Correspondence in English. Business letter in English? Easy! How to convey bad or good news in business letters in English

The ability to conduct business correspondence has been relevant at all times, and professionals who master these skills perfectly are able to reach the heights of the career ladder, thanks to the ability to impress partners, conclude profitable deals, and form an indelible image.
Business correspondence in English is a set of rules and features that are very important to follow in order to establish effective partnerships. Over time, a certain style of business correspondence in English has developed. Business English courses http://thefrog.ru/kursy/biznes-anglijskogo will help you master this art, learn the details and subtleties of business correspondence.

Rules for business correspondence in English

Many of us, of course, know the standard structure for writing letters - introduction, body and conclusion. But depending on what information the letter carries, its structure and writing rules are chosen accordingly. And a business letter is no exception. Let's get acquainted with its features.

Letter structure

1. Heading of the letter and (or) sender's address)
2. Date of the letter
3. Recipient's name and address
4. Polite greeting
5. Subject of the letter
6. Welcome and opening speech (introduction)
7. Text of the letter and disclosure of the subject (body of the letter)
8. Conclusion
9. Polite farewell (complimentary closing)
10. Sender's signature by hand (signature)
11. Typed signature

Compliance with all of the above points is not mandatory; some of them may be omitted. However, the essential and most significant parts must still be contained in every letter, since they are integral components of English business etiquette.

Below is the corresponding letter format:

Also, to conduct business correspondence in English, it is important to follow a number of rules for writing and formatting it, which are recommended to be followed to achieve your goal - the correct composition of a business letter. Some minor deviations are acceptable and do not constitute a serious error. So, the rules of business correspondence in English:
The preferred format is A4 paper or letterhead (the quality of the paper also carries certain information about the sender and plays an important role)
Choose margins of 2.5 cm on all four sides or 1 inch
It is advisable to use a standard font such as Times New Roman (Arial)
Choose font size 12-14, depending on the size of the letter
A comma is placed after the greeting (for example, Dear Mr Smith,)
Single indentation in paragraphs is recommended
Double indentation between paragraphs is preferable.
Double indentation is also used between the last sentence and the conclusion of the letter (for example, Sincerely, Best wishes)
For a handwritten signature, a few indents are similarly left.
The piece of paper must be folded in thirds (horizontally) before placing the letter in the envelope.

Business correspondence in English. Examples of letters

To present the above more clearly, we will need examples of business correspondence in English.
Now let’s take a closer look at the constituent phrases that make up a business letter. These phrases set the business rhythm and make the message pleasant and understandable when exchanging information in the business sphere.

Phrases for business correspondence in English

The skill of writing business letters lies in the correct use of proven phrases and expressions. They help achieve the desired effect in business communication between partners. This is a kind of code of good manners that helps to establish contact.

Business correspondence in English. Greetings

Familiarity is unacceptable in business correspondence, so greeting words should express deep respect and encourage further communication. “Dear Sir” is quite suitable for this, but it is better to find out the name of the person to whom the address is being addressed and write “Dear Mr.John Smith” or “DearMs.Sarah Smith”. In the future, when the connection has already been established and, if the existing relationship allows it, you can contact the recipient by the name “DearJohn”.
Greetings in English in business correspondence should begin with a thank you for the previous letter and (or) noting the previous correspondence, email or meeting:
Thank you for your letter... - Thank you for your letter...
Thank you for contacting me... - Thank you for contacting us...
We are grateful so much for sending us more information… - We are very grateful to you for additional information…
Further to our meeting... - In addition to our meeting...
With reference to your message... - Regarding your message...
The phrase “I am writing to...” will also be very useful in explaining the purpose and reason for the letter being written. Using modal verbs will help you express your intentions:
We would like to... - We would like...
Could you, please... - Could you please...
I would be delighted/ glad/ grateful… – I would be glad/ grateful…
The body of the letter, unlike the introductory words of greeting and address, is strict and specific, clearly stating the problem that prompted you to write the letter. Information is written, as a rule, on a new line and, which is noteworthy for English business letters, without a “red line”, that is, an indentation, as is customary in Russian.
At the end of the letter such wonderful phrases as:
We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future - In hopes of successful cooperation in the future.
Your early reply will be appreciated – Thank you in advance for your early reply.
Awaiting your prompt reply - Waiting for an early response.
The letter most often ends with the words “Yours sincerely” - “Sincerely yours” if you know the person to whom the appeal is being addressed. Otherwise, it is better to use “Yours faithfully” with the same meaning.
Be sure to check the written letter for grammatical and spelling errors and compliance with stylistic standards.

