Common Phrases for Business Letters

ESLgold.com - Common Phrases for Business Letters

Request for information
I am writing to inquire about . . .

I am writing in reference to . . .

I read/heard . . . and would like to know . . .

Could you please send me . . .


at the address below/above

Thank you for your assistance.
I look forward to hearing from you.



Response to request

Thank you for your interest/inquiry

Enclosed is the information you requested.
You can learn more about this at . . .

If you have further questions,

If you require assistance, please contact:

If I can be of more help, please feel free to contact me at . . .



Sample Sentences: Requests

Could you please send me your most recent brochure?

Could you fax me the results of the market survey?

I would like to order ten copies of the book, Touchy Situations.

I would be very grateful if you could send me this information.

Please return the enclosed envelope with your payment.



Sample Sentences: Goodwill

Thank you for your hospitality.

I enjoyed having lunch with you last week while I was in New York.

Congratulations on your promotion to General Manager.

I want(ed) to congratulate you on your new position.

I was happy to hear that contract negotiations went well.



Sample Sentences: Introduction of Product/Service.

I am writing to tell you about . . .

(Our new product) is coming out next month.

This product/service is designed to (help you) . . .



Sample Sentences: Reference

I am writing in regard to . . .

I am writing in reference to . . .

Please refer to the enclosed invoice/brochure.

I hope you have had a chance to look over the materials we sent.



Sample Sentences: Confirmation

I am writing to confirm . . .

I would like to confirm what we discussed last Friday.

I would just like to confirm the main points we discussed . . .



Sample Sentences: Notification

I am writing to let you know that . . .

Please be aware/informed that . . .

I would like to inform you of a recent policy change.

I am happy to inform

you that . . .

Your request for funding has been approved.



Sample Sentences: Offering Assistance

We would be happy to . . .

If we can be of assistance, please don't hesitate to ask.



Sample Sentences: Collection

According to our records . . .

Our records show that . . .

Your monthly installment is past due.

Please send payment as soon as possible.

Business English Vocabulary

From ESLGold.com

Business English: Writing letters

For Business Letters

1. Receiver (Who are you writing this to?)

• Someone you know (friend, colleague, business partner, group, company)
• Some one you don't know (To whom it may concern, Dear Sir/Madam)
• How do you expect the receiver to respond?

2. Sender (Who are you?)

• What is your relationship to the reader/receiver(s)?
• What role are you assuming in the letter?
• (friend, colleague, etc.)

3. Context (What background information does the reader need?)

• Bring the reader up to date first.
• Establish a connection
• As requested . . .
• It was nice meeting you in Toronto last week . . .
• I read your article in Vague Magazine . 
• Supporting details
• Time frame (sequence of events)

4. Message (What do you want the reader to know or do?)

• What do you hope to accomplish with the letter (inform, persuade, initiate action)
• I am writing to inquire about . . .
• Could you please send me . . .
• Polite requests
• Please . . .
• Would you mind . . .
• Could you please . . .
• Would you be so kind as to . . .

5. Medium (What is the appropriate format?)

• Fax, e-mail, formal business letter, memo, informal note

6. Tone (What tone do you wish to convey?)

• informative
• polite
• business-like
• friendly
• humble
• assertive
• urgent
• irate

7. Other recipients (Are there others who need to be informed of this communication?)

• cc: courtesy copy

Before writing a business letter, consider the following:

Objective(s)

• Why am I writing this letter?
• What do I hope to accomplish?
• What action do I want from my reader?

 

Your Audience

• Who will read this letter?
• How can I appeal to the reader's interest?
• What attitude might the reader have toward this information?
• Will the reader consider this good news or bad news?

 

Organization

• What information should be included first/last?
• What details does the reader need to know?
• Does my conclusion motivate the reader to do something?
• Do I end the letter in a positive and polite manner?

 

Professionalism

• Do I use a professional business letter format?
• Do my language and style show a positive attitude toward the reader/the company/the product/the information.
• Will my reader be offended by anything in the letter?

