Letter 1

Dear Professor...,

I received your letter of August 3 inviting me to participate in the X Congress of Archeologists in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, I will not be able to take part in it as I have a number of urgent matters to attend to in this country.

As far as my report is concerned, I have asked Dr .... of the Institute of Archeology to read my paper and to pass on to you the text for publication in the Proceedings of Archeology.

With best wishes, Sincerely yours,

Name

Letter 2

Dear Prof....,

I very much appreciate your kind invitation to participate in the VII Conference on... to be held in Oxford. Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend.

Had your invitation reached me a little earlier, I would have been able to attend the Conference and meet my colleagues. But I am now committed to giving a series of lectures to graduate students and cannot change the schedule.

All best wishes for a successful Conference. Sincerely yours,

Name

Note: here are some more samples how to decline an invitation:

•Thank you for your invitation to... but I regret that I am unable to accept it as....

•I am sorry to decline your kind invitation ....

•It is with great regret that I have to decline your invitation to ...

•I regret to inform you that I am not in a position to accept your invitation to....

•I regret that I will be unable to attend the conference because of my illness.

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