Starting your letter (Paragraph 1)

Thanks for your letter.

Lovely to hear from you.
How are you?
How are things?
Hope you're well.

Commenting on something (Paragraph 1)

I'm sorry to hear/learn ...

I'm so pleased to hear ...
It's great to hear ...
What wonderful news about ...

Moving the topic on (Paragraph 2)

Anyway, the reason I'm writing ...

I thought I'd write to tell/ask you
Anyway, I was wondering ...

Ending your letter (Paragraph 3)

Well, that's all for now

Write back soon
Looking forward to hearing from you again
All the best
Best wishes
See you soon
Take care
Yours
Love
Lots of love

Writing - useful words and phrases - FCE

Candidates are expected to be able to write non-specialised text types such as an article, an essay,
a letter, an email, a report or a review. Here you can find some useful words and phrases for each
of these text types.

Informal letter
Dear (first name),
Dear (first name), or Hi (first name) (for informal e-mails)

Beginnings

Thank you/Many thanks for your (recent/last) letter/postcard.

It was good/nice to hear from you recently.
Im sorry I havent written/been in touch for such a long time.
Its ages since Ive heard from you. I hope youre/you and your family are well.

Asking

Hi! / How are the things? / How are you? / Hows it going?

Referring to their news

Great news about Glad to hear that Sorry to hear about

Giving news

Listen, did I tell you about ? Youll never believe what

Oh, and another thing This is just to let you know that
I thought you might be interested to hear about/know that
By the way, have you heard about/did you know that

Apologies

Im writing to apologise for missing your party but Im afraid I was with flu.
Im really sorry that I forgot to send you a birthday card but I was busy with my new job.
If you let me know where you bought it/how much it cost Ill gladly pay for it/replace it.

Please let me know how much the bill is and Ill gladly pay it.

Invitations

Im/Were having a party on Friday 19th and I/we hope youll be able to come.
Would you like to come/go to see Room With a View with me at the weekend.
I was wondering if youd like to go to the theatre/come on holiday with us?
Could you let me/us know if you can come/youd like to join us?
Thank you vary much for your invitation. Id love to come.
Thank you for asking/inviting me to but Im afraid I wont be able to

Requests

Im writing to ask for your help/you (if you could do me) a favour.
I wonder if/I was wondering if you could help me/do me a favour.
I hope you dont mind me asking but could you (possibly) ?
Id be very/really/terribly grateful if you could

Thank you / Congratulations / Good Luck

Im writing to thank you for your hospitality/the wonderful present.

It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you.
I really appreciated all your help/advice.

Congratulations on passing your exams/your excellent exam results!

I wish you good luck/Good luck in/with your exams/your driving test/your interview.
Dont worry, Im sure youll do well/pass.

Making suggestions and recommend

Why dont you ? Maybe you could ? How about ?

You cant leave New York without doing sth
Im sure you will enjoy doing sth If you like, we can
Do visit (somewhere). Dont forget to (do sth) (Imperative -> Strong Recommendation)
Im told that People say that (If you heard sth is good)

Endings

Give my love/regards to Say hello to Hope to hear from you soon.

See you soon! Write soon. Once again, thank you for all your help.

Signing off

Love,
Lots of love,
All the best,
Best wishes,

+First name

Remember that in informal letters we use:

Informal vocabulary, including phrasal verbs

go on instead of continue

Simpler sentence structure

Ill be late for the party. Its because of my French exam.

 Punctuation using exclamation marks (don't overuse it)

If youd been at the wedding, youd have loved the food!

Contractions

I've just heard you've been to...

Formal letter

Dear Mr/Ms (surname) - Dear Sir/Madam - Dear Sir or Madam,

Reason for writing

I am writing to
I am writing with regard to
I am writing on behalf of

Asking questions

I would be grateful if
I wonder if you could
Could you ? Could you tell me something about ?
I would particularly like to know
I would be interested in having more details about

Referring to their letter

As you stated in your letter,

Regarding Concerning With regard to

Complaining

I am writing to complain about

You said but in fact what happened
We were supposed to stay with British families whereas we actually stayed in a guest house.

