home · Appliances · How to write a letter in English. Templates for introductory phrases for writing. Additional speech models for letter of complaint

How to write a letter in English. Templates for introductory phrases for writing. Additional speech models for letter of complaint

Everyone knows that the column “knowledge of foreign languages” is in the resume of any serious company. And if you write “free possession” in such a column, then the chances of getting a sweet spot increase many times over. And the phrase “business English” will have an almost magical effect.

As a rule, business English involves written communication. And this is good. Firstly, there is always the opportunity to think and look into the dictionary. Secondly, there are so many standard expressions that a person who speaks English from the Pre-Intermediate level and above will have almost no difficulty writing a decent letter and sending it to business partners.

The main thing in composing a letter is its framing. That is, the beginning and the ending. As they say, people are greeted by their clothes, and the last words are remembered best (thanks to Stirlitz). Accordingly, if you start your appeal correctly and finish it just as correctly, then the very essence of the letter will be perceived better, and the overall impression of your speech can play a decisive role.

By adhering to certain writing rules, you are sure to achieve success. Let's start writing a business letter in English!

Greetings

As befits all polite people: any communication begins with a greeting. And in the same simple way, the structure of a business letter also begins with a greeting.

Dear Sir or Madam- addressing a person if you do not know their name, title, or even whether they are a man or a woman. Important: there is no exclamation point after this greeting! And there’s not even any punctuation at all, just the next sentence starts on a new line. You can put a comma if you really want.

Dear Mr White(Ms White/Mrs White/Miss Catcher) - addressing the recipient by last name (the first name is not placed after Mr, Ms, etc.!) I hope everyone remembers that Mr is an address to a man, Miss is an address to an unmarried woman, Mrs - for a married woman, Ms - for a woman who does not want to emphasize her marital status.

Important: never write the full word Mister, Mistress - only in abbreviation (Mr, Mrs)!

Dear Mr John- addressing the recipient by name (with a closer business acquaintance)

Dear Nick- addressing the recipient by name in a very old, almost friendly business acquaintance

It is important to focus on appeals to women. Nowadays the universal address Ms (both married and unmarried) is very common. Therefore, in business letters they often write this way, so as not to offend :) If you know for sure that the addressee is a married woman, you can safely indicate Mrs. But if you know that you are definitely not married, it’s better not to take risks with Miss. Because, oddly enough, this offends some people.

After the greeting, you can remind yourself. More precisely, about the last communication: by email, by phone, in person, etc. Even if the recipient’s memory is not that of a girl and he addressed you 5 minutes ago.

Thank you for your message.- Thank you for your message.

Thank you for your e-mail of…- Thank you for your email dated (date)...

With reference to your phone call/ letter of (date)/ advertisement in “NW Magazine”…- regarding your phone call/letter (on such and such a date)/advertisement in NW Magazine…

In reply (in answer/ in response) to your request…- In response to your request...

In accordance (in conformity) with your request…- In accordance with your request...

In compliance with your request…- In fulfillment of your request...

Further to our conversation/ telephone talk…- In continuation of our conversation/telephone conversation, etc.

We are writing in response to your publication in…- We are writing in response to your publication in...

We were pleased to receive your inquiry…- We were pleased to receive your request...


Reasons for contacting

After the greeting and reminders, there should be a phrase that will bring the addressee up to date and explain why you are sending him this letter in the first place.

We are writing to inquire about…- We are writing to make inquiries about...

We apologize for…- We apologize for...

We confirm that…- We confirm that...

We would like to clarify…- We would like to make it clear...

We kindly ask you to…- We kindly ask you...

I am writing to enquire about/ to apologize for/ in connection with/ get more details about/ explain…- I am writing to you to find out about/ to apologize for/ in connection with/ to find out details about/ to explain...

This is to confirm… To confirm...

We hereby inform you… We hereby notify you...

Completing the letter

This is your catchphrase.

As always, if you have any questions, please send them directly to me. - As always, if you have any questions, please contact me directly.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me. /Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly- If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me/directly to me, please.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. - If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me (literal translation).

