Correspondence English. How to write a business letter in English. An example of writing the sender and recipient address

On this page you will find 5 samples of commercial offer letters in English with translation into Russian.

letter 1

4567 Golden Street

Fresno, California

9034 Cooper Street

Fresno, California

October 30, 2009

Our company Soft Plus is quite new in the region, it was established last year, but in spite of this we have already proved to be professionals and have a number of good reviews. We offer qualified services in software maintenance at reasonable prices. This month we have a special offer for you and your office equipment with a good discount. For more information you may call 555-55-55.

From: Mr Louis Mann, CEO Soft Plus

4567 Golden Street, Fresno, California

To: StanleyCo Ltd

Dear Sirs

Our company "Soft Plus" exists not so long ago, it was founded last year, but despite this, we have already established ourselves as professionals and have a number of good reviews. We offer qualified maintenance services software reasonably priced. This month we have a special offer with a good discount for you and your office. For more information call 555-55-55.

Sincerely,

Louis Mann,

CEO

Letter 2

Mr Jonathan Swift

4567 Bowery Street

9034 Cooper Street

Fresno, California

Dear HR Manager,

Would you like to organize a day off for your employees within corporate culture? Our company may help you to increase the engagement of the staff by creating a simple family day-off! Competitions, contests, quizzes – all sorts of stuff for good time-spending with families and colleagues! Call us right now to reserve a date - 678-702.

Mr Jonathan Swift

From: Mr. Jonathan Swift, FanOrg Communications Manager

4567 Bowery Street, New York, NY

To: Human Resources Manager, StanleyCo Ltd

9034 Cooper Street, Fresno, California, USA 90345

Dear Human Resources Manager

Would you like to organize a day off for your employees within the corporate culture? Our company can help you increase the level of engagement of your staff by simply giving them a family holiday! Competitions, contests, quizzes - any entertainment for a good time with family and colleagues! Call us now to book a free day at 678-702.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Swift,

Public Relations Manager

Letter 3

4567 Levy Street

9034 West Street

I know that recently you have opened a shop in our town. And I also know that you do not have any internet page of your shop. That is why I would like to offer you to create such a page. Nowadays lots of people prefer to make purchases sitting at home so business in internet is becoming more and more popular and the page of your shop in internet can become very profitable and help you earn more money. If you are interested in my offer I would discuss the details with great pleasure.

From: Mr. Jim Ferry

4567 Levy Street, New York, NY

To: Mr. Sam Adrian

9034 West Street, New York, NY, USA 90345

Dear Mr Adrian

I know that you recently opened a store in our city. And I also know that you don't have a website for your store. Therefore, I want to suggest that you create such a page. Nowadays, many people prefer to shop from home, so online business is becoming more and more popular, your online store page can become very profitable and help you earn more. more money. If you are interested in my proposal, then I would like to discuss the details with you with great pleasure.

Sincerely,

Jim Ferry

Letter 4

9034 East Street

December 01, 2001

Dear Sales Manager

Your company has been our customer for a long time. We appreciate your loyalty and thus would like to offer you our new product – electronic paper shredder. It is very easy to use and would become a very useful device in your office! If you place order before the end of this month you may get it with 50% discount.

We are looking forward to hearing from you,

From: Mr. Fred Johnson, Sales Manager

4567 Marconi Street, Sacramento, California

To: Sales Manager, Fulhom Boots

9034 East Street, Sacramento, California, USA 90345

Dear Sales Manager

Your company has been our client for many years. We appreciate your loyalty and therefore want to offer you our new product - electronic paper shredder. It is very easy to use and will be a very useful device in your office! If you place an order before the end of this month, you can get a 50% discount.

