Writing business letters - Useful
phrases: Yours faithfully or Yours
sincerely?
You already know how important it
is to speak good English in an international
working environment. If you work for
a company which does business abroad,
you probably read and write a lot
of English, too. Writing, just like
speaking, is communication. In our
letters and emails we need to express
many things: authority, gratitude,
dissatisfaction, etc. Expressing ourselves
well and with the correct level of
formality is an important skill.
Do you have that skill? Ask
yourself these questions:
Do you present yourself in a professional
manner when you write?
What image do you give to
the people who read your letters and
emails?
In short, you want to give a professional
image when you write to your customers
and business partners. To get you
started, we've prepared some lists
of standard phrases. Take a look at:
Opening lines
Why do we need an opening line
in a business letter or formal email?
- to make reference to previous correspondence
- to say how you found the recipient's
name/address
- to say why you are writing to the
recipient.
10 Good Opening Lines:
With reference to your letter of
8 June, I ...
I am writing to enquire about ...
After having seen your advertisement
in ... , I would like ...
After having received your address
from ... , I ...
I received your address from ...
and would like ...
We/I recently wrote to you about
...
Thank you for your letter of 8 May.
Thank you for your letter regarding
...
Thank you for your letter/e-mail
about ...
In reply to your letter of 8 May,
...
Closing lines
Why do we need a closing line
in a business letter or email?
- to make a reference to a future
event
- to repeat an apology
- to offer help
10 Good Closing Lines:
If you require any further information,
feel free to contact me.
I look forward to your reply.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I look forward to seeing you.
Please advise as necessary.
We look forward to a successful working
relationship in the future.
Should you need any further information,
please do not hesitate to contact
me.
Once again, I apologise for any inconvenience.
We hope that we may continue to rely
on your valued custom.
I would appreciate your immediate
attention to this matter.
When 'Yours faithfully' and when
'Yours sincerely' in a business letter?
When the recipient's name is unknown
to you:
Dear Sir ... Yours faithfully
Dear Madam ... Yours faithfully
Dear Sir or Madam ... Yours faithfully
When you know the recipient's
name:
Dear Mr Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Mrs Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Miss Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Ms Hanson ... Yours sincerely
When addressing a good friend
or colleague:
Dear Jack ... Best wishes/Best regards
Addressing whole departments:
Dear Sirs ... Yours faithfully
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