Business correspondence in English. Samples

Business correspondence in English includes samples of invitations to various interviews, business conferences, business meetings, and to participate in projects:

By following all the rules of writing a business letter and using standard expressions, you can easily master the skill of conducting business correspondence in just a few lessons.

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Good day, friends.

Once while corresponding with his future partner from Ireland, one of my acquaintances used words and phrases like hereby And acknowledge receipt of in your messages. He was quite embarrassed when they met in Russia, and John (that was his partner’s name) joked (very delicately) about his excessive officialdom. Their further communication led to the fact that my friend’s business style became more natural, and with his help John began to understand the different semantic shades of Russian obscene language...:)

Today I will be happy to tell you how to correctly compose a business letter in English. You will become familiar with both the basic principles and rules of business correspondence and some of its nuances. Let's look at the main types of letters, the structure common to all, as well as the typical phrases often used in them. Perhaps, after reading this article, you will not become an ace in writing business messages, but you will definitely increase your level.

Contents:

Nowadays, proper formatting, proper construction and a well-chosen style of business writing are very important. By the way you conduct business correspondence, your partner creates the first impression about your professionalism and the solidity of the company you represent.
Let's take a look at some of the features of preparing such messages.

Basic types of business letters

• Congratulations –
• Offer -– sent to your potential business partner with your terms and proposals for cooperation.
• About hiring -– notifies you that you have been hired.
• Statement -– contains your resume and your offer as an employee.
• Refusal -– a businesslike “turn-and-go” response to your statement or proposal.
• Complaint -– contains a complaint or claims about the quality of the purchased product or services provided.
• Letter of apology –- This is a response to a letter of complaint.
• An inquiry -– sent when it is necessary to obtain information about a service or product.
• Letter of response to a request –– it actually contains the requested information.
• Letter of gratitude -– here, it seems, everything is clear.

There are also a huge number of types and subtypes of business messages ( Order, Response to Order, Invoice, Statement etc.), and it will take more than one article to pay attention to the majority.

Kind regards is an excellent and serious guide from a foreign author, a communications specialist, who has collected in this book her and others’ experience of conducting business correspondence in English. There you will find many live examples and tips.

Business correspondence in English is also a popular book. There are many samples, even more common clichés, as well as a lot of advice and recommendations from the authors. As they say, study and apply!

Steep online course in business English from Lingualeo - after completing it, you can gain confidence both in correspondence and in conversation on business topics. By the way, you can try it for free before purchasing.

General principles

Graphic design must comply with the following:

1. All sentences start from the same vertical line.
2. The text is divided into paragraphs without red lines.
3. To simplify perception, we divide the written text into semantic blocks of approximately equal size.
4. The white space should evenly surround the text. Don't put one or two lines of text at the top of the page if the letter is small. Do not print to the bottom edge of the sheet and do not narrow the margins; if the message is long-winded, it is better to use the second page.

By style:

1. Do not use colloquial abbreviations in correspondence - write You are instead of You"re, etc.
2. Do not solve two problems at the same time in one letter - it is preferable to write two letters.
3. Decide which tone will be more appropriate - formal or relaxed.
4. It is necessary to take into account those rules that we do not have, but have a specific meaning for them, national and territorial characteristics.

Components

And now we will analyze the so-called skeleton of a business letter, its structure and arrangement of elements:

• Heading(a cap):
  A) The sender's address is in the upper left corner. If the letterhead is branded, then the address has already been entered.
  B) The recipient's address is on the left, below the sender's address. Format: from smallest to largest (Name, house number, street, city, zip code, country).
  IN) Date - three lines below the recipient's address or in the upper right corner. Format: day/month/year. No commas are used.
• Greetings(appeal), or how to start a letter.
• the main idea(the main text of the message) - in the central part of the letter.
• Final phrase(expression of gratitude and further intentions).
• The final formula of politeness; Signature; First name, last name and position of the sender.
• The attachment– indicates that the letter contains additional materials (advertising booklet or brochure).
• May contain P.S., initials of the performer.

Here is a sample business request letter with translation into Russian:

John Stewart
1304 Sherman Ave.
Madison, Wisconsin

Lemann & Sons
3597 43rd Street
New York, NY 12008

With reference to your advertisement in Business Weekly Journal could you please send me a more detailed description of your monitors.
I would also like to know about discounts that you provide.

Yours faithfully,

Translation:

From: John Stewart, 1304 Sherman Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin
Attn: Lehmann & Sons, 3597 43rd Street, New York, NY 12008
May 24, 2015

Dear Sirs,

With a link to your advertisement in the business weekly
could you please send me a more detailed description of your monitors.
I would also like to know about the discounts you provide.

