- •Introduction
- •1 Business letter writing
- •2The letter heading and the layout
- •2.1. The parts of the letter
- •2.2. Style of american firms
- •3. Structure and presentation
- •1. Read the following statements and decide which are true t and which are false
- •2. Put the verbs in brackets into either the present simple, (e.G. He works), or the present continuous, (e.G. He is working).
- •3. Put the following names and addresses in order.
- •5. Complete the following letter of enquiry with the correct prepositions.
- •Veto Sport ag
- •3.1. Content and Style
- •1. Read this letter from a computer company to a company trainer, and fill in the blanks with the correct verb taken from the list below.
- •2. Put the phrases below in the correct order to form a letter requesting information.
- •3. Rewrite the following request for payment in a more polite form.
- •4. Other methods of communication
- •4.1. Competition
- •Curriculum vitae
- •Interests/hobbies
- •4.2. Forms
- •4.4. Faxes
- •4.5. Notices
- •4.7. Memoranda
- •5 The enquiry
- •Requests for catalogues and price lists
- •General enquiries and replies
- •Enquiries cliches
- •Enquiries
- •1. Fill in the missing words:
- •3. Match these words from Exercise 2 with their definitions
- •4. Rewrite the following questions in a less direct form, beginning with the words given.
- •5. Make words from the jumbled letters and match them with the definitions in the sentences below.
- •6. John Phillips is telling his secretary what to write when she types out the day's letters. Change his instructions into an acceptable form for business correspondence.
- •7. Complete the following letter of enquiry with the correct prepositions.
- •8. Read this reply to a letter of enquiry. Underline the words in the letter which correspond to the words and phrases below.
- •Glaston potteries Ltd
- •Reply to an enquiries (offers)
- •Replies to enquiries cliches
- •Replies and quotations
- •1. Read the following reply to a letter of enquiry. Mr. Fest refers to specific questions asked by Mr Whang. Which of the items below did he request information about?
- •6. Invoices and adjustments
- •Inform the buyer of the amount due.
- •Invoice
- •Invoice
- •Debit and credit notes
- •Varying the terms of payment
- •Useful expressions
- •7. Letters requesting payment tone
- •Late payments
- •Collection letters
- •Second application letters
- •Third application letters
- •Final collection letters
- •Checklist
- •8. Complaints and adjustment
- •Complaints concerning goods
- •Complaints concerning delivery
- •Checklist
- •Useful expressions
- •Complaints and adjustments
- •In the following sentences, the word in italics is not very appropriate for formal correspondence. Choose a more suitable alternative from the list.
- •British Suppliers plc
- •9. Credit and status enquiries
- •Lending restrictions and bad trade
Replies to enquiries cliches
Opening
Thank you for your enquiry of... (date) in which you asked about... I would like to thank you for your enquiry of... (date) and am pleased to tell you that we would be able to supply you with the ... We were pleased to hear from your letter of.. (date) that you were impressed with our selection of...
Confirming that you can help
We have a wide selection of..., and in particular ... which you specified.
Our factory would have no problem in turning out the ... units you asked for in your enquiry.
We can supply from stock and will have no trouble in meeting your delivery date.
I am pleased to say that we will be able to deliver ... you require.
We can offer door-to-door delivery services.
"Selling" your product
We think you have made an excellent choice in selecting this line, and once you have seen the samples we are sure you will agree that this is unique both in texture and colour.
Once you have seen the.... (machine) in operation we know you will be impressed by its trouble-free performance.
Referring the customer elsewhere
I regret to say that we no longer produce the type of... you refer to, since we find there is no longer sufficient demand for it. I am sorry we cannot be of help to you.
The goods you mention are not produced by us, but by ... If you would care to write to them, their address is...
We no longer manufacture ... as ... However, if you are still set on ..., we advise you to contact... (name of company, address).
I confirm you that the product you require is one of ours, but since we are only able to deal with wholesalers, not retailers, may I refer you to ... (name of company, address).
Catalogues, price-lists, prospectuses, samples
Please find enclosed our catalogue and price-list quoting c.i.f. prices. The units you referred to in your letter are featured on pp. ... under catalogue numbers.... When ordering could you please quote these numbers? The samples you asked for will follow by separate post.
We have enclosed our booklet on the... (machine) and are sure you will agree that it is one of the finest machines of its kind. The details about it are on page ... under the heading...
Demonstrations, representatives, showroom visits
We have enclosed all the details about the.. (machine), but feel that a demonstration will give you more of an idea of its capabilities. We would therefore like to invite you to our centre in .. (place) where the equipment is set up so that you can see the machine in action.
As the enclosed illustrated booklet cannot really show the efficiency of the... (machine), can we send our representative to you with a model of the machine, and he can give you a demonstration?
The enclosed catalogue will give you an idea of the type of... we produce, but may we suggest that you visit our agent's showrooms in ... where you can see a wide range of units? The address is...
Closing
Once again we would like to thank you for writing to us and would welcome any further points you would like us to answer.
Please write to us again if you have any questions, or call us at the above telephone number.
I am sorry we do not have the model you asked for, but can promise you that the alternative I have suggested will certainly meet your expectations, and remember we offer a full guarantee for ... years.
We hope to hear from you again, soon, and can assure you that your order will be dealt with promptly.