Closing

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Please contact me if you have any further questions.

Signing off
Yours sincerely, (If you started with 'Dear + surname') or Yours faithfully, (If you started with
'Dear Sir/Madam')

First name + surname

Remember that in formal letters we use

Formal vocabulary, usually not using phrasal verbs

Tolerate instead of put up with

More complex sentence structure

Knowing what a good reputation the restaurant has, I was disappointed with the service.

Punctuation using semi-colons

The library offers no facilities for borrowing videos; this is because of the high cost involved.

Letter of application

Dear Mr/Ms (surname), Dear Sir/Madam/Sir or Madam,

Reason for writing

I am writing to apply for the post/position of as advertised in

I am writing with reference/in response to your advertisement, which I saw
I am writing in connection with your advertisement in the Daily Star on May 11th
With reference to your advertisement

Experience / Qualifications / CV

I gained some experience while

I am currently working as
I have been working for for the last four years.
I worked part-time for three years as
At the moment I am employed by
My qualifications include
I have a diploma in
I graduated from Barcelona University last year with a degree in
Please find attached my CV
As you can see from the attached CV

Endings
Please do not hesitate to contact me if/should you require further information.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I am available for interview at your convenience.
I shall be available for interview any day apart from Wednesdays.

Signing off

(If Dear + surname) Yours sincerely,

(If Dear Sir/Madam) Yours faithfully,

First name + surname

Report

Introduction

The aim/purpose of this report is to consider/suggest/...

This report is intended to...
I summarise below / Below is a summary of the most important relevant points as well as some
recommendations.

Reporting results

Most people seem to feel that...

Several people said/told me/suggested/thought that

Making recommendations

I would therefore recommend that we expand the library/installing a new coffee machine...
It would seem that banning mobile phones is the best idea.
Having considered the options,
I would like to suggest/recommend
I therefore suggest/recommend
You may wish to consider

Article

Heading / Title

Freezing! (dramatic)
My Lone Walk to the North Pole (a summary)
Whats the big idea? (a question)
Youre already well equipped to prevent crime (surprising)

Opening

Did you know ?

What would you do if ?

General Structure

Give your article a heading or headline which makes the subject clear and also catches the
readers attention.
Divide the article into paragraphs to help the reader follow the argument.
Begin with an interesting introduction an example, perhaps, or a question.
End with an overall comment or concluding.

Essay

Making points

Many people feel that ...

First and foremost, ...
It is widely believed that ...
It would be ideal if ...
Another argument in favour is ...
It is clear from the facts that ...
The benefits of ... outweigh the disadvantages.
On the whole, I think ...

Contrasting points

On the other hand ...

Other people think ...
An opposing argument is ...
Giving opinions
I personally feel that ...
I find it hard to see why ...
I certainly don't believe that ...
It is difficult to believe that ...
I object to the cloning of animals.

Organising and linking your ideas

First of all, Secondly, In addition,
Moreover, Furthermore,
So As a result, Therefore,
However, On the one hand/On the other hand
On the whole While it is true to say
Finally, To summarise, In conclusion

Examples of Formal Closing Sentences

The following examples are very common last sentences that can be used in letters. It is up to
you to determine which one most clearly expresses what you are trying to say.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I await your reply with interest.
We look forward to building a strong business relationship in the future.
I look forward to our meeting on the 7th of October.
Thanks for your extremely helpful attention to this matter.
Thanks again for your attention, consideration, and time.
We look forward to hearing from you.
It's always a pleasure doing business with you.
Thanks again for sharing your expertise in this matter.
I am looking forward to getting your input on this issue.
Looking forward to our successful partnership.

Example Endings for an Informal Letter:

I can't wait to hear from you.

I am looking forward to seeing you again.
See you soon.
Let me know what your plans are.
I hope to be hearing from you soon.
Send my love to __________.
Give my regards to __________.
I hope you are doing well!
With affection (With all my love, or With love and kisses).