Sincerely,
John Stewart
Sales Manager

Now let's take a closer look at the elements

The address or greeting should look like this:
Dear Sirs, Dear Sir or Madam- if you do not know the recipient's name
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms[last name] - if you know the recipient's name
Dear Frank, - if the person is familiar to you
Dear sales manager– if only the position is known (in this case, sales manager)

The politeness formula before signing looks like this:

Kind regards, - Sincerely…

Yours faithfully, - Sincerely yours (if you don’t know the addressee’s name)

Yours sincerely, - Sincerely yours (if you know the name)

Now you have a general idea of ​​how to write messages to business partners and various companies.

Standard Expressions

Here are some typical phrases as an example:

It is very kind of you to- it's very kind of you

We apologize for- We apologize for

Please let me know- Please tell me

According to- In accordance with

In case- When

As you requested- At your request

Until now- Still

With reference to your...- Regarding your...

Unfortunately- Unfortunately

We enclose– We are enclosing

We are sorry- We regret

How to end a business letter? A few more polite phrases:

Thank you for responding to my offer— Thank you for responding to my proposal.

We look forward to hearing from you soon— We hope to receive your response in the near future

And at the end before the signature:

With best regards- Best wishes

With respect- Sincerely

With thanks for your cooperation– With gratitude for your cooperation

With best wishes- Best wishes

Are you tired of theory yet? Then a little practice!

This time a letter of refusal (such a letter must be written in a correct and delicate style):

Mr Robert Brown
General Manager
KLM Co Ltd
32 Wood Lane
London
Great Britain WC37TP

John Stewart
1304 Sherman Ave.
Madison, Wisconsin

Thank you for sending us your resume.
We are sorry to inform you that your candidature does not suit us.
kind regards,

Translation(translate the address and date yourself):

Dear Mr. Stewart

Thank you for sending us your resume.
We regret to inform you that your candidacy is not suitable for us.

Sincerely,

Robert Brown

CEO

Who is not yet familiar with EnglishDom, I recommend signing up for a free trial lesson! There, you will be matched with the ideal teacher for you - one that suits your personal preferences, language learning goals and your lifestyle.

You will begin to understand business English, speak it and write excellent business letters that will impress all your partners and colleagues.

This is what you dream about, right?

And for my guests and readers there is a special offer - 2 lessons free when you pay for 10 lessons . To receive a gift, you need to enter a special promotional code Partner2 upon payment.

Emails

Everyone's favorite e-mail messages account for about 80% of business turnover. It differs from ordinary correspondence in being more specific and concise. They try to use unnecessarily long phrases avoid In addition, they use acronyms (phrases formed from the first letters of a phrase), as IMHO. Electronic correspondence is characterized not only by personal messages, but also by mailing lists (the BCC field is used when confidentiality is required). Well, the main difference is that most people prefer to refrain from transmitting confidential information by email.

Of course, in the era of “OK Google!” You don’t have to look for difficult ways and simply paste the typed text into an online translator. You will most likely be understood, but you are unlikely to achieve a favorable impression. Remember, the quality of your business correspondence is an indicator of the quality of your company.

Thank you for reading my article to the end. Advise your friends to read it on social networks! Who knows, maybe someone needs this information here and now!

Subscribe to new portions of English.
Bye everyone! Take care of yourself!

An English formal letter is not difficult to write, but you need to know the order in which it is written, the position of each of its individual parts, and how it should look as a whole. Below you can find samples official letter in English. We hope they help you write your own letter.

Example of an official letter in English No. 1 (regarding an announcement of admission to courses)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to enquire about language courses organized by your school. I found out information about it in local newspaper and I would like to know more.

Even if Icannot certify my knowledge of English, after years of learning the language at school I can safely assume that I am an upper-intermediate student. Are you able to offer me any course that would be good for me?

I understand from your advertising that your courses are free. Are they free for everyone, or just only for students from your school?

The last question I have concerns about your methods of teaching. As I particularly hope to improve my fluency, I would like to know how much attention is paid and what methods are used by the school teachers to develop the skill of speaking. It is very important for me, because my fluency is the worst side of my English.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,
XYZ

Example of an official letter in English No. 2 (with questions about an advertisement in a newspaper)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to ask about the holiday apartments in the Golden Sands advertised in “Vacations Abroad” magazine this month.

In your advertisement you mentioned that all the apartments are self-catering. Could you tell me what cooking facilities are available in the kitchen? Could you also tell me if cooking utensils are also provided?

I noticed from your advertisement that the beach is quite nearby. However, I would also like to know if the apartments have an access to a swimming pool.

I would be very grateful if you could send me a list of apartments and prices with a view to making a reservation in July.

