Personal business letters: saying why you are writing

In earlier units you learnt how to start formal letters. For example:

Dear Sir   I am writing in reply to your advertisement in The Times.

or:

 

Dear Sir   We are interested in hiring a word processor and we would like to know if you rent them.

If you are writing to someone you know and you want to be more friendly, you should introduce your letter in a different way. Here are some examples.

Giving information:	I thought you might be interested to hear about …
Requesting information or action:	I was wondering if you could help me.
Complaining:	I am afraid we have a small problem.
Giving bad news:	I am afraid I have some bad news.

Fill in the missing parts of these letters. Also use the phrases from 6.3. where appropriate.

a)

Dear Mr Watson ……………………………………………………………………….……… In our last order from your company, we asked for six water filters. Unfortunately, when we opened the box we found that there were only five. I would be grateful if you could send us the missing filter as soon as possible. Looking forward to hearing from you,   Yours,

 

b)

Dear Ms Spencer ……………………………………………………………………….………   Owing to increased costs, we have been forced to increase our prices to our customers as shown on the enclosed list. We are, however, still able to offer a 10 % discount on any order that you make.   Hoping that we can continue to be of service to you,   Yours,

 

c)

Dear Mrs. Poirot   …………………………… the invitation to the exhibition last week. ………………………… to see the range of products that you produce.   ………………………………………………………………………………. a new service that we have just introduced. This is the Golden Maintenance Agreement. For a fixed price we can offer 24 hour emergency repairs for

 

d)	Dear Mr. Sanchez   …………………………… that I have not written before now to thank you for the invitation to the conference last month. ………………………… to meet your colleagues and to exchange ideas.   …………………………………………………………………… I need a new Marketing Manager for our Middle East office. I know that you

 

Personal business letters: the close

Less formal letters often close by mentioning something personal. For example:

I look forward to seeing you again next time. I am in Bahrain.

If ever you are in London, please do not hesitate to call me.

 

Sometimes, you can mention somebody that you both know, like this:

Please give my regards to Peter Smith.

Please pass on my best wishes to Mr. Lund. I hope that he has now recovered from the ’flu.