r---'-"""""""'

�.

When you send a letter requesting a service, you must give detailed information so
the service provider can give you a complete and accurate response. Many people
call the provider to discuss their needs before writing their letter. If your letter isn't
detailed, you may have to write again to explain the information.

Before you write the letter, contact the people in your company who are involved
with the request. Ask them if they have anything to add. Make a list or fill out a form
or a log to outline your needs.

G ETTING STARTED
1. Read the two e-mails about the CellFirst training seminar.
2. Complete the Planning Log.

Date: Thu , jan 27, 20- 1 1 :07:30 Date: Thu , jan 27, 20- 1 5 :07:30
To: "Curt Marks" <[email protected]> To: "Pamela Davis" <[email protected]>
Fr: "Pamela Davis" <[email protected]> Fr: "Curt Marks" <[email protected]>
Sub: Arrowhead East Conference Center Sub; Re: Arrowhead East Conference Center

I got a brochure today from Arrowhead East Conference I called Jan Tu rner at Arrowhead East. They'll be happy to
Center; I'm sending it to you by intero ffice ma il. host our group on March 15 and 16. Lunch on the last day is
no problem. They'll also provide co ffee breaks each morning.
Please call them about our upcoming trainmg seminar. The
I asked them to put five tables in each of the small rooms
center is nearby and the rates are reasonable. See if they can
along wi t h a monitor and VCR.
a ccom mo date 80 people. We'll need one large room and
10. 1 microphone/speakers lide
t h ree smaller ones for break-out meetings. In the large
projector
room, we should have a microphone and a computer
tape recorder
projection system. We'll also need lunch on the last day.
monitor/VCR
Meal
breakfast
" "

:.� ; :,,: ')j'; ?i/�:T.' , " ".:, );:,) ,.�.";:: . :::;;"')�" . . . ; : :·'··.. ·:�l· ···�� q ,
,lunch

PLANNING LOG dinner

coffee breaks
Company: Cell First, Inc. Audiovisual needs:

Contact person: (1 ) Pamela Davis System Number

E-mail address: (2) [email protected] computer projection system ( 10)

Phone number: 443-555-5522, ext. 23 microphone/speakers (1 1 ) 80

Dates: arrival (3) March 15 slide projector ( 1 2) 80
departure (4) March 16 tape recorder ( 1 3) 80
Number of people: (5) 80 monitorNCR ( 1 4) 80
Number of rooms: large (6) 1 small Catering:

small (7) 3 Meal Pate/Nur:vber of QeQQle

Furniture: tables breakfast ( 1 5) 80

80
large room 0 lunch ( 1 6)

small room (8) 5 each dinner ( 1 7 ) 80

chairs ( 9 ) 80 coffee breaks (18) 80

:' .. '
Model Letter: Requ esting a Service

Look at the different elements of a letter requesting a service.

CeliFirst, Inc.
1 0 Horbor PI.ce Bdltimore, Moryld"d 21220

Tel: (443) 5 5 5 ·5522

Fax: (443) 5 5 5 · 5 5 5 7
www.cellf; .. t.com
January 28, 20-
1-
Jan Tu rner
Arrowhead East Conference C e n ter
4 1 2 Bel levue Lane
An n apol i s, MD 2 1 401

Dear Ms. Tu rner:

Opening __ -1-:1... [ I n our telephone conversation yesterday, we d i scussed � I a ns to cond uct o u r tra i n i n g
sem i nar at yo ur conference center. I wou ld l i ke t o contirm those p l a n s .
1-·

r-

The dates of the sem i nar are March 1 5 th and 1 6t h . The hours are 1 :00 P. M . to 6:00
P.M. on the 1 5 th and 9:00 A . M . to 3 :00 P.M. on the 1 6t h . Ei ghty people w i l l be
attendi ng. We w i l l need a tota l of fou r rooms: one large room and th ree sma l ler
break-o ut rooms.
Focus ---....�
... I

As we disc ussed, we w i l l need a m i crophone and speakers i n the large room as

wel l as a computer projecti o n system. In each break-out room, we w i l l need five
tab l es, and a mon i tor and VCR.
L....
r-

On Mardi 1 6th, we w i l l have a catered l u nch. I wo u l d appreci ate your fax i ng me

the menu choi ces as soon as poss i b le, but no later than Friday, February 4th .

Action --- -r--.... I I wou ld also appreci ate receivi ng the projected costs for our two-day meeting. You do
not need to in clude the l u nch catering costs at this time. Cou ld you fax or e-ma i l me
your cost projections by January 3 1 st? I w i l l give you final confirmation of our
reservation by close-of-busi ness on the 3 1 st.