Yours faithfully,

Tom Smith

Example of an official letter in English No. 3 (regarding the announcement)

Dear Sir or Madam

I am writing to you because I saw your advertisement in the net and at first sight it looked interesting. I am interested in this advertisement deeper because I like rock music, so I think I will feel comfortable in this place.

I could be a ticket seller because I am good at maths. Also I could be a person, who provides rock stars with everything they need because I am a helpful person.

I would like to have free drinks and snack during the festival. Of course, I promise I would not let you down and do what you ask for.

If you can, please send me some more information about accommodation conditions and transport to the gig place.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Example of an official letter in English No. 4 (regarding a job advertisement)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing with regard to your adventisement, which appeared on your website: ? Future graphics? on 20 July 2013. I would like to apply for the post of computer graphics artist.

I enclose my CV with the details of my previous work experience. As you can see in the document, I have been working as graphic designer for two years and have a diploma for ?The best worker?. I can use Photoscape, Gimp, but I can learn new programs, too.

I am a very hard working person, thus working with me is effective. I am creative and have many good ideas. My level of proficiency in English is pre-intermediate.

I have worked with companies in England, China and India, I have no problems in communicating with people from these countries. Could you please send me more information on that post?

Thank you for considering my application.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Yours faithfully,

Example of an official letter in English No. 5 (with questions about the announcement)

You want to attend a course in English and American Studies in and English speaking country and you see this section in a college prospectus:

SCHOLARSHIPS
Every year, two scholarships are offered to candidates from overseas who can show how our one-year course would help their career. Scholarships cover fees, accommodation and food, but not transport or personal spending money. Apply in writing, explaining why do you think you deserve a scholarship.

Write your letter. Do not include any postal addresses. Write your answer in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.?

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to apply for one of the scholarship programs I saw advertised in your prospectus. Presently, I am training to be a secondary school teacher of English and I am finishing my course at the end of June. However, I feel I still have a lot to learn about the language and culture of The English-speaking country.

The reason I am applying for a scholarship is that I cannot afford the cost of studying abroad. I have no income except for my student grant, so if I am fortunate enough to be given the scholarship, I would have to work part-time to save some personal spending money. My parents will borrow some money for my airfare if I am succesful.

I would appreciate being given the opportunity to study at your college and would be very grateful if you would consider my application.

Yours faithfully,

Example of an official letter in English No. 6 (complaint about a purchased product)

Dear Sir Or Madam

I am writing to complain about a denim vest that I bought from your online shop last month.

When I took it out of the box, I was very unhappy to find that in different color. As if this were not enough, this denim vest was too small.

I had a similar situation last year when I bought a dress online. It was too big. I wrote an e-mail to this company about this problem and the y sent me another dress in the right size.

You can replace this vest for the right one or if it will not be possible I want to get a full refund.

I am enclosing the receipt.

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

Hello my dear.

When we analyzed his correspondence, it became clear that his manner of communicating with partners using emails was more similar to Russian, with the usual familiarity and simplicity. And if his partners, the Poles and Spaniards, let him get away with it, then with the British and Germans the issue remained unresolved. Intercultural conflicts and the possibility of disruption of major international contracts were brewing. It was at that moment that he turned to me for help. Literally a few hours of studying correct business letters yielded results: Vyacheslav’s letters became literate, and the phrases he used were exactly what conservative Englishmen needed to see in their partner.

Therefore, today I will tell you how to make correspondence truly effective, what rules to follow and what phrases to use for business correspondence in English. At the end, I will give you recommendations on books that you can use to independently master business correspondence skills

Rules for writing a letter

Conducting correspondence with foreign partners requires, at a minimum, knowledge of the rules of business correspondence in English.

• At the beginning of any letter, on the left side of the sheet, you must indicate your full name, company name, as well as address and telephone number.
• Below we indicate the recipient's address, the name of his company, and his contact information.
• Never forget to write the date. Moreover, in Great Britain the format is day/month/year, and in America it is month/day/year. Be careful with this!
• The text of your letter should be divided into paragraphs. Moreover, remember that in English business correspondence there is no red line anywhere.
• The letter should begin with an address and greeting, as well as an explanation of the reasons for the appeal.
• The letter should end with gratitude and words of farewell.

Rules are, of course, good, but let's move closer to practice. I suggest starting with basic phrases for address.

Useful Phrases and Expressions

• If you don’t know who exactly you are addressing, then write “ Dear Sirs " or " Dear Sir or Madam ».
  If you already know the recipient’s name, then you can safely write “ Dear Mr. ..." or " Dear Mrs... .».
• If you are writing a letter to a person with whom you have already communicated or are in some kind of business relationship, then the following standard (but nevertheless always relevant) phrases will be useful for you to start a conversation. And to make it easier for you, I will write them with translation:

Thank you for your e-mail of … - Thank you for your letter...

