Vocabulary for Writing Business Letters

Business writing, whether it be letters or emails, has for most people become an almost daily practice. This sheet provides a detailed list of core vocabulary and phrases that are frequently used when writing business letters or business e-mails in English. It can be a valuable starting point for students who need to use English on an everyday basis for written business communications. If you are a teacher, you might find this specific English terminology and letter lingo useful as well.

Oftentimes, these expressions are employed in very specific trade sectors, and thus the core vocabulary sheets go a long way in helping both the instructors and the students inform their formal written expressions.

Opening / Greeting / Reply

• Messrs
• to the kind attention of
• the aim of this letter
• we wish to inform you that
• in reply to your letter
• following your instructions

Ending / Complimentary Close

• always at your service
• awaiting your reply
• best regards
• our kindest regards
• to look forward to / looking forward to an early reply
• we look forward to your kind reply
• looking forward to hearing from you
• we remain
• we thank you in advance
• we would appreciate it if you could answer
• we would appreciate your reply
• Yours faithfully / sincerely (GB)

Requests

• as per your request
• as requested
• please allow us
• please send us
• please send us your instructions
• would you please let us have
• would you please let us know
• you ordered
• you requested
• you sent us

Time

• as soon as possible
• at your convenience
• at your earliest convenience
• before the date we agreed upon
• in due time – in due course
• on arrival of the goods
• on delivery
• on receipt of the order
• on short notice
• on written request
• short-term
• to be late
• to inform in due time
• with two weeks’ notice
• without delay
• within the end of the month

Send / Receive / Address / Notify

• inside address
• outside address
• sender address
• to notify in advance about
• to let someone know in advance
• to reach the destination
• to send under separate cover
• we acknowledge receipt of
• we have received
• we sent you
• without notice

Letter

• letter opening – beginning of the letter
• letter heading – heading
• body of the letter
• enclosure – attachment
• circular letter
• claim – letter of complaint
• covering letter
• from order receipt
• further to our letter – following our letter
• to return a letter to the sender
• the letter remained unanswered

Price / Payment

• as far as the payment is concerned
• as per invoice
• at your expense
• half-price
• in partial payment
• on advanced payment
• payable in advance
• prices are increasing
• to be in arrears with payments
• up to an amount of

Goods / Items

• goods listed below
• the following items
• the goods are available in our warehouse
• the goods are not similar to the sample
• the goods are sold out
• the goods arrived in good conditions
• to make the goods available
• we hope we’ll receive the goods soon

Apology

• we apologize again for
• we apologize for
• we apologize for the delay
• we apologize for the mistake
• we are sorry to have to
• we are sorry to inform you
• we must apologize for

Regarding Something or Someone

• (to act) on behalf of
• as far as I’m concerned
• as per to the conditions
• as follows
• due to oversight
• hereby
• in compliance with – accordingly
• in the absence of
• on condition that – provided that
• to refer to
• to correspond with
• to suit the quality – to meet the quality
• to take into consideration
• the matter in reference
• with/in reference to
• with the compliments of
• within which

Meetings / Negotiations

• the meeting was canceled
• to fix an appointment
• to stop negotiations

Meet the Needs

• in case of need
• to meet a demand
• to meet customer’s requirements

Attention

• our best attention
• to pay the maximum attention to the matter

Agreement

• as agreed
• to agree with

Pleasure

• to have the pleasure to
• to be delighted to

Sell / Order

• to sell at the best
• to be overrun with orders
• order to be confirmed

Decisions

• to come to a decision
• to come to an agreement – to reach an agreement

Samples

• similar to sample – up to sample
• correspond to the sample
• to submit a sample

Other Useful Expressions

• to be able to
• to be authorized to
• to be characterized by
• to be confident in
• to be interested in
• to be prepared to – to be willing to 
• to be held responsible for
• to be in difficulty
• to cope with the competition
• to have the power to 
• in good condition
• in our favor
• to our mutual benefit
• our offer is still open
• (with the) utmost care
• with no obligation – without commitment