The Basics The basics of good business letter writing are easy to learn.

The following guide provides the phrases that are usually found in any standard business letter. For more detailed help with standard business writing skills, I highly recommend these business English books. By using these standard phrases, you can give a professional tone to your English business letters. These phrases are used as a kind of frame and introduction to the content of business letters. At the end of this guide, you will find links to sites that give tips on the difficult part of writing successful business letters arguing your business objective. The Start Dear Personnel Director, Dear Sir or Madam (use if you don't know who you are writing to) Dear Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms (use if you know who you are writing to, and have a formal relationship with - VERY IMPORTANT use Ms for women unless asked to use Mrs or Miss) Dear Frank (use if the person is a close business contact or friend) The Reference With reference to your advertisement in the Times, your letter of 23 rd March, your phone call today, Thank you for your letter of March 5 th .

The Reason for Writing I am writing to enquire about apologize for confirm Requesting Could you possibly? I would be grateful if you could Agreeing to Requests I would be delighted to Giving Bad News

Unfortunately I am afraid that Enclosing Documents I am enclosing Please find enclosed Enclosed you will find Closing Remarks Thank you for your help Please contact us again if we can help in any way. there are any problems. you have any questions. Reference to Future Contact I look forward to ... hearing from you soon. meeting you next Tuesday. seeing you next Thursday. The Finish Yours faithfully, (If you don't know the name of the person you're writing to) Yours sincerely, (If you know the name of the person you're writing to) Best wishes, Best regards, (If the person is a close business contact or friend) Here is a sample letter using some of these forms: Ken's Cheese House 34 Chatley Avenue Seattle, WA 98765 Tel: (206) 456 8967 Fax: (206) 456 6745 Email: kenny@cheese.com

Fred Flintstone Sales Manager Cheese Specialists Inc.

456 Rubble Road Rockville, IL 896756

Dear Mr Flintstone: With reference to our telephone conversation today, I am writing to confirm your order for: 120 x Cheddar Deluxe Ref. No. 856 The order will be shipped within three days via UPS and should arrive at your store in about 10 days. Please contact us again if we can help in any way.

Yours sincerely, Kenneth Beare Director of Ken's Cheese House The following letters make claims against unsatisfactory work. Useful Key Phrases As someone who has worked with ... we were very disappointed to find / see / have discovered ... As our written agreement stipulated, we expected ... I think you will agree that a communication problem exists. We would like you to ..., or provide us with a refund. Example Letter Drivers Co. 3489 Greene Ave. Olympia, WA 98502 August 17, 2001 Richard Brown, President Document Makers Salem, MA 34588

Dear Mr. Brown: As someone who has worked with your company for over 3 years, we were very disappointed to see the documents you produced for our latest Drivers Co. publicity campaign. As our written agreement stipulated, we expected full color leaflets with fancy explanatory texts, but instead, we found that black and white photos had been included in the prepared leaflets. I think you will agree that a communication problem exists. We would like you to send out a photographer to provide us with the promised color coverage, or provide us with a refund. Yours truly, (signature here) Thomas R. Smith, Director REMEMBER In a formal letter, avoid contractions when possible eg. Use "I am" instead of "I'm" Use the present simple instead of the present continuous when possible Use the conditional Use less colloquial English Construct indirect, impersonal sentences eg. "It would be a good idea . ." instead of "I think it would be a good idea . . ." COMMON EXPRESSIONS Could you please . . . I would be most grateful if you could . . . Please find enclosed a check for . . . I enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope. I look forward to hearing from you soon. FORMAL OR INFORMAL LETTER ? The following expressions are classified according to their degree of formality : Formal : I would be most grateful if you could . . . I apologize for the delay in replying to your letter but . . . Thank you for your letter of the 15 January. Would it be possible to telephone me as soon as possible? Would it be convenient if I arrived at 7 p.m.? I look forward to meeting you at your earliest convenience. I look forward to hearing from you soon. ++ I would very much appreciate an early reply. + I request a prompt reply.

May I suggest that we . . . It would give me great pleasure to attend . . . ++ I regret that I am unable to attend . . . + Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend I will send full particulars . . . Informal : - I'd be grateful if you could . . . - It would be nice if you could I'm sorry for not answering sooner, but . . . Thanks for your last letter. Phone me as soon as possible. Would it be alright if I came at 7 p.m.? Looking forward to getting together again soon. I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon. Please reply quickly. It would be a good idea to . . . I'd be happy to attend . . . Unfortunately, I won't be able to come . I'll let you know all the details . . .

EXPRESSIONS FOR WRITING LETTERS REMEMBER: In a formal letter, avoid contractions when possible for example: I am instead of I'm Use the present simple instead of the present continuous when possible for example: I look forward to our meeting instead of I am looking forward . . . Use the conditional for example: I would like to visit your farm instead of I want to visit your farm Use less colloquial English for example: I'm really interested instead of I am most interested Construct indirect, impersonal sentences for example: It would be a good idea . . . instead of I think it's a good idea . . . USEFUL EXPRESSIONS: Could you please . . . I would be most grateful if you could . . . Please find enclosed a check for . . . I enclose my CV. I look forward to hearing from you soon. THE FOLLOWING EXPRESSIONS ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THEIR DEGREE

OF FORMALITY more formal less formal I apologize for the delay in replying to your letter I'm terribly sorry not to have written sooner but . . . I would be most grateful if you could . . . It would be nice if you could . . . I'd be grateful if you could . . . Thank you for your letter of 15 January. Thanks for your last letter. Would it be possible to telephone me as soon as Phone me as soon as possible. Would it be convenient if I arrived at 7 p.m.? Would it be alright if I came at 7 p.m.? I look forward to hearing from you soon. I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon. I would very much appreciate an early reply. Please reply quickly I request a prompt reply. I look forward to meeting you at your earliest Looking forward to getting together again soon. May I suggest that we . . . It would be a good idea to . . . I regret that I am unable to attend. Unfortunately, I won't be able to come. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend It would give me great pleasure to attend I'd be happy to attend I will send all the details. I'll let you know all the details.