Closing __ -+....... [
"-

I wzmt to thank you fo. r your help i n p l a n n i n g our sem i nar. I look forward to
meet i n g you next week when I come to look over you r fac i l ities.

B est wishes,

Curt MarK..$
Curt Marks
Spec i a l Projects Officer Useful Language
eMlls
I n our conversation yesterday, we discussed --- '
'--________________--1 I would like to confirm ___ .

We will need ___ .

I would appreciate receiving

.� Unit 3
 The body of a letter requesting a service generally has four parts.

Part Content Example

Opening Tel l why you are writing. In our telephone conversation yesterday, we
discussed plans to conduct qur training seminar at
your conference center. . . .

Focus Give details about The dates of the seminar are March 1 5th and
your request. 1 6th. The hours are 1 :00 P.M. to 6:00 P. M. on the
1 5th and 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on the 1 6th.
Eighty people will be attending. We will need a
total of four rooms: one large room and three
smaller break-out rooms. . . .

Action Give a time frame. . . . Could you fax or e-mail me your cost projections
by January 31 st? . . .

Closing Thank the reader and I want to thank you for your help in planning
mention future our seminar. I look forward to meeting you
communication. next week . . . .

Practice 1 Write 0 if the sentence is for the opening, F for focus, A for action, or C
for clOSing.

1. __
C I look forward to your response.
2. F We expect 25 participants.
iWef1; SAID 3. __A Please call me to confirm the rooms by next Friday.

The expression
4. A I'm sending you confirmation today of the details that
close-of­
business usually means we discussed.
5:00 P.M., since most
'--_ ._-.,..._--- ----

businesses are open from O

9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. In
We are holding our annual meeting and I would like to get
informal correspondence,
information about your facilities.
you can use the abbreviation
A
I will get back to you by COB April 1 with the names of
COB. (I will fax this report by the participants.
COB tomorrow.) C
I look forward to your phone call.
F In addition to the meeting rooms, we will reserve five guest < V 'JUI.",

9. __
F We now need chairs and tables for 35 attendees.
10. F __ I would like to confirm the information that we discussed on the
phone today.
11. C
__ We look forward to meeting with you.
12. A Are you available to meet on Thursday at 3:00?

--
A I would like you to confirm the menu by the end of the week.
__
C I await your confirmation.
F We will need a buffet lunch for Monday, Tuesday, and WE�dnes(iay
-_

O I would like to receive information about your conference !<",!ll!U"" " 1

-_

Requesting a Service �
 ,
Writing You r Message
""
. ,.
(O p e n i ng
In the opening of the letter, explain why you are writing. Often, when
requesting a service, you are following up on a previous conversation. Make
specific reference to the earlier communication.

Practice 2 Complete these sentences. Use the prepositions at, by, for, in, of, or on. Some of
the prepositions may be used more than one time.

1. Thank you for

____ your telephone call this morning.

2. We would like to hold our meeting at Barnaby Place.

3. Please e-mail the menu by Wednesday morning.

4. We will need sixty chairs for the large room.

5. I would like a list ____of rates for the meeting rooms.

6. The meeting will end ____

on July 14th.

(focus
The focus of a letter requesting a service is to let the service provider know
what you need. Be as clear and exact as possible.
Not clear and exact We need some rooms.
Clear and exact We will need a total offour rooms: one large
room and three smaller break-out rooms.

Practice 3 Choose the sentence that is more clear and exact.

1. a. We will need a microphone and speakers.

b. We need sound equipment.
2. a. Can you get back to me sometime?
b. Could you fax or e-mail me your response tomorrow?
3. a. Eighty people will attend the meeting.
b. Fewer than one hundred people will attend the meeting.
4. a. We are going to have a two-day meeting, March 15th and 16th.
b. We are going to have a meeting.
5. a. The training seminar will take place on March 15 and 16.

/WelL SAID 6.
b. The training seminar will take place in March.
Would it be possible to have audiovisual equipment in the
ASAP means as soon as
a.

possible. Using ASAP means

break-out rooms?
that you need something
b. Would it be possible to have a monitor and VCR in each of the three
very quickly, but it doesn't smaller break-out rooms?
give an exact date and time.
7.
If you need something done
a. We'll need a few rooms.
by a certain time or date, b. We will need a total of four rooms.
be specific.
8. a. Could you e-mail or fax me your cost projections by tomorrow?
b. Could you e-mail me your cost projections ASAP?

