WRITING - Formal letter
request (v) request (n)
ask for something, usually information or help EG - I am writing to request some information about English courses at your college.
inform (v) information (n)
give somebody information about something EG - I am writing to inform you about my graduation ceremony next month.
I am writing to enquire about... (the advertisement/the job offer/etc.) I am writing to... (complain/enquire/etc.) about... I am writing to receive further details about... I am writing to ask for information about
how we can start our first paragraph
Firstly, First of all, Secondly, Second of all
how we can start our first paragraph EG - Firstly, my hotel room was dirty and there was a bad smell in the bathroom.
enquire (v) enquiry (n)
similar to request - to ask for information about something EG - I am writing to enquire about the price of rooms at your hotel
apologise (v) apology (n)
say sorry EG - I am writing to apologise because I won't be able to start my new job next week.
explain (v) explanation(n)
tells us how and why something is happening. EG - I'm writing to explain why I cannot attend my appointment on November 3rd.
Dear Sir/Madam, Yours faithfully,
used to start a formal letter if we don't know the person's name Finish your letter with this when you don't know the person's name
Dear Mr Smith, Your sincerely,
used to start a formal letter if we know the person's surname Use this to end the letter if you know the person's name
Requesting further information: Could you also tell me....? Could you also inform me ....? Would you also mind informing me ....? Would you also mind telling me ....? I would also like to know if ...
we can use this to request further information
Finally,
we can use this to start our last paragraph EG - Finally, I hope that you can change the date of my appointment to the following Friday.
complain (v) complaint (n)
we complain when we are not happy with a something, usually a service we have paid for. EG - I'm writing to complain about the service I received at your hotel last week.
I look forward to hearing from you. I look forward to receiving the requested information. I would appreciate it if you could answer my questions as soon as possible.
you should write some closing remarks