ENGLISH VOCABULARY for ESL learners

WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS
page 2

Useful phrases and vocabulary for writing business letters.

Please note that British English spelling is used on this website.

Apologising
(US: apologizing)

We are sorry for the delay in replying to ...
I regret any inconvenience caused (by) ...
I would like to apologise for the (delay, inconvenience)...
Once again, please accept my apologies for ...

Orders

Thank you for your quotation of ...
We are pleased to place an order with your company for..
We would like to cancel our order n° .....
Please confirm receipt of our order.
I am pleased to acknowledge receipt of your order n° .....
Your order will be processed as quickly as possible.
It will take about (two/three) weeks to process your order.
We can guarantee you delivery before ...(date)
Unfortunately these articles are no longer available / are out of stock.

Prices

Please send us your price list.
You will find enclosed our most recent catalogue and price list.
Please note that our prices are subject to change without notice.
We have pleasure in enclosing a detailed quotation.
We can make you a firm offer of ...

Referring to payment

Our terms of payment are as follows ...
Our records show that we have not yet received payment of ...
According to our records ...
Please send payment as soon as possible.
You will receive a credit note for the sum of ...

Enclosing documents

I am enclosing ...
Please find enclosed ...
You will find enclosed ...

Closing remarks

If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know.
If I can help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me.
If you require more information ...
For further details ...
Thank you for taking this into consideration.
Thank you for your help.
We hope you are happy with this arrangement.
We hope you can settle this matter to our satisfaction.

Referring to
future business

We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.
We would be (very) pleased to do business with your company.
I would be happy to have an opportunity to work with your firm.

Referring to
future contact

I look forward to seeing you next week.
Looking forward to hearing from you, ...
Looking forward to receiving your comments,
I look forward to meeting you on the (date).
I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience.
An early reply would be appreciated.

Ending business letters

For all customers and clients:	◊ Sincerely, ◊ Yours sincerely, ◊ Sincerely yours,
In more formal letters:	◊ Yours faithfully,
For those you already know and/or with whom you have a working relationship:	◊ Regards, ◊ Best regards,

previous page

See also: formal vs informal letter writing

back to Business English

Please note that British English spelling is used on this website.