Unit 4 replies to enquiries language practice

1. Notice these sentences in which the writer thanks his correspondent for an enquiry.

Notice that you ‘enquire’ about general information, you ‘request’ an object or a statement. You ‘enquire about something’; you ‘request something’.

Thank you for your letter of (dated) 17 May enquiring about our range of office equipment.

or:

Thank you for your letter of (dated) 17 May in which you enquired about our range of office furniture.

a.

Thank you for your letter of (dated) 17 May requesting our catalogue, price-list and a brochure about type TW37.

or:

Thank you for your letter of (dated) 17 May in which you requested our catalogue, price-list, and a brochure about type TW37.

Sometimes you may refer to the contents of a letter.

With reference to your letterof (dated) 17 May enquiring about … / in which you enquired about …

or:

With reference to your letterof (dated) 17 May requesting …/ in which you requested …in which you requested

b.

Make similar sentences, thanking your correspondent for an enquiry or request. Be careful which verb you use.

1. 16 June/our range of office seats

2. 11 April/a detailed quotation of prices f.o.b. Southampton

3. 22 March/the possibility of a bulk purchase of stationery

4. 1 December/our latest price list

5. 8 September/a brochure about the new duplicating machine

6. 24 January/our latest electric typewriters

7. 17 May/a Pro-Forma Invoice for your order

8. 26 July/the possibility of a visit from our agent in Athens

9. 27 February/a visit from our agent in Nairobi

10. 15 August/the discounts we offer for orders over £10,000

2. Notice this sentence, which tells your correspondent about enclosures:

We enclose a price-list and catalogue, together with a brochure for type TW37.

or:

We have pleasure in enclosing a price-list and catalogue, together with a brochure for type TW37.

or:

We are pleased to enclose a price-list and catalogue, together with a brochure for type TW37.

or:

Enclosed you’ll find a price-list and catalogue, together with a brochure for type TW37.

Write similar sentences, using the phrases in italics, for the following:

1. A quotation of prices f.o.b. London/a Pro-Forma Invoice

2. An application form/a stamped, addressed envelope

3. A written invitation to the conference/a claim for travelling expenses

4. An International Money Order/a statement of the bank’s service charge

5. A copy of our latest price-list/a sample of the typewriting paper you are interested in

6. Our latest catalogue/a statement of freight and insurance charges from Liverpool to Bilbao

7. Our cheque for £150/our account number and the address of our bank

8. A statement of your account with us/our advice on how to pay it

9. A copy of the invoice/a transfer form to our bank account

10. A postal order for £20/a request for further supplies

3. Notice how letters of reply often finish with a sentence like this:

We look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Conclude letters in the same way for the following:

1. Receive/further orders

2. Meet/your agent in Brussels

3. Receive/instructions

4. Do/business

5. Hear/from your agent in Lucerne

6. Have/a conversation with you in Stockholm

7. See/your representative in Manchester

8. Hear/from you soon

9. Receive/your payment

10. Meet/your Sales Manager on the 17th May

Exercise 45. Read this reply to a letter of enquiry. Underline the words in the letter which correspond to the words and phrases below.

selling through shops reply set up conditions

be sorry up-to-date range extremely

Exercise 46. Write the letter of enquiry which preceded the reply in the above exercise. You are J. F. Morreau, and you have just seen an advertisement for Glaston Potteries Willow Pattern dinner sets in the May edition of International Homes.

Exercise 47. Read the following letter of reply and choose the best words from the options in brackets.

Exercise 49. Below you will see parts of three letters answering an enquiry. Put the correct word or phrase in each blank. Choose from the following list. Use each item once only.

additional features date full details hesitate

competitive price enquiring further details range

doing business enquiry In addition sincerely

enclosed leaflet pleasure in production supply

A.

B.

C.

Exercise 50. Fill in the missing words.

A.

B.

Exercise 51. Complete the following reply to a letter (20 June) from S Blackmore (Ms), Marketing Manager, Downland Fuels Ltd, Lake Road, Southampton, Hampshire, (Ref: SB/MT). The letter asked for full details, a price-list and samples of re-usable envelopes.