Waiting for your answer,

Fred Johnson

Sales Manager

Letter 5

general director

4567 Camino Street

9034 South Street

Your wedding agency is becoming more and more popular in our city. I would like to help you make it more attractive to the customers. I am the owner of rose gardens, we grow fine roses all the year round. Roses would become a very good decoration for all wedding ceremonies. The prices are reasonable and include the designer service. More information you may find in the attached brochure.

general director

From: Mr. Dean Hipp, CEO

4567 Camino Street, San Diego, California

To: Ms. Lynette, Perfect Wedding

9034 South Street, San Diego, California, USA 90345

Dear Ms. Linnet

Your wedding agency is becoming more and more popular in our city. I would like to help you make it even more attractive to your customers. I am the owner of rose gardens, we grow roses all year round. Roses will be a good decoration for all wedding ceremonies. We have reasonable prices, including the services of a designer. More detailed information You can find it in the attached brochure.

Sincerely,

Dean Hipp,

CEO

TO business correspondence it is desirable to pass only after reaching level not lower than Pre-Intermediate. The fact is that only at this level does the student form a stable idea of the styles of speech communication in English. Many are convinced that the British are retrogrades, and they have retained a lot of old traditions business communication. In many ways, they are right, but the notorious stiffness of the British has long since sunk into oblivion, and perhaps their pedantry and desire for order in doing business, judicial, commercial, banking, notarial and other types of correspondence remained. This is “not bad”, and the ability to correctly compose an official letter in English will help you avoid incidents and losses, and not only financial costs, but also damage to reputation.

The style of speech communication is used formal-business, and before communicating with your business partners in English, you willy-nilly have to find out what business correspondence in English is and study letter examples.

Key Rules for Business Writing in English

To get started, you need to familiarize yourself with key rules English correspondence, expressed in an official business style. Everything has its place in a business letter in English.

Regardless of the content of the letter, there are certain parameters for its external design.
The simplest, most common font type is used (usually Arial or Times New Roman);
Font color - only black (highlighting with a different color is not allowed);
Paragraphs are separated by double spacing (line breaks);
"Red line" is not used;
All fields are the same, equal to "inch" (2.5 cm).
The paper must be A4 or special dimensions "Letter". If the document is sent on behalf of an organization, it is recommended to use letterhead with a logo.

I. The beginning of the letter

1. Indication of the sender. They begin the letter by indicating in the upper left (!) corner the name of the organization or the name and surname of the addressee (sender). The address of the company is written to scrupulously accurate: each item - from a new line. An example of such a start:

Mr Pavel Karpov
Tevix Company
Office 77, Building 57
Chkalov Street
Irkutsk
Russia

If the letters are printed on company letterhead, this part can be skipped. If the letter is international, the country name is usually printed in capital letters.

2. Date. It is indicated two lines below the information about the sending company. to avoid misunderstanding date of writing it is desirable not to put "retroactively".

3. Information about the recipient. Specified two lines after the date (below it). It includes the recipient's name, full company name, and detailed address. It is best to always indicate the name and position of the person to whom the letter is directly addressed.

Design example:

Mr. John Doe
President
Balton Galore Inc.
772 Canine Road
Los Angeles, California 90002

4. Greeting. It will be very strange if you write Hello John in the first letter, so you need to write:

Dear John,
Hello Mr. doe

The letter should begin with a formal address, especially if this is the first letter. Use one of the templates:

Hello Mr. Ivanov
Dear Sergey
Dear All- perhaps if you do not know if you are writing to a man or a woman or are waiting for a response from any representative of the company;
Dear Sir- you know the gender of the recipient, but do not know his name. Still, the best way out would be to try to find out the name of the addressee.

If you do not know at all which of the company's employees you are addressing the letter to, you can use the appeal "To Whom It May Concern". However, such a faceless shape is not the best choice.

II. Main body of the letter

5. Main content. After the appeal (as for personal letters), a comma is almost certainly put, and the text of the letter begins on a new line, and you can skip one line. A comma is possible if you are addressing a very important person. (VIP - Very Important Person)).

It is quite decent to introduce yourself at the beginning of the letter, but this is in the case that you are writing for the first time or quite rarely, and you are not sure that the head of the company still remembers you. Let's say I am Anna Shevelyova, a Director of XYZ Company.

The classic phrase to start a letter is "I am writing you regarding..." / "I am writing you concerning..." ("I am writing you about..."), "I am writing you in response to your letter ." (I am writing in response to your letter).