I apologize for not getting in contact with you for a long time… - I apologize for not contacting you for so long...

With reference to your letter of 24th of August / your article in the “Economist” ... - Regarding your letter of August 24 / your article in The Economist ...

Further to your letter / our meeting ... - Replying to your letter ... / In addition to our meeting ...

• As I said before, every letter should begin with an explanation of the reason why you are writing to this person in the first place. And for this you can use the following expressions:

I am writing to confirm / to enquire ... - I am writing to confirm / find out ...
I am writing to apologize for… - I am writing to apologize for...

• In most cases, a business letter is written asking you to either agree to terms or convey information. Write down standard phrases for these cases.

Could you please... . - Could you…
I would be grateful if you… - I would be grateful if you...
I would be delighted / glad / pleased to… - I would be glad…
I am writing to let you know… - I am writing to inform you about...
I am delighted to inform you… - I am glad to inform you...
We regret to tell you that ... - Unfortunately, I must inform you that ...

• If you send some files in the email attachment, you can inform the recipient about this as follows:

I/We enclosure… - I / We attach...
In the attachment you can find… - In the letter attachment you can find...

• The letter must end with the words “ Yours faithfully " or " Your sincerely " Moreover, the first option can be used only if you addressed someone unknown, and the second is combined with personal appeals.

Never, I beg you, never use the phrase " Best wishes" A friend of mine had a teacher friend from England who promised to beat - not literally, of course)) - his students every time they wrote this phrase!

To give you a practical understanding, I want to show you an example of one of the letters written by one of my students.

MATTHEWS Co.
421 Crystal Lane
Texas, III. 85830

Mrs. Elisabeth Kown
Marketing Director
EusoStepGroup Inc.
148 Baltimore Street
Newcastle WIC 37D
England

Further to your letter of 24th of June we would like to confirm your order of 1500 details art. 03-03-439. The order will be delivered within 10 days since the day of the payment. In the attachment you can find an invoice and the contract to get acquainted with. The delivery will be made in terms of INCOERMS 2010.

Look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,

Please note that this letter follows all the rules that I spoke about earlier. Trust me, formal email communication is not as difficult as it seems. You can master it in just a few lessons. And I will be glad to help you along this path.

If you need to plunge into the world of business correspondence to the maximum, comprehend all its subtleties and learn about its pitfalls, then I can recommend you two modern books. They will be able to help you understand both the formal and psychological aspects of correspondence.

Kind regards is an excellent and serious guide from a foreign author, a communications specialist, who has collected in this book her and others’ experience of conducting business correspondence in English. There you will find many live examples and tips.

Business correspondence in English is also a popular book. There are many samples, even more common clichés, as well as a lot of advice and recommendations from the authors. As they say, study and apply!

Subscribe to my blog news and get all the most interesting and actual news first.

And for today I say goodbye to you.

See you again, my dears!

An important place in communication with foreigners occupies business correspondence in English. A person’s career, place of residence and future fate often depend on it. Therefore, you should pay enough attention to how to write business correspondence correctly.

1. Check your emails for grammatical and stylistic errors. Please re-read completely before submitting or printing. If the message is sent by several people, let everyone read it carefully. Also check using automatic online services, including In principle, MS Word of the latest versions also checks individual words quite well if the “spell check” option is turned on. But online services are sometimes able to detect errors such as incorrect sentence construction.

1. Use only traditional in business correspondence black color and an easy-to-read text size. The generally accepted font is Times New Roman with serifs on the letters along the edges, facilitating visual perception. As a last resort (using links to web pages), highlight the addresses in blue. You should absolutely not use different shades of red, which signals danger and subconsciously causes irritation. Whereas other colors may simply stand out faintly against a white background, making it tiring for the eyes to read.

1. You can insert images, photographs, drawings and other graphics only if you are absolutely sure that this is necessary, taking into account the specifics of business correspondence. Otherwise, graphic materials are attached on separate sheets.

1. Write clearly and clearly, without complex sentences or compound verb tenses. The exception to this rule is the standard introductory phrases for various sections of the letter. But when you get to the point, stop being too eloquent. If you can remove some words from a sentence, clearly maintaining the same meaning, it is better to do so. Remove prepositions that do not change the meaning of neighboring verbs and nouns. Or use other words that are similar in essence, but do not require prepositions.