Thank you and I am looking forward to hearing from you.- Thank you and I look forward to your response.

Thanking in advance.- Thank you in advance.

Please contact us again if we can help in any way.- Please contact us again if we can help you in any way.


Signature, or politeness formula

The final touch remains. In Russian official letters, everything ends in the standard way: “With respect, …”. In English it is customary to say “sincerely yours.” But in accordance with etiquette, it will still have to be translated into Russian as “with respect.”

Yours faithfully,
Sincerely, ... (if the person's name is unknown, i.e. the letter began with Dear Sir or Madam)

Yours sincerely,
Sincerely, ... (if you know the name, i.e. the letter began with Dear Mr/Miss/Ms/Mrs)

If you have been communicating with a person for a long time and address him in a letter by name, then it is appropriate to use any of the following options (can be translated as “with best wishes”):

Best wishes
kind regards,
Warmest regards.

For this, I say goodbye.

Kind regards,
iLoveEnglish.

We hope that this sample business letter in English will help you find a new job or create business connections in the near future.

People have been writing letters to each other since time immemorial. From letters one can judge a person’s character, his education, hobbies, and most importantly, how well he speaks the language in which he writes. Those who study the language will sooner or later be faced with the need to learn how to write letters in English correctly.

The letter may be needed when entering a higher education institution abroad, when passing a language exam, or when applying for a job. But not only in the world of business communication is it important to know how to write a letter in English. Informal correspondence can also have an impact on your life, communication with friends and acquaintances. Your letters will be used to judge you by those who read them. Do you want to leave a good impression? We will introduce you to the basic rules of correspondence in English. It's also worth repeating. Before you start writing a letter, you need to determine for what purpose you are doing this, and therefore determine the type of letter.

Types of letters in English

All letters can be divided into personal (Personal letter) and business (Business letter). We talked about correspondence with business partners and the main taboos of business correspondence earlier, today we will discuss the rules of personal correspondence in more detail. Are there general strict rules for writing letters in English? If we are talking about personal correspondence, the answer is obvious - no. In business documentation and communication with business partners, letter templates in English are often used. Personal correspondence is your own business, forgive the tautology. And yet, there are a few tips that will help make correspondence more enjoyable for you and the person with whom you are having an epistolary conversation. In addition, if you are new to the world of English, it is still better to try writing your first letters using templates.

Of course, stream of consciousness is a good thing, but only in the works of Joyce. If you want your letter to be read to the end, respect the addressee. Try to make the text easy to read. The construction of writing in English is as important as the meaning you put into the words you write.

As a rule, a letter contains the following structural elements:

  • request – separate line
  • a short introduction (in which you can refer to previous contacts, previously written letters, etc.) - a separate paragraph
  • main part – several paragraphs
  • conclusion – separate line
  • the final phrase is a separate line
  • signature (name only) – separate line
  • in the upper right corner you should indicate the author’s address and the date under the address

We offer a sample letter in English, with the following structure:

The form of address always depends on the degree of familiarity with the person you are addressing in the letter. Let's give a few examples.

  • Dear John! – appeal to a friend, relative
  • Dear Sir- an appeal if this John is your boss. Official appeal.
  • My dear Sir – an address that can be used ironically in personal correspondence
  • Dear Mr. Smith- an official address to a stranger (you don’t know who John is)

Tip 3. A few important points to pay attention to

1. If you do not know the gender of the recipient, write his full last name: Dear T.K. Spinazola

2. If you don’t know which abbreviation is better to use: Miss or Mrs, since you don't know if the woman is married, use a neutral Ms.

3. If you are writing a letter to two people, include both names in the address.

4. These messages cannot be shortened: Professor, Dean, Governor, Captain, Admiral, JudgeSister, Senator

5. These addresses should never be used in full Mr., Ms., Mrs. and Dr.

In order to write a letter correctly the first time, it is a good idea to have a sample letter in English at hand.