 

Proofreading

• Are there any spelling errors, typos, etc.?
• Is the format of the letter appropriate?
• Have I signed my name?

From ESLGold.com

Business English: Presentations

Introduction

• (Good morning, afternoon, evening)
• I'm happy to be here.
• I'm glad to have this opportunity to . . .
• Today, I'd like to talk (to you) about . 
• My topic today is . . 

• The focus of my remarks is . . .
• I'd like to share some thoughts on (topic)

Main Points

• Let me start by . . .
• First, let me tell you about . . .
• I've divided my topic into (three) parts: (They are . . .)

Giving Examples

• For example,
• For instance,
• Let me illustrate,
• To illustrate,

Conclusion

• In conclusion
• To conclude,
• To summarize,
• To sum up,

Beginning a Presentation

• It is common to greet the audience and introduce yourself when giving presentations:
• Good morning,/afternoon/evening
• I'm _________, the new Finance Manager.
• My name is ________ and I represent _______
• Let me take a minute to introduce myself.
• Let me start by telling you a little about our company.
• I've already met some of you, but for those I haven't , I'm _____

Introducing the Topic

• I'm here to talk about . . .
• Today, I'd like to say a few words about . . .
• I'm going to give you an overview of . . .
• The main reason I'm here today is . . .
• The focus of my remarks is . . .
• I'd like to introduce . . .

Time Consciousness

• Thank you for your time
• Thank you for taking the time to be here
• I will probably take about . . . minutes
• This should last only a few minutes
• I hope to be finished by . . .

Showing Organization

This presentation can be divided into the following subtopics:Thank you for taking the time to be here

I've divided my topic into three sections/parts. They are . . 

• First, 
• Second
• Third 
• Finally

Sequencing

• Let's move on to . . .
• Let's move on to . . .
• That brings us to . . .
• Giving Reasons
• This is why . . .
• The main reason is . . .
• Therefore,
• So,

Generalizing 

• Generally,
• Usually,
• As a rule,
• Most of the time.
• In most cases.

Highlighting

• Actually,
• In fact,
• As a matter of fact,
• In PArticular
• Particularly
• Especially

Giving Examples

• For example,
• For instance,
• Such as

Summarizing

• To sum up
• To summarize
• In brief

Concluding

• To conclude
• In conclusion

Follow-Up

• Are/Were there any questions?
• We have just a few minutes for questions

People often become nervous or fearful when giving presentations. 

Here are some phrases you can keep in mind when preparing for and giving a presentation.

About Yourself

• I'm happy to be here.
• I'm glad to have this opportunity.
• (Smile)
• (Turn nervousness into enthusiasm.)
• I (really) want to tell you about this.
• I have something interesting to tell you.

About Your Audience

• This is something I think you should know . . .
• This is important (to you) because . . .
• You will be interested to know that . . .
• You will benefit by knowing this . . .

About Your Subject/Material

• The information is as follows: A,B,C....
• First, I will tell you about . . .
• These are the main points/supporting ideas . . .
• The best way to understand this information is . . .
• Look at this. It will help you understand my topic . . .
• This shows (you) . . .

A few tips:

Business English: Terms of Payment

I'd like to pay (in) cash.

I'll put it on my credit card.

Can I charge it?

Could you put that on my bill?

Could I put that on my account?

Could you send me an invoice?

Could you bill me (for that)?

Can I put it on lay-away?

May I . . .

pay in cash

pay by check

pay by credit card

pay with a credit card

pay in installments

pay in one lump sum

Could you deliver it to my office?

Do you charge for shipping?

Do I need to pay for postage and handling?

How long will it take?

Business English: Invitations

Informal:

Would you like to . . .

We're going to . . . . Would you like to come along?

There's a . . . . (tonight). Would you like to go?

How about (V+ing) . . . ?

Do you want to . . . ?

I wonder if you would like to . . .

I was wondering if you would like to . . .

Formal:

I'd like to invite you to . . .

If you have time, I'd like to invite you . . .

