English for personal assistants - part 12 pps

Letters of complaint
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Task 4 Letter layout
Match the features of the letter,A–I,totheparts of the letter. The first one has been
done as an example.
A. signature
B. addressee
C. date
D. printed name of the
writer of the letter
E. body of the letter
F. sender’s address
G. opening salutation
H. subject line
I. closing salutation
8 1. Weinstrasse 76
1 67423 Munich
2. 27 August 20XX
3. Mrs J Stewart
Simpsons Constuction
Shaftesbury Road
London EC5 8JN
4. Invoice No. CM 9472
5. Dear Mrs Stewart
6. I am writing concerning our invoice CM 9472 for
£2,548.00, a copy of which is enclosed.
7. Yours sincerely
8
.
M Lemos
9. Mr M Lemos

Opening and closing salutations
The table below outlines the conventions for opening and closing salutations in formal
correspondence in British English. In less formal English, for example, when writing
to someone you know quite well, the closing salutation may be Kind regards, Best
wishes or With very best wishes.
You may find differences in American English and other varieties of English,
especially in the form of the closing salutation. In American English the less formal,
Yours truly, or Truly yours, are common.
Opening salutation Status Closing salutation
UK English
Dear Mr X
Dear *Mrs X
Dear Ms X
Dear Sir
Dear Madam
Dear Sir/Madam
Married or unmarried male
married female
Married or unmarried female
Male, name unknown
Female, name unknown
Name and gender unknown
Yours sincerely
Yours sincerely
Yours sincerely
Yours faithfully
Yours faithfully
Yours faithfully
* You should only use Mrs if you know a woman is married and you know they use their married
name.

Letters of complaint 55
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Task 5 Punctuation
Read the letter of complaint below and insert punctuation and capitalise letters where
appropriate. The first line of the address has been done for you as an example. Do not
forget that modern correspondence uses minimal punctuation. If you would like to
have an overview of punctuation, turn to Appendix B, page 158.
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Task 6 Prepositions
Read through the reply to the letter of complaint above and fill in the gaps with
prepositions. The first gap has been completed for you as an example.
15 July 20XX
Dear Mr Askoy,
Thank you (1) for your letter (2) 14
th
July concerning your order No. TY9642 which
was due to be delivered (3) you (4) 28 June.
First, let me apologise (5) the delay (6) getting the wallpaper (7) you and the
difficulties you have experienced getting 8 touch (9) us. This was as a result (10)
certain main areas (11) our factory being sealed (12) because asbestos was
discovered when some refurbishment was being carried (13) . As you know, health
56 Complaints
Mr R Carey
unit 7 travis industrial estate
bolton
bC2 5ge
14 july 20XX
dear mr carey
order no. ty 9642
we are writing with reference to the above order and our letter of june 28 in which

we requested information about the delivery of the wallpaper the original agreed
delivery date of july 1
st
has passed and we have been trying to contact you by
phone and email but have either not been able to get through to someone who
knows about this order or there has been no reply
unless the wallpaper arrives within the next week the completion of one of our
jobs will be delayed and we will incur penalty charges we would like to make it
clear that we are holding you to your delivery contract and that if we incur penalty
charges because of late delivery we will pass these charges on to you
yours sincerely
mr b aksoy
director
and safety regulations surrounding the presence (14) asbestos are very strict and
our hands were tied.
However, I am happy to report that we are now back (15) normal production and
your order will be dispatched this Friday, 17 July.
Once again, let me say how much I regret the inconvenience this delay has caused and
emphasise that it was due (16) factors (17) our control.
I look forward (18) doing business (19) you again (20) the future and hope
that this incident will not adversely affect our relationship.
Yours sincerely
Mr R Carey
Managing Director
Linking words and phrases for comparing and contrasting
When complaining we often need linking words and phrases to compare or contrast
situations, for example, from the letter above, However, I am happy to report .
Below are some common linking words for comparing and contrasting. Those
separated with a slash have the same meaning. For a comprehensive list of linking
words and phrases, refer to Appendix A, page 157.