Formal Informal
Dear Sir/Madam, Dear Mr/Mrs (surname) Dear (first name), Hi, Hello
Beginnings Beginnings
With reference to our telephone It was nice to hear from you
conversation yesterday (about) Its been ages since Ive heard from you
Thank you for your email regarding How are you? Hope you and your
I am writing on behalf of family are doing well
 I am writing to draw your attention to I am writing to let you know

Making a request Making a request

I would appreciate if you could You dont mind ing () (for me), do
I would be most grateful if you would you?
Would you be so kind and Do me a favour, will you?
I was wondering if you could Would it be possible for you to?
Can/Could I ask you to?

Apologising Apologising
We apologise for any inconvenience Sorry for any trouble caused
caused We are very sorry
Please accept our sincere apologies

Complaining Complaining

I am writing to express my Im fed up with (someone/something)

dissatisfaction with I am not happy with
I find it most unsatisfactory that Im rather annoyed with
Id like to complain about

Endings Endings

I look forward to hearing from you Give my love to

If you require any further information, Hope to hear from you soon
please dont hesitate to contact me Just give me a call if you have any
Please feel free to contact me if you questions
have further questions

Signing off Signing off

Yours sincerely (Dear + name) Lots of love

Yours faithfully (Dear Sir/Madam) All the best
Best wishes
BUSINESS ENGLISH VOCABULARY
Writing Business Letters

Useful phrases and vocabulary for writing business letters.

Dear Mr. Brown

Dear Ms. White
Dear Sir
Salutation
Dear Madam
Dear Sir or Madam
Gentlemen

We are writing
- to inform you that ...
- to confirm ...
- to request ...
- to enquire about ...
Starting
I am contacting you for the following reason...
I recently read/heard about ..... and would like to know ....
Having seen your advertisement in ..., I would like to ...
I would be interested in (obtaining / receiving) ...
I received your address from ----- and would like to ...

Thank you for your letter of March 15.

Thank you for contacting us.
In reply to your request, ...
Thank you for your letter regarding ...
Referring to previous With reference to our telephone conversation yesterday...
contact Further to our meeting last week ...
It was a pleasure meeting you in London last month.
I enjoyed having lunch with you last week in Tokyo.
I would just like to confirm the main points we discussed
on Tuesday.

We would appreciate it if you would ...

Making a request I would be grateful if you could ...
Could you please send me ...
 Could you possibly tell us / let us have ...
In addition, I would like to receive ...
It would be helpful if you could send us ...
I am interested in (obtaining / receiving) ...
I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.
Please let me know what action you propose to take.

Would you like us to ...?

We would be happy to ...
Offering help
We are quite willing to ...
Our company would be pleased to ...

We are pleased to announce that ...

Giving good news I am delighted to inform you that ..
You will be pleased to learn that ...

We regret to inform you that ...

I'm afraid it would not be possible to ...
Giving bad news
Unfortunately we cannot / we are unable to ...
After careful consideration we have decided (not) to ...

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with ...

I am writing to complain about ...
Please note that the goods we ordered on ( date )
have not yet arrived.
Complaining
We regret to inform you that our order n ----- is now
considerably overdue.
I would like to query the transport charges which seem
unusually high.

We are sorry for the delay in replying to ...

Apologising I regret any inconvenience caused (by) ...
(US: Apologizing) I would like to apologise for the (delay, inconvenience)...
Once again, please accept my apologies for ...

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 .....
Orders
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.

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
Prices without notice.
We have pleasure in enclosing a detailed quotation.
We can make you a firm offer of ...

Our terms of payment are as follows ...

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

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

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 ...
Closing remarks 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.

We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.

We would be (very) pleased to do business with your company.
Referring to future business
I would be happy to have an opportunity to work with
your firm.

I look forward to seeing you next week.

Looking forward to hearing from you, ...
Looking forward to receiving your comments,
Referring to future contact I look forward to meeting you on the (date).
I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience.
An early reply would be appreciated.

Sincerely, }
Yours
for all customers / clients
sincerely,}
Sincerely
yours,}
Ending business letters
Yours
in more formal letters
faithfully,

for those you already know and/or with whom

Regards,
you have a working relationship