Would you like to join us for (event) at (time) ?

We'd be glad to have you accompany us . . .

We'd be delighted/honored to have you as our guest at . . .

From: ESLGold.com

Business English: Expressing appeciation

Thanks.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

Thanks for the tour.

Thank you for the nice gift.

I appreciate your hospitality.

I appreciate your lending me the chain saw.

Business English: Company Introductions

What company do you work for?

Which company are you with?

Who do you represent?

I work for ABC Company.

I'm with ABC.

I represent (the) XYZ (company).

What is the name of your company?

Where are you located?

The name of our company is . . . .

Our company is located in . . . .

Our headquarters is in . . .

What (type of business) do you do?

What business are you in?

We are in the computer business.

We're in computers

We sell . . .

We produce . . .

We manufacture . . .

Our major products are . . .

Business English: Introducing yourself and others in English

1. I'm John.

I'm Jackie. (Use first name in informal situations)


2. I'm John Kennedy.

I'm Jackie O'Neill. (Use full name in business and formal situations)


3. (It's) nice to meet you.

(It's) nice meeting you. (It's) good to meet you.


4. Nice to meet you too.

Here are some phrases for introducing other people in English.


Informal

This is my boss, Mr. Stratford.

Jared, this is my secretary, Barbara.

Good to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

I'd like you to meet my co-worker, Collin Beck.

Collin, this is Susan Palmer.

Nice to meet you.

My pleasure.

Have you met, Jason?

Jason, this is Teresa.

Hi, I'm Jill Watson.

I don't believe we've met. I'm Greg.



Formal

I'd like to introduce you to my dear friend, Mrs. Pleasant.

Allow me to introduce myself/my colleague, Ms. Winters

Let me introduce you to my colleague, Dean Richards.

Mr. Richards, this is David Porter from Aerospace Inc.

How do you do?

How do you do?

It's a pleasure meeting you.

Important body language to remember: Smile, eye contact, firm handshake.


From :http://www.eslgold.com/

Gender revolution: minus a bigger paycheck?

Women are more likely than men to have a bachelor’s degree and a white-collar job, yet continue to earn less than their male counterparts, finds a new study spanning two generations in the United States.

Stephanie Nawyn, a Michigan State University sociologist and study co-author, said the findings reinforce the existence of a “gender revolution” – except when it comes to salaries.

“Women have eliminated the gender gap in some respects,” Nawyn said. “They now have more college education then men. They have higher occupational status than men. But it’s problematic when you realize that women have still not completely closed the earnings gap.”

Nawyn and colleagues analyzed U.S. Census socioeconomic data of more than 180,000 people at two points in time. The study looked at Latino and Asian immigrants in 1980 and then at their children’s generation 25 years later (in 2005), as well as non-Hispanic whites whose parents were not immigrants.

In 1980, men led women by a significant margin in bachelor’s-degree attainment, white-collar jobs and earnings, the study found. This held true for all three groups: Asians, Latinos and whites.

By 2005, the story had mostly flipped, with women in all three groups overtaking men in bachelor’s-degree attainment and white-collar jobs.

“Women have increased their mobility across generations better than men have,” Nawyn said. “In this sense, there has been a gender revolution.”

But this progress did not translate into women surpassing men’s earnings. In 2005, women on average earned $39,472, while men earned $50,900 – an $11,428 difference between the sexes. The gender earnings gap was largest between white men and women ($14,204) and smallest between Latino men and women ($7,985).

The study also found major gaps between ethnic groups.

Both white men and women, for example, are much more likely to get a bachelor’s degree and a white-collar job than Latino men and women. In addition, whites on average earn $6,500 more per year than Latinos.

“It’s not that the children of immigrants aren’t doing better than their parents, because they are,” said Nawyn. “They just aren’t completely closing the gap with the white mainstream population.”

The study appears in the October issue of the journal Demography. Julie Park from the University of Maryland was the lead author; MSU’s Nawyn and Maryland’s Megan Benetsky were co-authors.

An aricle from MSU Today