General Letter Vocabulary

How to start a letter

The writing style (formal / informal) defines the words that you use to start and finish the letter:

There are two types of formal letters:

You write to an organization (you don’t know who you are addressing to)
You write to the head, teacher, tenant and you know the name of the person you are addressing
to.

In formal / semi-formal letters, after the greeting, we always write the purpose of the letter:

I am writing to inform you that ...

I am writing to ask/inquire ...

I am writing with regard to ...

I am writing in connection with ...

I am writing with reference to ...

I would like to express my concern about ...

In informal letter after the greeting we write:

Apologies for not writing for so long, but I’ve been really busy …

It’s been a long time since we saw each other.

I’m just writing to let you know that …

The body of the letter

Each letter has its own purpose: complaint, request, recommendation / advice. Therefore, we
select constructions and expressions that correspond to the particular purpose of the letter:

ASK FOR INFORMATION

I would be grateful if you could ...

I would be grateful if you could inform me ...

Could you please tell me if ...

I wonder if you could tell me ...

I would like you to ...

I need to ask your advice about ...

COMPLAIN

I'm writing to express my dissatisfaction about ...

I am writing you to express my dissatisfaction about the poor service provided by your airline.

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction about the hotel room that is booked for my stay.

THANKS

I'm very grateful for ...

I'd like to thank you very much for ...

I very much appreciated ...

APOLOGY

I'm very sorry that/about ...

Please forgive me for ...

I'd like to apologize about ...

Please accept my apologies about ...

ADVICE

If I were you, I’d …

You should …

You ought to …

Why don’t you …

SUGGEST

Would you like me to …

I think it would be great if you …

If you like, I’ll …

Useful phrases to finish the letter

FORMAL

Thank you very much for your attention.

I hope the situation will be resolved soon.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you very much for your cooperation.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

INFORMAL

Hope to hear from you very soon.

Keep in touch!

If you need to know anything else, just get in touch with me as soon as you can.

Thanks a lot for your help and I hope to hear from you soon.
Formal letter of complaint

Introduction:

I am writing to express my disappointment regarding the … (level of service at your

hotel/restaurant/ level of customer service at your hotel during my visit last month).

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the … (standard of accommodation at your hotel).

I am writing to complain about the fact that … (there is no heating in our house).

Explain the problem:

Unfortunately, … (the heater is out of order)

We are / I am extremely unhappy about this situation.

This is making our lives uncomfortable.

The best solution would be for me to return the wrong items to you. I request my money be
refunded.

Conclusion:

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Salutation (Informal Letters):

Personal Letter: Dear Rohan, My dear Rex.

Do not write: Rohan, Hi Rex, Hello Nicole, Rini, is everything fine?

Salutation (Formal Letters):

Official Letter: Dear Sir or Madam, Sir or Madam (If you don't know who are you writing to;
use only sir or madam)
Do not write - My Dear Sir, My Dear Madam, Dear Mr Alex, Mrs Cathy, Sir Rex.
Business Letter: Dear Sir or Madam, Sir or Madam. (If you don't know who are you writing
to; use only sir or madam)
Do not write - My Dear Sir, My Dear Madam, Dear Mr Alex, Mrs Cathy.

Apology:
• I am very sorry but..........
• I am terribly sorry, but..........
• I must apologise about..........
• Please accept my apologies..........
• I'd like to apologize for..........
• Please accept my sincere apologies.......... (very formal)

Request:
• Could you please..........
• Could you possibly..........
• I would be grateful if you..........
• I would highly glad if you..........
• Would it be possible to..........
• I wonder if you could..........
• Would you be kind enough to..........
• would you mind doing..........

Seeking Help:
• I would appreciate it if you could..........
• I would be grateful if you could..........
• Could you please..........
• I was wondering if you could help me.......... (informal)
• I would like you to..........

Complaint:
• I feel something should be done about..........
• I must complain about..........
• I can not resist myself to inform you that..........
• I am very much unhappy with..........
• I want you to know that..........
• I'm writing to express my dissatisfaction about/with..........
• I'm writing to express my annoyance with..........
• I am not happy about/because..........
• ..........was very disappointing.
• .......... was utterly disappointing.
Satisfaction:
• I was very happy to learn that..........
• I was very happy to hear that..........
• I was delighted to hear that..........
• I was thrilled to find out that..........
• I was glad to hear that..........

