceste rezervari. Flexibilitatea de care ati dat dovada ne-a incantat si va multumim pentru intelegerea manifestata. Asa cum v-am spus deja, evenimente nu tocmai placute ne obliga sa ramanem in tara, alaturi de ceilalti trei membri ai Consiliului de Administratie, care urmau, si ei, sa se indrepte spre Los Angeles peste o saptamana. Ca de atatea ori, agentia de turism pe care cu cinste o reprezentati a reactionat imediat la dorintele noastre si a luat masurile necesare. Va multumesc in numele meu si al celor trei colegi si doresc sa va asigur, pe aceasta cale, ca ati devenit deja partenerul nostru oficial privind achizitionarea biletelor

de avion pe rute internationale. Cand vom lua decizia de a merge la Los Angeles, pentru intalnirea anuala cu partenerii americani, vom apela tot la dumneavoastra. Ati dovedit ca meritati increderea noastra! Cu stima, Davis Bright Presedinte al Consiliului de Administratie 2. Stimate domnule Brown, Desi de aceasta data, comanda noastra a fost pentru o cantitate de trei ori mai mare decat cea obisnuita, ne-ati livrat marfa intr-un termen uluitor de scurt. Va multumesc foarte mult pentru acest lucru si sunt realmente fericit ca nu a fost nevoie sa apelez la stocul de rezerva pe care il detinem. V-ati dat seama, desigur, ca, in ultima vreme, cererea pentru produsele realizate de XXXX a crescut extraordinar, acesta fiind, de altfel, si motivul acestei comenzi mult mai mari. Ne bucuram ca ati reusit, si de aceasta data, sa ne livrati produsele inainte de termen. Tinand cont de interesul crescand al clientilor firmei noastre, precum si de calitatea tot mai deosebita pe care o dovediti, am hotarat sa ne diversificam oferta. V-as fi recunoscator daca mi-ati comunica in ce zi sunteti disponibil pentru o scurta intrevedere legata de acest aspect. Pana atunci, va multumesc din nou! Al dumneavoastra, Peter Smith