Formal X Informal
FORMAL Latin based words uncommon words Full words INFORMAL Anglo saxon words (phrasal verbs) Common words Abbreviations Contractions Acvtive voice Verb phrases Simple sentences

Passive voice Noun phrases Complex sentences

Guide to becoming a good writer

* Observe carefully everything around you. * Record interesting ideas in a notebook. * Choose a subject you really like. * Decide what you want to achieve from your writing - think about which kind of

composition you are writing. * Plan the main outline and write it down. * Use your ideas and your plan for a first draft. * Revise what you have written. * Prepare the final version either in neat handwriting, or using a computer. * Show your writing to others.

Different kinds of composition

Narratives These tell a story or give an account of something that happened. They can repeat facts or can be imaginary (made up). They are often written in the past tense and may include speech to add variety.

Journal writing This is a personal record of the things that happen to you, and of the feelings you have. You can decide if you are going to keep the journal just for yourself, or share it with others. You can use an informal style and develop your own abbreviations and codes.

Descriptive writing This 'paints a picture' using words. Descriptions tell what something or someone is like, or how to do something. When you write a description, imagine you are writing it for someone who has never seen, felt, smelt, heard, or tasted what you are describing. You can also include sections of descriptive writing within narratives and journal writing.

Explanatory writing First make sure you understand what you want to explain. Imagine you are telling a

younger person what they should do. Use facts and not opinions. Use diagrams if these help.

Persuasive writing This covers describing different points of view - opinions - about something. You write in order to convince your reader to agree with you. This style of writing is often used in the Essay section of examinations.

Playscripts These list the dialogue (words spoken by the characters), together with descriptions of the actions and the way in which the words should be said.

Summaries Read and understand the material. Then pick out the main ideas, and list them. Now put the main ideas together in your own words to write your summary. Writing summaries is also a good way to revise.

Book reports This is a summary about a book you have read that gives enough information to other people for them to decide if they would like to read it. You summarize the story and say if you enjoyed it. List the title, publisher, and author and describe the setting, characters, and plot.

Poetry This often has short lines that are not complete sentences. It uses rhyme and rhythm to express feelings. Poems describe a person, place, or idea about which the writer feels strongly. You can use a pattern for writing a poem, or make up your own style.

Useful tools

Planning First decide on the kind of writing you are going to do. Then write down any ideas related to the topic that you have chosen or been given. Use this for recalling facts in an exam, for listing steps in an explanation, for creating new characters and plot in a narrative or playscript, or for planning a book report or poem.

For persuasive writing it is useful to make a table of alternative opinions, and for poetry to note down sets of rhyming words. Then add numbers to your ideas to put them into a sensible order. As you do this you will think of other ideas to add.

Vocabulary and spelling Your vocabulary (words you use) is related to the composition. For example, you can use informal vocabulary in your journal, in a poem, or in text messages, but not in an essay for an exam. You should also use proper scientific terms in Science. Expand your vocabulary by recording new words and meanings in a notebook.

In an exam there will be some marks awarded for spelling, so it is always useful to check new words using a dictionary. Try to find and remember similar patterns in spelling words.

Sentence structure Poems have their own patterns, and the style used in journals can be very personal. For other writing, try to vary the style, length, and complexity:

Phrases are incomplete sentences: they do not have a verb or a subject. Sentences have a verb and a subject and make complete sense. Some examples are statements, questions, and exclamations. Simple sentences have just one main clause, containing one subject and one verb.

Compound sentences are made by joining two simple sentences and so have two main clauses. Complex sentences contain one main clause and two or more minor or subordinate clauses.

Parts of speech Use these correctly:

Noun: a naming word. Common nouns (lower case letters) are general names such as baby and idea. Proper nouns (capital letters) name special people, places, or things, such as Charles Darwin and The Great Wall of China.

Verb: an action word. This describes what something does, for example 'Tom kicked the ball', or the state of being, for example 'I slept'. The verb 'kicked' has an object (ball) and so it is called a transitive verb. The verb 'slept' does not have an object and so it is called an intransitive verb.

Adjective: a describing word. It usually, but not always, comes before the noun or pronoun it describes, for example 'she had a pretty face'.

Adverb: a word that describes a verb - how, when, or where something happens, for example 'he drove quickly to the hospital'. It also describes adjectives or other adverbs, for example 'she had an extremely pretty face' or 'he drove very quickly to the hospital'. In descriptive writing several adjectives or adverbs can be used together. They can also be used to compare two or more things, for example 'taller, tallest' and 'quickly, more quickly'.

Pronoun: stands in for a noun, for example he, she, it, him, her, them.

Preposition: describes how one person or thing relates to another: The cat is under the table.

Conjunction: a joining word, and one that introduces another part of a sentence, for example and, but, or, because, although.

Figurative language Some examples: Similes: these compare two things using 'as', 'like', and 'as ... as', for example 'swift as the wind'. Metaphors: these say one thing is another, for example 'She is a rock' (very dependable). Onomatopeia: using words that sound like the actual sound, for example 'a creaking chair'.

Paragraphs A paragraph is a set of sentences that go together. You need a new paragraph when you introduce a new person or place, or a change of time or idea. One pattern to use is:

The first sentence gives the main idea. This is followed by the body of the paragraph that develops the idea and gives examples. The last sentence sums up the information or gives the main idea in a slightly different way.

Linking words These are words and phrases such as first, next, after that, and finally that help the reader to follow the order of a book report or of explanatory or persuasive writing.