What is your name?

What is your job?

How often do you write business e-mails using English?

Opening greeting (Salutation)Hello John,/Hi John,John,Dear Sir or Madam,To whom it may concern:Dear Sales Team,Dear Mary,/Mr. Smith,/Ms. Mary Smith,/Dr. Smith:(nothing)

Opening sentenceI am writing to you about…It was a pleasure to meet you at...Thanks for your quick reply.Thank you for your letter/e-mail/fax/phone call.How are you?I hope all is well.I would like to introduce myself.In reference to your e-mail on November 15th,…I apologize it has taken so long for me to respond.

Business E-mail Functions

Giving informationIn response to your questions,…The following is the information that you requested.

Talking about attached documentsI have attached the marketing report.Please see the attachment for further details.Please find the schedule attached.The attached document explains…I have attached the document that you requested.

Requesting informationI would like information about…Per our conversation, I would like…Could you please tell me about…?Could you please forward me information about…?

Closing sentenceIf you have questions, please contact me via e-mail.If you need further information, please feel free to contact me.I look forward to hearing from you.I am looking forward to your response.

Signing offBest regards,Kind regards,Sincerely yours,Thank you,Thanks,

Making arrangementsAre you available for a meeting on December 9, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.?I am available on December 9th, if that is convenient for you.I apologize but I am not available on that day.

Promising future actionI will send you the original documents by courier.I will check into this situation and get back to you within 24 hours.I will forward you the documents by Friday, December 2nd.

Requesting actionPlease get back to me as soon as possible.Please reply at your earliest convenience.Thank you for your cooperation.Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Business E-mail Functions

Tips for Writing Business E-mails

E-mails should be less formal than business letters.

Always use a title that describes what is in the e-mail.

Business e-mails should be short with no repetition. Most e-mails should be no longer than 2 paragraphs. Most business people do not want to read long e-mails.

For formal e-mails, contractions (I’d, We’ve, etc.) are not recommended.

“Hello” or “Hi” with the person’s name, “Hello John,” is better in e-mails. Using “Dear” as in, “Dear Mr. Jones,” is appropriate for more formal e-mails such as asking about new business or jobs.

Write a short opening sentence so the person knows why you are sending the e-mail for example, “In response to your question…”

Then write: a) the answer to the question the person asked, b) your question or c) that you are attaching information for the person.

Close by writing: a) what you want the person to do next or, b) what you will do next and c) a closing sentence such as, “If you have questions, please contact me.”

Sign off with: “Thank you,” “Best regards,” etc. (Your Name). Your first e-mail to the person should include your job title, company information and contact information.

Punctuation MarksPeriod

1) Use a period to show that a sentence has ended.

Example: We have a meeting today.

2) Use a period to show that an abbreviation has ended. Only use one period to end a sentence.

Examples: Dr. Anderson is from Chicago, IL. I live at Jl. Karet Pedurenan, No. 55.

3) Use a period as a decimal point.

Example: The office supplies cost $322.00.

Question Mark

1) Use a question mark to end a question.

Example: Do we have a meeting today? What time is the meeting? ?

.

Comma

1) Use commas to separate nouns and adjectives in a list of three or more. The comma should not be used after the second-to-last item except when using the abbreviation “etc.”. Et cetera means: and other things of the same kind.

Examples: I need to buy paper, pens and paper clips. She bought the red, black and gold carpet. I need to buy paper, pens, paper clips, etc.

2) Use a comma to separate independent clauses (complete thoughts) when they are joined by thefollowing conjunctions. The comma comes before the conjunction.

Example: I want to buy the new tablet, but it is too expensive. (independent), (independent) #1: I want to buy the new tablet. (complete thought) #2: It is too expensive. (complete thought)

3) Use a coma after the salutation or signature in a business letter, memo or e-mail. Examples: Hello John, Best regards,

,and or for nor so but yet

4) Use a comma to separate a dependent clause (incomplete thought) from an independent clause(complete thought). The comma is only used when the dependent clause is at the beginning of thesentence.

Example: If I get a promotion, I will buy a new car. (dependent), (independent) #1: If I get a promotion (incomplete thought) #2: I will buy a new car. (complete thought)

5) Use commas to separate a word or phrase that provides extra information about the subject.

Example: I am waiting for my colleague, our manager of finance, to come back from his business trip.

6) Use a comma to separate the name of a city from a country or state.

Example: I am from Chicago, Illinois.

7) Use a comma to separate the day of the week, the day of the month and the year.

Example: The workshop is on Monday, December 9, 2013.

8) Use comma(s) to divide large numbers into groups of three figures by separating off the thousands and millions.

Example: The population in Jakarta, Indonesia is approximately 11,000,000.

Colon

1) Use a colon to introduce a list.

Example: The reporter interviewed the following people: the department heads, the members of the faculty council and a representative group of students.

2) Use a colon to show an explanation or more detail.

Example: There was a problem with the report: it was missing data from this quarter.

3) Use a colon after the heading or title followed by the subdivision.

Example: Punctuation: colon

4) Use a colon after the salutation in a business letter, memo or e-mail.

Example: Dear Senator Harkin:

5) Use a colon to separate hours from minutes.

