III. Reading assignments.

Ex 1. Skim through the text and answer the questions

1. What are the reasons for writing request letters?

2. What is essential when you want your reader to act in response to your letter?

3. What qualities should your request letter have?

4. What prospects does a letter of inquiry offer to a business?

5. In which way should an inquiry be worded?

6. What should a writer of an inquiry take care of?

7. Why will the recipient of the letter requesting information on office copiers be at a loss?

8. What items are included into a revised letter?

9. How can you make your letter more convenient for your reader when your request does not hold a prospect for a potential sale?

10. What special forms may be used for ordering merchandise or service?

11. Why are there blank spaces in these forms?

12. What is an order letter?

13. Why is it necessary to make these letters clear, precise, and accurate?

14. What five points do order letters include?

15. How can you make your letter easy to read?

16. Which way is it important to indicate the price?

17. What sort of shipping instructions may be included into your order letter?

18. Why is it necessary to indicate the date needed?

19. Make up a check - list of various methods of payment you know.

Ex.2 Consider the following phrases taken from various request letters and complete the table listing the numbers of each phrase in corresponding column. Each column signals particular reason for writing a request letter.

To obtain communication
To receive printed matter
To receive sample products
To order merchandise
To make reservations
To seek special favours

1. Please, send us information about your office copier.

2. I would therefore greatly appreciate your sending me the following specifications on the new RX-7.

3. Before including Devon and Cornwall in our list of suitable locations, I would like to obtain some information on certain specific points.

4. Once I have the answers on these matters, I will perhaps write to you for further documentation.

5. We are writing to inquire whether you are able to supply us with a list of references or with any information you have on hand.

6. Please let me know if you will have any two-bedroom furnished apartment available for rent during the months of June, July, and August.

7. We would appreciate if you sent us your current price list quoting terms for overseas delivery.

8. We would be pleased if you would let us have full details of the various middle-range machines as well as your terms of sale.

9. If you have any suitable vacancies, we would be happy to look at them and give you a deposit to hold an apartment for us.

10. I would also find it very helpful if you told me in which magazine (or other mass media) you began your advertising campaign.

11. I will be in Los Angeles September 25, 26, and 27. Would it be possible to visit your office then? I can arrange to come at any hour convenient for you. Even a short visit with you would be helpful, and greatly appreciated.

12. Please reserve a single room with a bath for Ms. Irina Ekareva for October 27-29. Ms. Ekareva, head of the Foreign Languages Department of Plekhanov Economic Academy, will arrive at the hotel at approximately 6 p.m. on October 27.

13. We intend to order calculating machines. Please send us the latest catalogues and price-lists.

14. Will you please also enclose with your offer the relevant samples.

15. Could you reschedule your production line to meet the earlier delivery date?

16. While in Manchester, Ms. Ekareva will meet with six members of the local Chamber of Commerce. She would, therefore, like to reserve the use of a small conference room for the morning of November 6, from about 9 a.m. until noon.

17. Please supply:

6 Walnut Single Right-hand Pedestal Desks at $51.31 each less 25% trade discount, carriage paid to our works.

18. We are greatly interested in receiving a catalogue on your entire line of plastics.

19. Would it be possible to arrange mailing samples of your products, which we point from the catalogue?

20. Please let us know the rates for both Ms. Ekareva's accommodations and the conference room, and confirm this reservation.

21. We would highly appreciate your sending us samples for examination.

22. I will be in Memphis during the week of November 19, and would like very much to visit your works. We have found interesting solutions to some of the problems posed by installation of your system, and we could exchange information that would benefit us both.

23. We wish to place an order for 100,000 tomato boxes. We enclose an order form for these items.

Ex 3. Match the English words and phrases in column A with the corresponding Russian equivalents in column B.

A

1. Please send us information about / on…

2. I would greatly appreciate your sending me…

3. I would like to obtain some information on…

4. I will write to you for further documentation

5. We are writing to inquire

6. Please let me know

7. As well as your terms of sale

8. We would be happy to give you a deposit to hold an apartment for us

9. I would find it very helpful if you told me…

10. At any hour convenient for you…

11. Even a short visit with you would be helpful

12. Please reserve a single room with a bath

13. We intend to order…

14. Will you enclose with your offer the relevant samples

15. To meet the earlier delivery date

16. Please supply…

17. Please confirm this reservation

18. Samples for examination

B

1. Просим поставить

2. В любое удобное для вас время

3. Я счел бы весьма полезным, если бы Вы сообщили мне…

4. Пожалуйста, подтвердите бронь

5. Образцы для экспертизы

6. Прошу сообщить мне

7. Мы намерены заказать

8. Просим прислать информацию о…

9. Я обращусь к вам с просьбой предоставить дополнительную документацию

10. Чтобы обеспечить поставку в более ранние сроки

11. Сможете ли вы предоставить вместе с вашими предложениями соответствующие образцы?

12. Мы будем рады дать вам задаток, чтобы вы оставили квартиру за нами

13. Я буду очень признателен, если вы пришлете мне…

14. Так же, как и условия продажи

15. Я бы хотел получить некоторую информацию о…

16. Даже непродолжительное посещение вашей фирмы было бы полезно

17. Мы обращаемся к вам, чтобы получить информацию о…

18. Просим забронировать одноместный номер с ванной

Ex. 4. Fill in the blanks using the words in the box.

A

swiftly, customer, information, inquiries, businesses, procedure, occasion

An inquiry letter asks for __________ about a product, service, publication, or __________. Businesses frequently exchange such letters. As a __________, you too have __________ to ask for catalogues, brochures, price, size, and colour of a particular object. _________ are eager to receive such __________ and will answer them _________ because they promise a future sale.

B

mention, eliminate, paying customer, buying, in quantity, facts

An order letter should provide necessary __________ and __________ unnecessary details. Generally it is not necessary to __________ a reason for an order. Orders are routine and handled __________; as long as you are a ___________________, your impetus for __________ does not interest the seller.