Template phrases for writing letters

5 introductory phrase templates:

  • It was great to get your letter….
  • Thanks for your letter. It was great/lovely to hear from you.
  • Thanks for your long letter. It was really great to hear all your news, after not hearing from you for ages….
  • Sorry I haven’t written for so long but….
  • I was really pleased to hear that…

These phrases are neutral; you can start a letter with them to any addressee. Sometimes it can be difficult to find words, especially if you are not writing in your native language. Template phrases will help you structure the text of your letter and correctly formulate your thoughts.

5 Closing Phrases Templates:

  • I would really like you to visit me this summer. Write to me and tell me your plans.
  • Please give/send my regards (love) to your….
  • And write and tell me your plans for….
  • Write back soon!
  • If you want to know anything else, just drop me a line.

Template for a letter asking for advice (5 options):

  • I am writing to ask for your advice
  • Can you give me your advice?
  • I've got a problem and I need your advice.
  • What do you think I should do?
  • Do you think I should...?

Phrases for different letters:

We wish you only good and warm letters!

Nowadays, learning foreign languages ​​is becoming increasingly popular around the world. And it’s not just about broad horizons and communication. It's about getting a profession and choosing a high-paying job. Informal writing is an essential part of the English language. So let's get to know her better.

Informal letter

Translated, it means “informal letter,” in other words, a letter that you wrote in simple words, without particularly bothering with the design and culture of expressing thoughts. In this article we will try to consider in detail what an informal letter to friend is, an example of such a letter, as well as several common phrases and expressions that you can freely use. Go!

Some general information

Speaking about the example of an informal letter, we should note that it is usually written to a friend or acquaintance, one way or another, a person whom you know well and with whom you freely communicate on a first-name basis. In fact, the most common area where writing a structured informal letter is required is a variety of English writing exams: from the OGE, which schoolchildren take in the 9th grade, to international exams for admission to foreign universities or to confirm their level of a foreign language.

Structure

The structure of such a letter is as follows:

1. In the upper right corner, write the address separated by commas, starting with small (house) and ending with large (country);

2. Write date on the line below

3. Then, very important, one line is skipped! After this, the letter itself begins with the red line of the next line.

4. Address in the format "Dear, (addressee's name)".

6. We write the main part on a new line.

7. From a new line, a conclusion, which, according to the rules, should contain several questions for your interlocutor, but if you want, you can skip and write a conclusion without questions (although, this is a personal letter, so most likely you will still have questions) .

8. From a new line, we apologize that it’s time for us to go.

9. From a new line, a special phrase, which will be discussed later.

10. And the last new line is the signature (your name).

It is these ten points that make up any informal letter to friend. We will look at an example of an informal letter with translation a little later, but for now we will find out what stable phrases and phrases are usually used when writing an informal letter.

Linking words & phrases

There are quite a lot of important and useful words and phrases for writing informal letters in English, so we will divide them into several groups:

  • expressions for introduction;
  • introductory words and phrases for the main part;
  • phraseological units for conclusion.

Introduction

  • Thank you for your letter.
  • Your last letter was a real surprise.
  • I was glad to get your letter.
  • It was great to hear from you! / I was happy to hear…

If you wish, as mentioned earlier, you can apologize for waiting so long for your response and do this using the following expressions:

  • Sorry I haven’t been written for so long but …/ Sorry I haven’t been in touch for so long.
  • I’m sorry I haven’t answered earlier but I was really busy with...

Main part

Here is a flight of your imagination, ideally divided into 2-3 paragraphs. Dilute it with introductory words and phrases:

  • Well...
  • From my point of view,... / To my mind,... (from my point of view).
  • As I know... (how I know).
  • Do you know that...? (You know what...?).
  • You know,... (you know...).
  • Look...
  • By the way,... (by the way).
  • anyway (in any case).
  • so/therefore (so/therefore).
  • Nevertheless (nevertheless).
  • Besides... (besides).
  • Unfortunately/Fortunately,... (Unfortunately/Fortunately...).

Conclusion

Almost the last paragraph of our letter should contain questions and the reason why we need to go. Of course, with apologies.

  • Well, I’d better go, because unfortunately, I have to do my homework.
  • Anyway, I have to go now because my mom has already called me.
  • Sorry, I will leave you for a while. My favorite TV show is about to begin.

As we remember, the next line should contain the traditional closing phrase. It could be:

  • Drop me a line as soon as you can!
  • Write me!
  • Hope to listen from you soon.
  • Love, (name).
  • Sincerely yours, (name).
  • Let's keep in touch!
  • Can't wait to see you!
  • Best wishes, (name).
  • Hope to see you soon!

So we have analyzed the structure of a traditional informal letter for, relatively speaking, a friend. Now all that’s left to do is show a ready-made example of an informal letter to friend.

An example

Nizhny Novgorod,

7/12/2017

Dear Ben,

Thank you for your letter! Sorry for not writing for so long, I was really busy with my exams. You asked me about my school projects.

Well, for sure I have some quite interesting projects at school. Usually, a teacher asks me to make reports once a two or three weeks, so this is a normal practice. Of course, it is an enjoyable process from time to time, and I truly appreciate this experience. As you know, I participate in the school theater meetings and rehearsals, so making orals is not such a complicated presentation for me. But, you can easily guess that writing reports is much easier. You are allowed not to hurry and think about the topic. Moreover, you have not to learn your report by heart - just give it to a teacher and forget for some time about it! You know this is really cool. But anyway this is quite a controversial issue as so as you remember how I appreciate memorizing new information. In fact, this is much more useful for the further studying. But anyway I prefer writing my projects.

It"s really amazing to hear your brother"s news! Tell me more about it. How does he do? Is he going to visit you in the nearest future? And you?

Oh, sorry, I should go. My mom asked me to wash dishes. Write me as soon as you can!

Best wishes,

Translation

Nizhny Novgorod,

Russia
7/12/2017

Dear Ben,

Thank you for your letter! Sorry I haven't written for so long. I was very busy with exams. You asked me about my school projects.

Well, I sure did have some pretty interesting projects in school. Usually the teacher asks me to give reports once every two to three weeks, so this is normal practice. Of course, it is a really enjoyable process at times and I really appreciate the experience. As you know, I participate in rehearsals and meetings of our school theater, so public speaking presentations are not such a big problem for me. But it won’t be difficult for you to guess that making written reports is much easier. You can take your time and think about the topic. Moreover, you don't need to learn your report by heart - just give it to your teacher and forget about it for a while! You know, it's really cool. But in any case, this is a rather controversial issue, because you remember how much I value memorizing new information. In fact, it is much more useful for further learning. But be that as it may, I prefer written work.

So cool to hear news about your brother! Tell me more about this. How is he? Going to visit you soon? And you him?

Oh, sorry, I have to run. Mom asked me to wash the dishes. Write to me as soon as you can!

All the best,

Daria.

Actually, this is what informality looks like or to a person with whom you have free communication. Please note that if you are writing such a letter as part of an assignment, you must adhere to the established word limit, otherwise your work will not be credited.

In fact, there is a wide variety of written work in the English language. Essay, letter, note, email - each of them has its own requirements and restrictions, so be careful! But it is worth noting that, for example, informal letters and emails have almost the same spelling. We will not give examples of informal electronic messages; we will only say that their structure and the structure of informal letters are practically the same.

Conclusion

So we looked at the structure of writing an informal letter and an example of an informal letter in English. In conclusion, we will only say that to compose such letters, in fact, as for other written and oral work in the English language, you need a wide vocabulary and the ability to easily and freely use not only introductory words, but also a wide range of grammatical constructions, which so loves this language. Learn English and remember the famous TED talks motto: "Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Stay tuned."

Letters, as a form of communication at a distance, firmly entered our lives many centuries ago. Even the advent of the Internet did not destroy them, but only changed the format: from paper they turned into electronic ones. Unfortunately for us, all these years they have formed a certain structure that you must follow if you do not want to be considered ignorant and ignorant at the same time. But don't worry, we'll tell you how to start and end your message correctly.

Formatting a letter in English cannot be compared in complexity with tricky grammatical rules, illogical phonetics or disconcerting polysemy of words. It doesn’t matter whether you are starting a correspondence with an English-speaking friend, or preparing for school or international exams - the requirements for you are the same. Although there are some difficulties here that you will have to learn once and for all.

Remember that the British are logical people, and all their letters always have a clear division into semantic parts. The design and writing of your messages depends on whether they are formal or not. We will look at both options in detail, and also provide examples of letters in English to make the task as easy as possible for you.

Structure of a letter in English

1. Sender name. Located on the sheet at the top right:

2. Sender's address , that is, yours. It goes right under the name and is built according to the following scheme: 1st line - street, house, apartment, 2nd line - city, postal code, 3rd line - country, district, state. For example:

  • For American addresses, write in all capital letters:

15 GREEN STR., APT 3,

  • In English addresses, only the city requires this approach:

3. date . It has the form “day, month, year” for the British (December 27, 1990 - 12/27/1990) and “month, day, year” (December 27, 1990 - 12/27/1990) for the Americans. Otherwise, everything is quite simple, since it follows immediately after the sender’s address. Here are the most common recording forms:

March 1st, 2012

4. Address of the recipient will start on a new line. In essence, it coincides with point 1. Please note that if you are writing to an organization, its name, as well as the department you are interested in, will precede the rest of the information:

Customer Support Department,

8 Windmill Lane

Worcestershire, WR7 4HG

5. Address to the recipient . Again, a new line and a capital letter, and after it put a comma. Use the following options: dear (name), my dearest (name) or simply the name of the person you are writing to. Eg,

If the name and surname of the recipient are unknown, for example, you are writing a complaint or request, then you will need completely different options. All of them, of course, are typical for business letters. Whoever you ask how to write a letter in English will tell you that the form of address is extremely important. Say something that is not in the generally accepted style, and your letter will end up in the trash.

Dear sirs - Dear Sirs,

Dear sir/madam - Dear ladies and gentlemen,

To whom it may concern - For the information of interested parties, please pass it on according to their affiliation.

6. Main part written on a new line and a capital letter. It includes an introductory phrase, the text of the letter, and in official correspondence also a final phrase (we’ll talk about this separately). You should start with gratitude for the message you received, after which you should state exactly what you took the paper and pen for.

Thank you so much for your letter. I was very happy to hear from you so soon. — Thank you very much for your letter. I was just happy to hear from you so soon.

7. Polite completion, which you cannot do without. Starts on a new line and requires a capital letter and a comma after it. You can write I have to go— It’s time for me to go and choose one of the most common options:

Best wishes - Best wishes

Take care - Take care of yourself

Sincerely (yours) - Sincerely yours

Faithfully (yours) - Best regards

Respectfully (yours) - Sincerely

Kisses - Kisses

xoxo - Kisses and hugs

Of course, we will talk in detail about how to write everything stylistically correctly and which of this abundance of phrases should be used in business letters and which in correspondence with friends.

8. Sender's signature - Is that your name. Can you handle it yourself?

9. P.S , if you want to add something. It is usually entered using the letters P.S. and emphasizes the importance of the information you write in it:

P.S. Tell Sue I love her. — P.S. Tell Sue I love her.

You are lucky that the rules for writing a letter in English are universal - use them when you want to communicate with people from England, America, Canada, Australia - everyone will understand you, and everyone expects approximately the same thing from you. In addition to all this, you will also need patience: what you have written must be checked, since lexical and grammatical errors do not depend on the structure and tend to appear on their own.

So, to know how to write letters in English, you need to practice. Frequent repetition will make you a guru, and it will no longer be possible to accidentally offend anyone with the “wrong” phrase. We recommend reading an example of a letter in English to connect all the points together and see the final result. Moreover, you will have to dig deeper in the field of business and informal letters so as not to screw up in the details.