Informal letter
Beginning the letter
Great/Lovely to hear from you (after Advising
so long). Whatever you do, make sure you ...
Thanks (a lot) for the letter. It's (not) worth/There's no/little point
Sorry to hear about your .. . +gerund
Sorry I haven't written/been in touch I'd/I wouldn't .. . if I were you.
for so long. You'd be much better off+ gerund
Persuading Ending the letter
You'd get so much out of it. Write back soon and let me know how
It'd be a wonderful/marvellous it goes.
opportunity for you to ... Looking forward to hearing from you.
Just think of (all the people you'd Can't wait to see you again.
meet). (Give my) love/regards to .. .
Just imagine how it would (improve
your CV), not to mention (the money Signing off
you could earn). Friends: All the best/Best wishes/Bye
for now
Close friends or relatives:
Lots of love/All my love/Love
Formal letter
Reason for writing
I am writing with regard/reference to ...
I am writing to express (my concern about/
disappointment with/disapproval
of/apologies for) .. .
I would like to draw your attention to/point
out .. .
Introducing points
(I feel) I must also (dis)agree with .. .
I should also like to point out that .. .
Your (article) states that ... However, .. .
Request for action
I would appreciate it/be grateful if you
would .. .
I look forward to receiving/seeing ...
I trust/very much hope you will ...
Essay
Expressing an opinion
It is probably true to say that ... Saying what other people think
There can be no doubt that .. . There are those who argue that ...
It is simply not the case that .. . It has been suggested that ...
It is often claimed that ...
Commonly held views Opponents/Supporters/ of (hunting) argue
It is widely believed that ... that .. .
No one would dispute the fact that ...
Few people would contest/dispute (the Referring to sources
fact) that ... All the evidence suggests that ...
It is generally agreed that ... A recent survey proved that ...
Judging by the comments made by ...
Interviews with (students) have revealed
that ...
Proposal
Suitability
The (town/centre/stadium) is well
equipped to deal with/perfectly suited Stating the purpose of the proposal
for (such events).
It is conveniently located/ideally The principal aims/objectives of this
situated/well connected to (the proposal are to...
capital) . This proposal is intended to...
There is little doubt that it would be a In this proposal I
resounding success/of great benefit to
describe/evaluate/present/assess...
the (town/company).
Background information
Amenities
There is no shortage/a wide selection
Comments made at the end of the
of (hotels/cinemas) to choose from.
questionnaires suggest...
The (town/conference centre/school)
Following a survey among families of young
boasts an impressive range of
(amenities/facilities). children...
Few (cities/schools) can offer such a Concerned members of the local community
large choice of ... were invited to attend...
A number of concerns with regard to the
Travel and transport most recent street party were expressed
It is within easy reach/walking by locals...
distance/driving distance of the
(centre/hotel). Making recommendations and suggestions
It is just a short walk/drive/bus ride/
train ride from the (coast/station). A working group should be set up by...
The (town) has easy access to (the There should be an enquiry into...
motorway network). I recommend that a larger survey should be
conducted before a final decision is reached...
Final recommendations
The results of the survey/questionnaire
suggest that the introduction of heavier
fines would seem to be the best
option/choice/solution.
If these recommendations are implemented,
the situation is bound to improve.
Unless these suggestions are
implemented, it is unlikely that there will be
any improvement in the short term.
Should these recommendations be
carried out, the event is bound to be a
resounding success.
Report Describing how you got the information
Introducing the report I conducted a survey of / I conducted
The aim/purpose of this report is to interviews with local council officers ...
examine/evaluate/describe/outline ... ... responded to an online questionnaire.
It will also include/consider/suggest/ I visited three of the most popular ...
recommend ... ... were invited to attend a focus group...
The report is based on a survey
conducted among (college students). Reporting your results
Predicting the future Most of those responding to the survey stated
The outlook for young people/jobs/ that/expressed the opinion that ...
the country is (far from) bright/ According to ...
optimistic/depressing. A large/considerable/significant/ proportion of
The future looks bleak/remains respondents/informants/those surveyed
uncertain/is promising. said that ...
This seems unlikely in the near/ Nearly three quarters of the ...
foreseeable future.
Presenting a list
Making recommendations
The arguments against ... are the following:
I would (strongly) recommend that
The following were the main reasons given for
(the school/company) should .. .
supporting ...: firstly, ..., secondly, ...
In the light of the results of the
survey, I would (strongly) advise Points our informants mentioned in favour
against ... of/against ... were:
I feel it would be to our advantage if .. . There are several ways in which ... might
be ... :
The aim of this report is to present the Making recommendations
findings of a survey into local shopping
habits and to make recommendations for Taking all the factors mentioned into
improvements in facilities and account/In the light of the results of the
services. survey/questionnaire, ... would appear to be
the most viable solution/option/approach.
Stating the purpose of the report I would therefore recommend ....
Clearly, more could be done to .... I would
The principal aim/objective/purpose of this make the following recommendations:
report is to provide a description of... / to
provide/to present results of /to assess the
importance of ...
In this report I will provide a description of ... /
I will provide/present results of .../ I will assess
the importance of...
This report describes/provides an assessment
of... / describes/provides/presents results of...