᭿ Task 7
Use one of the linking words above to complete each sentence.
1. our best efforts, we have been unable to resolve our difference.
2. with Drake’s estimate, IDF’s is quite reasonable.
3. Stockholm would make a good conference venue it would work out
rather expensive.
4. I have not been able to book you on the 9.15 KLM flight. , there is a 10am
flight with British Airways.
5. Larissa has good qualifications, she lacks experience.
6. I’m sure Jack’s made a good job of the contract. I’d rather check it through myself
, just to be sure we haven’t overlooked anything.
7. Which hotel do you think would be most suitable? The Jasper has fantastic facilities
the Globe is located right in the city centre.
Letters of complaint 57
in comparison with, (on the one hand) (but) on the other hand, however,
in spite of/despite, while/whereas, though/although
6 Proposals and reports
There are many similarities between writing a proposal and writing a report. Both
require the use of formal language, clear structuring to guide the reader, and careful
revision. In this chapter, proposals are dealt with first and then reports.
Proposals
Businesses can fail or thrive depending on how they communicate their ideas and a
cleverly developed business proposal can make all the difference.
The term proposal can refer to a wide range of documents, from a bid for a contract to
a proposal to increase the budget for the office coffee. Proposals that are seeking
funding or an alliance can involve millions of Euros whereas a proposal to give a
temporary worker a permanent position has limited financial consequences. No
matter what it is, the proposal must make a favourable impression and explain all
aspects of the proposed concept clearly and quickly.
First and Foremost/The concept

When you have received the information for a proposal from someone else, i.e., you
are not the original author of the proposal, it is imperative that you are clear as to
what the concept is. Start off by summarising the concept in 2 or 3 sentences and then
show it to a lay person. If they are not absolutely sure what the concept is, rewrite it
until they are. Doing this, even when you are the original author, helps clarify the
message you want to get across.
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Task 1
Your own proposal:
You want to propose to the HR department in your company that a full-time
permanent post be created in the Accounts Department. A permanent employee did
not return from maternity leave and she has not been replaced. At the moment when
a crisis occurs, for example, salaries are in danger of not being paid on time and
agency staff are brought in at considerable expense. You believe that a person in a
permanent post would save money in the long run and allow the Accounts
Department to operate under less stressful conditions.
Write a brief outline of your proposal. You may like to use the following headings to
guide you.
᭤
The problem
᭤
The goals
᭤
The solution
Know the target reader
Even if your proposal is an internal document, think carefully about who will read it.
A proposal is written for the readers not for the writer. When you write a proposal in
English, you’ll need to know the readers’ competence in the English language.
Writing for a global audience means avoiding local assumptions and using neutral
language rather than overly formal or, conversely, idiomatic phrases. Similarly, find

out how conversant the readers are with the jargon of your business or the
abbreviations that you use in your line of work. There’s nothing worse than ploughing
through someone else’s gobbledygook.
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Task 2
A local college is seeking funding from businesses and it has sent you their proposal.
Underline the words, terms, and abbreviations in the text below which you think
could be clarified or better written in another way. However, don’t underline text in
brackets at the end as this will be explained later in the proposal.
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Task 3
What would you do to deal with the lack of clarity you have underlined?
Proposals 59
Vision and rationale
Why X College is seeking funding from the business sector
Local, regional, & national activity points to the need for formal ITT/EPD training for
teachers of Business Studies. No national strategy exists to provide them with
rigorous professional learning or pedagogy. Training is ad hoc & reliant on
collaborative networks which may be limited in sustainability. Funding will provide
key teachers with time and resources to experiment & share best/innovative
practice much more widely. Ours is not a passive outreach model: it is vital that
others are empowered to lead e.g., in targets (mentor cross moderation) 1.3 & 2.4
(peer training by primary mentors in year 4).