Suggestion:
• Perhaps we could...........
• Perhaps you can............
• I would like to suggest that...........
• May I suggest that............
• Could you please...........
• I would highly appreciate it if you...........
• Would it be a good idea to...........
• Perhaps it would be a good idea to...........

Asking for Information:

• I would like to know about/if...........
• I am writing to inquire about...........
• I am writing to find out about...........
• What I am looking for is...........
• I would like you to inform me...........
• I would appreciate it if you could provide me...........

Providing Information:
• I would like to inform you that...........
• Perhaps you should be informed that............
• I guess you would be glad to know that...........
• Please be informed that............
• For your kind notification...........
• I should let you know that...........

Giving good news:

• I am happy to advise you that... (formal)
• I am pleased to inform you that... (semi-formal)
• I am delighted to tell you that... (informal)
• I thought you might like to know that... (informal)
• I am happy to inform you that... (semi-formal)
Giving bad news:
• I regret to advise you that... (formal)
• I regret to inform you that... (semi-formal)
• I am sorry to tell you that... (informal)
• I am afraid I have some bad news... (informal)

Conveying regards:
• Please convey my greeting and best wished to your parents.
• Please pass on my best wishes to your wife and children.
• Please give my best regards to your family.
• Please give my regards to your parents.
• My best wishes to your parents.

Concern/sympathy:
• I am/was sorry to hear about...
• I am writing to express my concern about...
• It breaks my heart to hear that... (informal)
• I wish I could revert it in any way... (informal)

To End the letter:

Apology:
• Once again, I am sorry for any inconvenience caused..........
• I hope I did not cause you too much problem..........
• Please accept my apologies once more..........
• I am so sorry for the whole thing..........
• I hope you will accept my apologies..........
• Kindly accept my apologies ..........

Complaint:
• I expect to hear from you soon..........
• Hopefully, you will pay immediate attention to this matter ..........
• I highly expect your kind attention about the situation..........
• I want you to take immediate action about the misunderstanding..........

Request:
• Thank you again for your attention to this matter..........
• Could you possibly resend the papers?..........
• I expect to hear from you again..........
Thanking:

• Thanks.

• Thank you.

• Thanks a lot to you for...

• Thank you very much.

• I can't thank you enough.

• I am extremely grateful for...

• No words can express my gratitude.

Wishing Good Luck:

• I wish you a good trip ahead.
• I wish you good luck with your interview.
• Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do well.
• Wishing you all the best.

Providing Information:
• I would like to inform you that I have already sent the papers you asked me to...........
• Perhaps you should be informed that the last date has already been over............
• I hope this information will be helpful for you, please contact me for any other information
...........
Expecting a reply from someone:

• I am looking forward to hearing from you .......

• I am waiting to hear from you soon...........
• I look forward to hearing from you soon............
• I am expecting to hear from you soon...........
• I am eagerly waiting for your response............

Stating Experience/qualification:
My qualifications include …
I have two years of job experience in the related field...
I have been working for ...… for the last five years.
I worked part-time for three years as …... at .......
At the moment I am employed by …... and my job responsibilities include .....
I have experience in ......
I have a post-graduation degree on .......
I have a diploma in …...
I have hands-on experience in ......
I graduated from ...... University three months ago and my major was......
I have finished my post-graduation from the ...... University and have been awarded .......

Curriculum Vitae (CV):

Please find attached my Curriculum Vitae
I am attaching my CV for your kind consideration
The CV and reference letter have been attached
Ending:
I look forward to hearing from you.
I can further discuss my candidacy for the post in a formal interview.
I am available for an interview at your convenience.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if/should you require further information.
Please contact me anytime for any other information you might require.
I shall be available for an interview any day apart from Saturday.

Signing off the letter:

Yours sincerely, (if you start the letter with "Dear + Surname")
Yours faithfully, (if you start your letter with "Dear Sir/Madam/ Sir /Madam")

Closing the Letter:

• I look forward to hearing from you.

• I look forward to seeing you.
• I look forward to meeting you.
• I look forward to getting a reply from you soon.
• I really look forward to your cooperation in this.

Signing off:

Personal Letter: Yours truly, Yours ever, Best regards, Best wishes, Many thanks, Love, Lots of
love, All the best, Best wishes.
Official Letter: Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, Yours obedient.

Business Letter: Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully.