B

Meyer GmbH

Imbergstr. 46, 7000 Stuttgart 21

14 November

Bellevue Conference Center 1862 Sunset Boulevard Fort Lauderdale

Florida FL 42000 U.S.A.

We are planning to hold our … conference in Florida in May next year and one of our clients, Matt Jessop, Bellevue to us.

Please send us a copy of your prospectus, details of …, and a current … .

We will … the facilities of the centre from 15 May for two weeks and … approximately 150 delegates to attend.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Jochen Liesel

8 Substitute the following wordy phrases (refer to page 61)

1You ought to receive the goods within 3 weeks.

2Let me know a day and time suitable to you and I will make contact with the other members of the board.

3To promise delivery of any further orders before June 15th cannot be possible.

4d) In your recent letter you informed us that shipment of leather goods cost the sum of … roubles.

5Have you had an opportunity of testing the sample of “Econoheat” we sent you a period of several weeks?

6Based on the fact of price fluctuations in your market we shall not draw on you till we have your first reports on the prices for these goods.

7You may be sure that your machines will be ready in the near future. We’ll inform you of the date.

8We are only prepared to accept goods sent if and when you are willing to make a substantial reduction in the price.

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9 Suggest simple words:

1assistance

2nevertheless

3approximately

4accomplished

5initiate

6indicate

7demonstrate

8substantial

9compensate

10maintain

10 Cross out unnecessary words in the following phrases:

1consensus of opinion

2most unique

3surrounded on all sides

4in the month of May

5maximum possible

6repeat again

7long period of time

8the state of California

9at a price of $100

10came at a time when

11 Rephrase the following in fewer words:

1in the near future

2the early part of next week

3at an early date

4please do not hesitate to let me know

5I wish I take the occasion to express my thanks

6in favor of

7for the purpose of

8take appropriate measures

9there is no doubt that

10a great number of times

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12 Read the letters below. Study and rewrite them in a shorter way, make them sound reader-oriented.

A

Dear Ms. Basinger

I am very pleased with the invitation that I received from you inviting me to make a speech for the National Association of Secretaries on June 11. Unfortunately, I regret that I cannot attend the meeting on June 11. I feel that I do not have sufficient time to prepare myself because I received your invitation on June 3 and it is not enough time to prepare myself completely for the speech.

Yours sincerely

B

Dear Ms. Lawson

I regret to inform you that we are completely booked up for the week of August 22. We have no rooms available because the National Word Processors Association will be holding their convention at our hotel during the week of August 22. As you will surely understand, we have to reserve as many rooms as possible for members of the association.

If you can’t change the date of your trip, maybe you could find the double room with bath that you want at another hotel here in Little Rock.

Cordially

C

Dear Mr. Ross

With reference to your letter of Thursday last, I can’t answer it because my boss, Ms.

Leonard, is out of town. If I gave you any information about the new contract with Hastings Development Corporation, she might not like it.

If Ms. Leonard wants you to have that information, I’ll have her write to you when she returns in two weeks.

Yours truly

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Vocabulary

purchase – покупать

supply – снабжать, поставить (товар) subject to – в случае, если

require – требовать(ся), нуждаться obtain – приобрести

be available – быть в наличии

per – за, price per metre – цена за метр catalogue – 'kætələg] каталог

discount – скидка

credit investigation – исследование кредитоспособности grant – предоставить (кредит, скидку)

account – счёт, charge account – кредит по открытому счёту turn down – отклонить, отказать в чём-либо

jeopardy – [ ] опасность, риск accommodation – помещение, жильё annual – ежегодный

expect – ожидать

facilities – возможности, благоприятные условия goods – товар(ы)

board – правление, совет shipment – погрузка

fluctuations – колебания, изменения sufficient – достаточный

booked up – свободных номеров нет convention – собрание

double room – двухместный номер

Check yourself. Questions to “An Introduction to Business Letters”

1Is there any difference between block letter format and modified block letter?

2What does standard punctuation style mean?

3What salutation and complementary closing should be used if you write a letter to an individual whose name you don’t know?

4When can you use “Ms”? Can you pronounce it, please?

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