1. Even when communicating with well-known colleagues and partners, you should maintain business style . Even if you are interested in the health of your interlocutor’s wife and children, do it politely, according to all the rules of decency. Instead of the greeting “Hi” you should definitely use “Hallo”. Jargon, use of obscure local dialects such as Australian, jokes and personal comments are inappropriate. All English phrases for business correspondence should evoke a sense of belonging to a business or corporate environment.

1. Don't use exclamation marks. They look strange in business letters. And if there are a lot of them, then they are also devalued - the addressee ceases to perceive the exclamation as something important. But he will probably form an opinion about the sender as an illiterate or uncultured person.

1. Brevity is the soul of wit. It is believed that a good business letter should have at least 5 sentences so that it does not seem too rude. Whether it is worth writing more depends solely on the immediate need. The desire to write briefly also applies to words, sentences and paragraphs. But abbreviations and acronyms used in email, forums, or smartphone users are inappropriate. Business correspondence in English or Russian is also devoid of emoticons.

1. Active action is better than passive action. This applies to the use of verbs in different forms. It is better to abandon the passive, which in Russian is called passive voice. Those. write – John sent me letter, instead of Letter was sent by John. Think on the part of the active subject performing an action.

General rules for business correspondence in English

English is written in many countries, with different cultures and customs. To understand how great the differences are, it is enough to familiarize yourself with the nuances of the dialect or.

Should we use shortened forms of verbs, like I’m instead of I am? In principle, this is allowed, except for the very slang expressions gonna and wanna. But everything will be a little better if you are not too lazy to write the full forms of such phrases with separate words.

National and regional differences should definitely be taken into account, but this is more a matter of style than vocabulary. Rules of business tone or common politeness differ even when English is a foreign language to the local people. Still, people expect a foreigner to observe local etiquette. Next, we will consider the largest regions of the globe.

1. Great Britain, Germany, other countries of northern Europe speaking languages ​​of the Germanic group. Here the etiquette is closest to the British tradition. This is classic business correspondence in English, examples of which are given in this article. A certain politeness is needed, short and clear, often standard, in a modest, moderate style. The “no” rule applies - it is better to abandon speech patterns that raise doubts and not write unnecessary things. Slightly abstruse phrases such as “Should you have questions”, “I would appreciate your efforts”, “Please do not hesitate” are suitable. Basically, imagine that you are in the college where Harry Potter studied.

1. USA, and to a lesser extent Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Traditionally, immigrant states are accustomed to simpler communication. Polite expressions are required only when communicating with senior colleagues or important officials who decide human destinies. In other cases it is necessary to clearly and clearly state the essence . Verbal constructions using would, should, could and might are undesirable.

1. Asian countries - China, Japan, Korea, India, Iran, Arabia. The most polite forms of address are welcome here, up to some obsequiousness and lengthy verbiage. Especially when communicating with unfamiliar people, establishing new contacts. It is worth using phrases that emphasize the recipient’s busyness, your concern about the effort and time expended on his part. For example: “I hope this letter finds you well”, “I am sorry for bothering you”, “Might I take a few of your time”. This makes a favorable impression on residents of southern and eastern Asia.

1. Africa and South America. Those on the other side of the equator and closer to it are accustomed to a more lively, family style. But without much rudeness or familiarity. It would be a good idea to ask how a partner or colleague you already know is doing, and whether his family is doing well. Moderate interest in the personal life of the interlocutor helps to establish warm relationships.

Structure of a business letter in English

• The name of the originator or the name of the organization, with the address in the upper left corner.
• The name of the addressee or the name of the institution is after the blank line.
• Recipient's address - skipping a blank line after the previous data, usually takes up several lines.
• Departure date – 1-3 lines below or in the upper right corner.
• The main text is in the central part of the page.
• Gratitude and greeting - without skipping a line or with a skip after the “body” of the letter.
• Signature.
• The name of the individual author or the name of the submitting organization.
• Position of the text compiler.

There is no need to indent the beginning of a new block or paragraph. The main text is divided into parts according to meaning and for ease of reading.

As a rule, the text consists of the following parts:

• greetings;
• main message;
• closing the topic;
• farewell to your interlocutor.

It is advisable to start each structural part on a new line. A well-structured message is easy to read and the meaning is easier to perceive. The only problem is saving space if you need to fit it into one or two pages. More often, this need arises when the letter is intended to be printed on paper. There are no length restrictions in emails, and the reader's convenience comes first in importance.

Should you use lists? Yes, if they make it easier to understand or allow you to choose one option as an answer. It is much easier to respond by indicating only a number from the list than to write a lengthy message following all the rules of etiquette. A busy person for whom you are not very important may simply not answer if he has to explain himself to the interlocutor for a long time.