Example: Our meeting starts at 9:00 a.m.

6) Use a colon to show ratios.

Example: The odds of their company recovering is 2:1.

:

Hello David,

As we discussed during the conference call, I would like to receive the auditing report by the close of business on November 29th. Please organize the report as follows: timing of the audits, revenues and expenses in compliance with regulations, those in violation and your analysis. Are you available to attend the meeting on December 9th at 9:00 a.m.? If you need further information, please let me know.

Best regards,

Randy JonesFinance Manager Small Business Financing, Inc.Ratu Plaza Shopping Mall 1st Fl.Jl. Jend Sudirman Kav. 9Jakarta, 10270 IndonesiaT +62 21 2700 7878 F +62 21 720 2615 M +62 878 8400 4430www.sbf.co.id

Auditing Report

books@auditing.com

Opening

Closing

Title

Salutation

Signature

Professional Sentences and Punctuation Game

Complete the sentences with the correct words and punctuation marks.

1. Please find the _________document that you requestedAnswer: Please find the attached document that you requested.

2. I am __________on December 9th Is that date __________for youAnswer: I am available on December 9th. Is that date convenient for you?

3. Hello John

__________ __________for your quick replyAnswer: Hello John,

Thank you for your quick reply.

4. I am __________ __________to your responseAnswer: I am looking forward to your response.

5. If you need further __________ please feel free to __________meAnswer: If you need further information, please feel free to contact me.

6. I have __________the finance report that you __________Answer: I have attached the finance report that you requested.

7. Best __________

JohnAnswer: Best regards,

John

8. It was a __________to meet you at the conferenceAnswer: It was a pleasure to meet you at the conference.

9. I __________it has taken me so long to respond to your e-mailAnswer: I apologize it has taken me so long to respond to your e-mail.

10. In _______to your e-mail regarding the quarterly meeting I have __________the PowerPoint presentationAnswer: In reference to your e-mail regarding the quarterly meeting, I have attached the PowerPoint presentation.

11. I __________ forward you the document by Friday December 2nd

Answers: I will forward you the document by Friday, December 2nd.

12. __________whom it may concern

I am __________ to you about the franchise advertisement on your websiteAnswer: To whom it may concern:

I am writing to you about the franchise advertisement on your website.

13. __________yours

Randy SmithAnswer: Sincerely yours,

Randy Smith

14. __________get back to me as __________as possibleAnswers: Please get back to me as soon as possible.

15. __________contact me at your earliest __________Answer: Please contact me at your earliest convenience.

16. __________Mr. Randy SmithAnswers: Dear Mr. Randy Smith: Dear Mr. Randy Smith,

17. I look __________to __________from youAnswer: I look forward to hearing from you.

18. Thank you __________ __________for your time and considerationAnswer: Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

19. I _____all is wellAnswer: I hope all is well.

20. In __________to your questions I have listed our hotel rates and room availability belowAnswer: In response to your questions, I have listed our hotel rates and room availability below.

21. __________WSE TeamAnswer: Dear WSE Team,

22. The __________document explains our proposalAnswer: The attached document explains our proposal.

23. __________you please forward me information about your productsAnswer: Could you please forward me information about your products?

24. Are you __________for a conference call __________ Monday December 9th __________8:00 a.m.Answer: Are you available for a conference call on Monday, December 9th at 8:00 a.m.?

25. I __________mail you the hard copy of the contract by Monday December 2 2013Answer: I will mail you the hard copy of the contract by Monday, December 2, 2013.

26. __________ __________for your cooperationAnswer: Thank you for your cooperation.

27. If you have questions please __________meAnswers: If you have questions, please contact me.

28. __________you

Mary SmithAnswer: Thank you,

Mary Smith

29. __________you __________tell me about your hotel rates and room availabilityAnswer: Could you please tell me about your hotel rates and room availability?

The winning team is…

Your team works for a large company that needs to employ a small company for a specific job. Write to the company about the job. Prepare the situation using the questions below. The information can be real or imaginary.

What is your company’s business? What products or services do you offer?

What job or project needs a small company? For example: an IT project, auditing your books, training for your staff, a legal service, a design service, etc.

Who are you going to write to?

How did you get their contact information? For example: the Internet, recommendation from a colleague, etc.

What exactly do you want the company to do?

What do you need to know? For example: charges, availability, etc.

Do you have questions to ask them about their experience or knowledge?

Write the e-mail. When you finish, check your grammar, spelling, punctuation and style. Is your e-mail clear, well-structured and easy to understand?

Exchange e-mails with a different group. Now you are the team of a small company that a large company needs to do a job. Write a reply to the e-mail your team received. Prepare your response using the prompts below. The information can be real or imaginary.

Thank the company for their e-mail.

Say that you have attached a file with some information about your company. For example: your company’s publicity material, rates, list of clients, etc.

Ask questions about things you need to know. For example: dates, times, size of the job, etc.

Respond to any other requests in the e-mail you received.

Write the e-mail. When you finish, check your grammar, spelling, punctuation and style. Is everything clear, well-structured and easy to understand?

Return the e-mail to the original group.

Read the reply and discuss it with your group.

Thank you all for attending!