Be sure to thank for the previous contact, if it has already taken place:
Thank you for contacting me on this important issue. We are thankful so much for sending us more information about the production of your Company.

For a better presentation of your thoughts, a business letter is divided into paragraphs, in which there should not be any water - only clear, dry, specific and comprehensive information. Do not use constructions with the passive voice, only the active voice.
You are sure to thank the addressee for the future solution to your problem (even if you are not quite sure about it). Thank you for spending my time on my issue. We are thankful beforehand for your participation. Or something like that.
If the text of the letter needs to be continued on the second sheet, be sure to indicate at the top a note with the recipient's name, date and data that this is a continuation of the letter on another page.

6. Summing up. The last paragraph should contain a "squeeze" of the entire letter indicating your further action or their expectations from partners. Let us know about your readiness to communicate on any questions and suggestions. “If you have any questions, please contact us”(If you have any questions, please contact).

III. Completion

It is important to consider how to finish a letter in English. The fact is that the last part of the letter is a kind of indicator of respect for the person with whom you are communicating. Be sure to use one of the most commonly used cliches “Sincerely” at the end of the letter (sample in English: "Yours sincerely" or "Sincerely"). The closing phrases "Cordialy," "Respectfully," "Regards" and "Yours Truly" are also acceptable (less commonly used). Less formal, but also perfectly acceptable, are "All the best," "Best wishes," "Warm regards," and "Thank you."

Finally, you sign your letter, leaving all the necessary information, even if it is known to the addressee.

Anna Shevelyova
Director
XYZ Company
T.76-65-75
Email: [email protected]

The rules are not too complicated, but the most difficult thing in such a letter is to endure business communication style. Over time, when you already have several business meetings, the style of statements in correspondence can be somewhat personalized, but you should always remember that business letter should be dry, precise, without ambiguity and omissions.

Useful phrases and expressions for business correspondence

I write to inform / This is to inform - I hereby inform you…
With reference to your letter of 19th June… - In response to your letter of June 19th…
We are writing to enquire about - We are interested in information about ...
I call your attention to… - I draw your attention to…
Could you possibly explain…- Could you explain…
Thank you for the information - Thank you for the information.
Regarding your question about ... - Regarding your question about ...
I'm sending you .. - I'm sending you
Please could you send me…- Could you send me…
I would be grateful if you could ... - I would be grateful if you could&hellip
I look forward to hearing from you soon. - I look forward to your prompt reply.
We are hoping for the understanding. - Hope for understanding.
Thank you in advance for your help with…
Thank you for your time. - Thank you for your time.
If we can be of assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. - Contact us at any time, we are always happy to help.

Example of a business letter in English

Taking into account the above rules, for greater clarity, we present a business letter in English as a sample of correspondence between native speakers.

Robert Baker
EcoLines Ltd.
5 Hill Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53700

April 16, 2016
Mrs. Patricia Wilber
general manager
RSPSR Co Ltd
15 Coconut Road
Manchester
the UK WFY2 3JP

Thank you for sending us your prior consent and now I have pleasure in inviting you to arrive to London to attend our international environmental forum to be held at Dorsey Hotel, London on Monday/Wednesday 12/15 May 2016.

This intensive, environmental forum for ecologists aims to:

Increase our planet environmental security

Enable feedback and networking with ecologists around the world

The forum seminars are held by distinguished cohort of international speakers who are going to introduce eco-friendly projects to experts on that issues.

I am sending you a registration form to be sent back before 5 May. The fee is ₤65 per person.

It will be my pleasure to meet you at our forum with so distinguished cohort of members.

