USEFUL PHRASES FOR LETTER WRITING

Не знаю як ви, а я сташенно сумую за рукописними листами. Ця ностальгія у вік електронної пошти може здатися смішною, та все ж інколи так тягне полізти на горище, де сховані старі папери, і читати, читати аж поки не стане світати… У підлітковому віці листування було моїм улюбленим видом спілкування. Бували дні,коли я отримувала по 3-4 листи,  а далі... То був своєрідний ритуал з обережним відкриванням, повторним перечитуванням і детальною відповіддю…
А що зараз? Ви пишете листи СПРАВЖНІ?  Ті, які пахнуть пролитою на них кавою чи слізьми, ну або салом))) . Від яких рука вся в чорнилах, а смітничок - в чорновиках? Коли помилка не виправляється клавішею Backspace чи Delete, а закреслюється. Тобто ЖИВІ листи...
Як часто ви їх пишете або НЕ пишете і кому? Коли писали востаннє? Ви малюєте у своїх листах? А пам’ятаєте вірш Ліни Костенко:

Пишіть листи і надсилайте вчасно,
Коли їх ждуть далекі адресати,
Коли є час, коли немає часу,
І коли навіть ні про що писати.
Пишіть про те, що ви живі-здорові,
Не говоріть, чого ви так мовчали.
Не треба слів, навіщо бандеролі?
Ау! — і все, крізь роки і печалі.

А чи знаєте ви, що в літературі існує такий стиль як епістолярний, а саме: стиль, що характеризується формою особистих листів?  Скарбниця літератури сповнена безліччю повістей і романів у листах. Варто лише згадати О.Пушкіна з його «Капітанською дочкою»…

Хтось, певно, вже вилаяв мене за черговий ліричний відступ… а хтось просто здогадався, про що піде мова у цьому пості. So let’s get right to the point. This time at the request of one enthusiastic reader I’d like to share with you some tips for letter writing or, to be more precise, phrases which you may need when writing both a formal and friendly letter. 

My dear …
My dearest …
Darling …

The standard opening for formal correspondence is Dear :

Dear Sir    Dear Mr 
Dear Madam   Dear Mrs
Dear Sir or Madam  Dear Ms 
Dear Sirs  

Then you may like TO THANK for the letter (respond, invitation, present, postcard…). The following phrases are just for this:

Thank you for your letter (inviting, offering, confirming)
I am very grateful to you for (letting me know, offering, writing)
It was so kind of you to (write, invite, send)
Many thanks for (sending, inviting, enclosing)…

Very often you will need to state THE REASON for your writing or TO REFER to the previous contact with your recipient.  Then use any of these phrases:

For example:

1) Dear Mr. Flintstone:
With reference to our telephone conversation today, I am writing to confirm your order for: 120 x Cheddar Deluxe Ref. No. 856

2) I am writing to you in response to your advertisement for a Legal Assistant specializing in Port Regulatory Law, which appeared in the Seattle Times on Sunday, June 15.

There’re times when you aren’t introduced to the person you’re writing to, but you need their help or some information. Then somewhere in the beginning you need to ESTABLISH SOME CONTEXT:

And then do state what you’re asking for (information or advice) or what your PURPOSE is:

I am writing to enquire about ....
I would be interested to receive further details about ....
Please could you give me the necessary details concerning ...?
I would be grateful for your advice concerning…
I would appreciate your advice on ...
We would be grateful if you could…
We would appreciate it if you could…
I was wondering if you could help me. 

Or maybe you’d like TO INFORM your addressee, then use one of these starters:

It has come to our notice that...
I am writing to inform you that...
Please be advised that...
I am writing to advise you that...
I am pleased to tell you that ...
I am delighted to inform you that ...
I would like to draw your attention to (the fact that)
I should like to point out that ...
I should like to remind you that ...
I hope it is not necessary to remind you that ...

Or less formal:

Good news:...
Just to let you know…
A quick note to tell you…

After you have presented your matter, you need to CALL your recipient TO some ACTION just to make sure he/she got the message you’re trying to get across.

I would be grateful if this matter could be resolved...
I trust that you will give this matter your urgent attention
I would appreciate further information on …
I would be grateful for further advice.
I would be grateful if you could send me...
Would you please let me know as soon as possible whether...

Don’t like making an APOLOGY? Same here, but… In business it’s just part of ethics, and an apology letter will not only help save your friendships and your business associates, it can also dissolve a small problem and keep it from snowballing into a big one! So if you feel you’ve done something wrong accept responsibility for this. And use one of these phrases:

Please accept our apologies for this misunderstanding.
We apologise for our mistake and we would like to take this opportunity to assure you that it will not happen again.
We hope that this misunderstanding has not caused you too much inconvenience.
I am writing to apologise for...
Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience.
We must apologise for ...

And at the end of the letter:

Please accept our apologies again.
With apologies once again.

Want to be polite and show that you really care? Then do OFFER HELP:

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.
If you would like any more information, feel free to contact me.
Please let me know if you need any further information.

And, eventually, the final question is how to CLOSE your letter. Looking forward to hearing from you is a common phrase, but it has variations such as I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience, for example.

And at the very end you’re likely to use of the following closures:

FOR BUSINESS LETTERS:

If you know the person’s name use:
Yours sincerely 
If you don’t know the person’s name use:
Yours faithfully
For those you already know and/or with whom you already have a working relationship:
Regards         

FOR ACQUAINTANCES AND FORMAL SITUATIONS:

Best wishes
With best wishes
Kindest regards

AFFECTIONATE VARIATIONS FOR CLOSE FRIENDS AND FAMILY: 

All my love      See you soon
All the best     Love    
Lots of love     With love and best wishes
Much love       With love to you all  
Do give my kindest regards to …

That’s it for today. I am aware of the fact that I’ve covered just a little piece of information compared to how much of it exists, but I hope it will help you to get started with letter writing in English. And, of course, don’t hesitate to ask me if you have a particular case and need a phrase you can’t find here. I’m always here for you! Let’s revive the tradition of a good warm private correspondence!