It is advisable to quickly indicate the reason for writing the letter, what you want, and what reaction you expect. This also increases the chances that the text will be read to the end and answered to the point. They won’t immediately throw a long, unclear message into the trash. It’s another matter if the interlocutor is your good friend, who will probably read and answer. In this case, some liberties are allowed.

Address and greeting

Since there are no genders in the English language, you can't tell what gender a person is by looking at their last name. You can understand by name, but it is still customary to address with an explicit indication of gender. According to traditional etiquette, this is much better than any genderless treatment that may soon spread due to the growing number of transgender people.

If the name of the recipient of the correspondence is known, it is usually addressed as follows:

• Dear Mr – to a man (Mr);
• Dear Mrs – to a married woman (mistress);
• Dear Ms - to an unmarried girl (miss).

If it is not known what the addressee's name is, Dear Sir is addressed to men, Dear Madam is addressed to women. If the gender is unknown, both options are put with a slash between them - Dear Sir / Madam. The incomprehensible position of a woman obliges treat like an unmarried woman . In polite society, the absence of a wedding ring gives reason to assume that this person is unmarried. In written correspondence, too, by default, a woman is free from marital ties.

Address people you know by their first name, without their last name. For example, "Dear John" or "Dear Mary".

Main text

Then you should briefly indicate the reason for writing the letter, indicate the future topic, or update your memory of previous contacts.

Common introductory phrases look like this:

• I am writing to inform / confirm / enquire;
• I am contacting you for;
• In reply to (or In accordance with) your request;
• In answer to your question about - in response to the question;
• Further to our meeting (then indicate the time of the last meeting);
• With reference to your letter of / telephone conversation (then comes the date of arrival of the correspondence or telephone call);

A brief thank you would be helpful if there is anything for it. Then it's time to get to the main point of the message, especially if you are going to ask for something.

It may be necessary to express your doubts or misunderstandings about the current situation.

For example:

• We are a little unsure about – expresses slight doubts;
• We do not fully understand – incomplete understanding;
• Could you possibly explain me - a desire to understand the situation.

If you answer, a positive response something like this:

• I am pleased / delighted to inform you (or to announce) that;
• You will be pleased to know;
• We are delighted to tell about;
• I am able to confirm.

It is often necessary to file complaints. They use the phrases “to express dissatisfaction with”, “to complain about”.

Here's how to get attention:

• I would like to underline (or draw your attention);
• Please pay attention – a more direct wish to take note;
• Please note – a very short reminder.

Final part

Here you need to once again push the addressee to the desired actions and end the communication in a cultural manner.

The following expressions help you get out of a correspondence conversation:

• We would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter - a reminder that the matter requires urgent intervention or decision-making;
• If you need / require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us - a wish to continue the correspondence if the interlocutor has questions;
• I look forward for your answer - a more direct reminder that you are waiting for an answer.

Remind about the scheduled meeting using one of the following expressions:

• I look forward to - I look forward to;
• I hope hearing from you soon - I hope to hear from you soon;
• meeting / seeing you next Monday / Sunday - to meet / see you on such and such a day of the week.

Standard phrases are widely used as the last lines before the signature. To an interlocutor with an unknown name they write Yours faithfully or Faithfully yours. If the recipient's name is known, Yours sincerely or Sincerely yours (sincerely yours). The popular “Sincerely” is translated into English by Kind regards. “With best wishes” is translated by the English-speaking public as Best regards. The warmer expressions Best wishes and Warm wishes are also often used.

Expressions that give a polite and formal tone to your writing

You can apologize for the delay in writing your answer as follows: I apologize for not getting in contact with you before now. It also doesn't hurt to briefly mention the reason if it's serious and valid. However, almost everyone can refer to being busy. Even if in reality the person spent the entire time lying on the couch or visiting a resort.

Gratitude

For received correspondence, online contact or telephone conversation, thank you in this way: Thank you for letter (for contacting me) of the (the date follows). It is advisable to thank for the previous letter indicating the exact date of its departure. The recipient may have extensive correspondence with many people, and it will be difficult for him to immediately remember what is being said. A more polite and lengthy form of gratitude: I would like to thank you for your letter. This kind of eloquence is more suitable when dealing with British nobles and Asian citizens.

Real life events are remembered with gratitude like this: It was a pleasure meeting you (on such and such a date or in such and such a setting). Thank you for enquiring for your interest.

Agreement with terms and conditions

You can express your agreement in this way: We would be delighted (or happy, glad) to... If you still have to agree, it is usually better to pretend that this is your personal decision, which causes you positive emotions.

Request

Requests and queries look something like this:

• Could you please tell me;
• Could you possibly let us;
• Please could you send me;
• We are interested in;
• We would like to receive/obtain;
• Could I ask you a favor;
• I would appreciate;
• I would be grateful (or It would be helpful), if you could.

Delivering Bad News

A negative answer should be as polite as possible:

• I regret to announce (or to inform);
• We are afraid it would not be possible;
• I am sorry to communicate with you;
• Please accept our apologies for;
• Thank you for your understanding;
• Unfortunately I can't (or I am unable).

Such a relatively long phrase as “After careful consideration we have decided” can precede both consent and refusal.

Offering your help

• If you wish, we would be happy to... - if you wish, we happily...
• Would you like us to - would you like from us.
• Let us know whether you would like to - let us know if you want.

Appendix to the letter of additional materials

As a supplement to the main text, copies of documents and photographs are often attached. Originals - visas, air tickets - can also be sent by a valuable letter with acknowledgment of receipt. In this case, you should list or at least mention all attachments once. This is dictated not only rules of business correspondence in English, but also an elementary concern about the safety of values.

They speak more or less directly about additional materials:

• We enclose – attached;
• We are pleased to enclose - we do the same, but with pleasure;
• Attached you will find – find such and such attachments;
• Please find attached – please find such and such an application and make sure it is not missing.

Abbreviations used in business correspondence in English

In business letters, you should use only generally accepted abbreviations that are appropriate in style. Abbreviations adopted in the informal email and various instant messengers . On the other hand, many previously popular abbreviations are clearly outdated, and smack of the ancient Middle Ages. For example, the Latin A.D. (year of God) or B.C. (before the birth of Christ). It is also advisable to refrain from using them. It is unlikely that you will have to describe events that took place before our era.

Accepted in various industries and fields of activity professional abbreviations , which we will not touch on here due to the vastness of the factual material.

Geographical abbreviations

• Apt – apartment.
• Ave - avenue.
• Bldg – building, structure, building.
• Blvd - boulevard.
• Dr – travel
• R.O. – post office (office).
• Rd – road.
• Rte – highway.
• Rw – railway.
• Sq – area.
• St – street.

In America there are even more location designations, taking into account national specifics with the development of all kinds of highways, campsites and other roadside hotels. An excess of geography and a lack of history leaves its mark on the local dialect. Americans also use state abbreviations, which are written in two capital letters. For example, NY is the state of New York. There are more than five dozen states in the United States, so we will not give such a long list in full.

Time notation

English speakers rarely use a time scale with 24 hours in a day. It is customary to indicate only within 12, with the continuation of a.m. – before noon, or p.m. - afternoon. The designation GMT is widely used all over the world - Greenwich Mean Time, natural for the London suburb of Greenwich, where a large astronomical observatory is located. America also uses its own standard time: CST - Central, EST - Eastern, MST - Mountain, PST - Pacific.

Three-letter abbreviations for days of the week and names of months are common.

Examples of ready-made letters in English

If you have to write often, or it is very important and you don’t know English well, you should use one of ready-made templates. You can even collect a whole folder of them on your computer disk. Submit your own data and change the text at your discretion.

Sample with address

30 Kievskaya Str

Mr Alexander Roshchin

31 Yaroslavskiy Ave

I am writing to you in regard of your enquiry. Please complete registration in order to get full access. With reference to your telephone call on Tuesday, I would like to let you know details in a new private conversation. I look forward to hear you. Thank you in advance.

Yours sincerely,

Vladimir Nezhdanov

Personal Manager

Hiring (for a candidate for a job)

Dear (recipient's name),

I was pleased to know that you accepted the position, and you will be joining our team October 8. You will be working with me for the first month, so you will study well your duties. I am looking forward to your ideas. Don’t hesitate to call or write me if you have any questions. Your attentive chief and mentor.

Sender name

Job title

Dismissal from work

Dear colleagues

I should inform you know that I am leaving my position at (company name) on (date). I have enjoyed my job, and I appreciate the opportunity to work with you. Thank you for the support you have provided me. Even though I will miss you and our clients, I am looking forward. Please keep in touch.

Personal name

Rescheduling or canceling a meeting at work

Dear colleagues

Because of unavoidable circumstances, we have to reschedule our meeting to (date and time). I hope everyone is comfortable with the new schedule. If anybody has a problem, please inform me. I will wait for all of you. Sorry for the caused inconvenience.

Job title

Summary of the article

The article discussed in detail business correspondence in English, examples which will help you quickly compose the necessary letter. Standard speeds are fine, but feel free to experiment a little. If you remain within the framework of a business style and basic politeness, “amateur performance” only speaks of a decent knowledge of a foreign language and a rich vocabulary. It can be important for employers to hire an employee who can think outside the box.

» Business correspondence in English: 50 useful phrases