Yours sincerely
Robert Baker
Forum Secretary
Tel. 777-XXX-777
[email protected]

Differences between business correspondence in English and Russian

Russian language	English language
complex stamps are widely used, complicating understanding	clichés are used to make it easier to understand
complete absence emotionally colored vocabulary	use of emotionally colored phrases is allowed
there is no part of the letter aimed at establishing personal contact with the addressee	at the beginning of the letter, there are always phrases aimed at establishing contact with business partners
both "we-approach" and "I-approach" are used (I write - I write)	characteristic only "we-approach"
the turn towards the use of introductory and concluding polite language is just beginning	a verbal expression of respect for the interlocutor, respect, courtesy is clearly manifested
the letter is written in plain text	the letter has a strictly block structure

Business correspondence in English offers samples of various invitations to conferences, participation in business projects, equipment purchases, cooperation in production or investment.

Improve your English on the site with interesting online exercises. English speech must be memorized with phrases that have been formed over many centuries. At the same time, a certain additional center appears in our brain, which is responsible for the formation of an understanding of the mentality of native speakers.

Business correspondence in English is often part of the job responsibilities. Therefore, the question "How to write a letter in English?" relevant to many.

But even in addition to communicating with foreign partners, there are a number of life situations when we need to write a letter to a foreigner: it can be a letter to a university, to a foreign store, or a response to a job advertisement.

As a rule, the recipient of our letter does not know anything about us, therefore he forms his first impression on how we conduct correspondence. Which means no better way win over the interlocutor than a competent, politely written letter.

In this article, I'll explain how to write business letters the right way, give examples of commonly used phrases, and share links to resources where you can find samples.

How to write a business letter in English?

Of course, each correspondence is unique, and the content of the letters will be different. However, the general structure of the letter in English is approximately the same: a polite greeting, a logically constructed main body and a final phrase.

Let's look at this in detail.

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1. Greeting

Greetings in a business letter always begin with the word " Dear"("dear"). Next is the rank (official name associated with qualifications or official position), if any ( Dr. - "doctor", Judge- "judge", Professor- "Professor"). If not, then write Mr. or Ms. ("Mr" or "Ms/Mrs"). Only after that comes the name of our addressee:

Dear Mr. Jones

Dear Mr. and Ms. Smith

Dear Professor McDowell

! IN British English greeting ends comma:

Dear Dr. brown,
Dear Dr. Brown,

Dear Judge Cornwall,
Dear Judge Cornwall,

! IN American English The comma is used only for personal letters. In business correspondence, colon:

Dear Dr. Brown:
Dear Dr. Brown:

Dear Judge Cornwall:
Dear Judge Cornwall:

It also happens that we do not know who exactly we are writing to. For example, we send resumes to new job, and we weren't able to find out the name of the HR manager. In this case, instead of the last name, you can indicate the position:

Dear Personnel Director
Dear Recruiting Director

If even the position of a potential reader is unknown, then you can use the phrases:

To Whom It May Concern
To whom it may concern

Dear Sir or Madame
Dear Sir or Madam

2. Main body

After the greeting, we start a new line and proceed to the most important thing.

The body of the letter is usually divided into three parts:

In the first, we immediately formulate what we are writing about. In response to a job posting, to ask a question or request some information, to confirm the date and time of an appointment, etc.
In the second, we provide all the details and Additional information. For example, if we write to an employer, then it is here that we briefly describe our qualifications; if we want to ask a question, then in this section we explain the situation in detail, etc.
In the third, we briefly summarize what was written and politely call the addressee to the action we need. For example, we refer the employer to the resume attached to the letter, or ask them to send us some data as soon as possible, or leave their contacts in case of questions.

Let's look at each of these points in detail.

2.1. Part one - "prehistory" of the letter

The purpose of the first paragraph is to immediately let the addressee understand what our letter will be about. If it has a "backstory": for example, it refers to an ad, telephone conversation, to another letter, this should definitely be clarified using the expressions " with reference to"("regarding..."), " with regard to"("relative to...") or " in response to"(" in response to ... "):

With reference to your advertisement for ___ position, published in ___.
Regarding your job posting ___ posted in ___.

With reference to your inquiry...
Regarding your request...

With reference to our meeting...
About [what was discussed at] our meeting...

With reference to our phone conversation yesterday...
About [what was discussed in] our telephone conversation...

In response to your letter of December 13th...
In reply to your letter of December 13th...

With regard to your question about...
Regarding your question about...

With regard to your last e-mail...
Regarding your last letter...

If no previous meetings or conversations connect you with the addressee, then you can immediately get down to business and clearly indicate the purpose of the letter.

So why are you writing? Are you responding to a request? Are you applying for a job? Confirm the date of the meeting or clarify some details? Your letter should immediately communicate this. Use the phrase " I am writing to"("I write to...") to name your goal. For example:

I am writing to inquire about...
I am writing to ask about...

I am writing to request further information about...
I am writing to request further information on…

I am writing to confirm that...
I am writing to confirm that...

I am writing to apply for...
I am writing to apply for...

This point and the backstory of the letter will end up in one paragraph, and often in one sentence! In total, our letter may begin something like this:

With reference to your phone call yesterday, I am writing to confirm that your order was sent.
Regarding your phone call yesterday, I am writing to confirm that your order has been dispatched.

With reference to your inquiry I enclose the documents you"ve requested.
Regarding your request, I am enclosing the documents you requested.

I am writing with reference to your advertisement on headhunter.ru to apply for a position of...
I am writing about your ad on headhunter.ru to apply for a position….

I am writing to inquire about job vacancies in your company.
I am writing to inquire about vacancies at your company.

I am writing to request a copy of my medical record.
I am writing to request a copy of my medical record.

2.2. Part two - details of the letter

The next (second) paragraph is the "meat" of the letter. This is where you state the whole point of the matter, with as much detail as you require.

Remember that, as in Russian, a business letter implies polite tone!

If you are going to ask the addressee for something, use polite forms such as:

Could you...
Could you…

Would you please...
Could you please...

I would be grateful if you could...
I would be grateful if you could...

If you agree to your addressee's request, use the phrase " I would be delighted to" ("I would be glad"):

I would be delighted to attend the meeting.
I would be very happy to attend this meeting.

I would be delighted to provide more information.
I would be very happy to provide more information.

For a polite refusal, be sure to thank for the offer:

Thank you for your invitation, but...
Thanks for the invite, but...

If you need to attach additional documents to the letter, use the following phrases:

Please find enclosed...
Please find in attachments...

Enclosed is a...
Applications contain...

Enclosed are...
Applications contain...

I'm enclosing...
I enclose…

2.3. Part three - call to action

The last (third) paragraph serves to once again briefly formulate the goal and, if necessary, encourage the reader to act on the basis of the letter: for example, read your resume or consider a business proposal.

We hope that you"ll be able to take part in our conference on May 5, 2018.
We hope that you will be able to participate in our conference on May 5, 2018.

Please refund my $500 deposit and accept my apologies.
Please refund my $500 deposit and accept my apologies.

Please, send me these documents as soon as possible.
Please send me these documents as soon as possible.

If the letter is rather informative, then at the end you can simply leave a request to contact you if the addressee has any questions:

In case you have questions, feel free to contact me.
In case you have questions, please contact me.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.
If you have any questions, please contact me immediately.

Please, contact us again, if we can be of assistance.
Please contact us again if you need assistance.

Finally, if you want to make it clear that you are expecting a response from your reader, you can use the following phrases:

I "m looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Looking forward to your response.

I hope to hear from you soon.
I hope to receive your reply soon.

3. Conclusion

Now that we have outlined the most important thing, it remains only to finish the letter with one of the traditional phrases:

sincerely,
Yours sincerely,

respectfully yours,
Sincerely,

Kind regards, / Best regards, / Regards,
With best regards,

After that, on a new line, we write our first and last name - and the letter is finished.

Examples of business letters in English

Examples of writing in English can be found on the following sites.

Resources in Russian with translation:

1. https://goo.gl/m8UEZQ

2. https://goo.gl/oSaQcp

Resources in English (no translation):

1. https://goo.gl/MdrvLk

2. https://goo.gl/8JqNPK

Friends, now you know the basic rules for writing business letters. Most importantly, do not forget about courtesy to your addressee! Save it and your time - write briefly, to the point and avoid "water". Good luck!

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