� Unit 3
 ctction
In the action part of the letter, give a time frame for some action to be done.
You may promise to do something, or you may ask the recipient of the letter
to do something. Again, it is important to be specific.
You also must be polite. Use would or could to ask someone to do something.
I would also appreciate receiving the projected costs for our
.
two-day meeting.
Could you fax or e-mail me your costs by January 31st?

Practice 4 Rewrite these sentences as polite requests using would or could. Add your own
time frame.

Fax me the menus. Would you fax me. the. me.1f.us R!! M'W 9th?
I We£L, SAID
1.

2. Send me the cost projections. Would you send me the cost projections by
_________________________

Many conferences begin . January 25th?

with a session attended by 3. Provide lunch. __
Could you provide lunch by 12 PM tomorrow?
____________________________________

all the participants. After this

session, the large group 4. Open three additional rooms for break-out meetings. _________

breaks out into smaller

groups. The smaller sessions Would you open three additional rooms for break-out meetings by
are held in break-out rooms. next Friday?
S. Give me the price per person for coffee breaks. _____________

The expression per person

means for each person. For Could you give me the price per person for coffee breaks by the end of this week?
example, if the price of the
coffee break is $5.00 per 6. Put audiovisual equipment in the three break-out rooms. _______

person and there are 1 00

people, the total cost of the Would you put audiovisual equipment in the three break-out rooms by the end of
coffee break is $500.00. the day?
7. E-mail me the cost per person. Could you email me the cost per person by the
______________________

end of the day?

8. Get back to me on the dates of the training seminar. _____________

Would you get back to me on the dates of the training seminar by next Monday?

9. Add two more speakers in the large room. ____________

Could you add two more speakers in the large room by tomorrow afternoon?

10. Tell me the total number of attendees. _______________

Would you tell me the total number of attendees by the end of the week?

In the clOSing, mention some further communication. The communication

may be a phone call, a meeting, a letter, a fax, or an e-mail.

Practice 5 Write sentences using the expression I look forward to [+ -ing verb]. Use each
type of communication listed below. Add a specific time.

1. receiving an e-mail I looK, forward to re.cei1dYg' your e.-mail to"W(;(2rrow

2. receiving a fax I look forward to receiving your fax by the end of the day.
______________________________________

3. receiving a letter I look forward to receiving your letter by the end of the week.
__________________________

4. receiving a phone call I look forward to receiving your phone call later today.
_____________________________

5. meeting ___
I look forward to meeting with you on Thursday afternoon.
_________________________

Requesting a Service .�
 letter Practice 1
, � - � - - ' � .. . --,

Complete the sentences in this letter. Use the words below.

approximately confirm forward rooms

available conversation possible take place

!-i£qci8oon
Bectrlcal Engineering
55 Lakeshore Drive
Chicago, lL 60603

June 1 1 , 20-

Ms. Joanne Way

Cal iforni a Convention and Trade Center
1 5 5 Figueroa Street
los Angeles, CA 9 1 3 3 5

Dear M s . Way:

conversation th is morni ng, we d iscussed the upcom ing

In o u r telephone (1 )
convention of the Assoc iation of Electrical Engi neering. I want to (2) confirm
______

the fo l l owi ng information.

The conference w i l l (3) take place on December 3-4. We expect

______

(4) approximately 700 engi neers and exhibitors to attend the conference.
We w i l l need one l arge hall for the welcome speech and fifteen break-out
(5) rooms , each with a 50-person capacity. Overhead projectors and
computers should be (6) available for each roo m.

Wou ld it be (7) ______

possible for you to provide a formal l u nch on the fi nal day of
the conference? I f so, please fax the menu selections to me before Friday.

I al so look (8) forward to receiving you r price esti mates by next Monday.

Please call me if you need additional i nformation.

Si ncerely,

John Onal
Events Manager

1!.; Unit 3
I
. Letter Practice 2.
Frank Feder sent a letter requesting a service. The shaded boxes show ten
places where he made errors. Write the correct word or punctuation above
the errors.

.I.
That's
I Good; Business., �
CA stands for
...
The abbreviation
Help the Ocean
California. As a
general rule, do ;
2601
..
Ocean P",.k Avenue
S.m' Monic.., CA 90405
not use
abbreviations in February 23, 20-
the body of a business letter.
A U.S. state name in the
inside' address and on the
Ms. Rachel Glass
envelope are exceptions. A Sunburst Conference Planning
list of these abbreviations is P. O. Box 6 1875
on page 1 37. Monterey, CA 93940

(1 ) Dear Ms. Glass ;

(2) We were hold our annual meeting from May 2-5.

(3) r would like to recieve information about your meeting locations.

(4), (5) It will be twenty-five executives coming from around the world. While our

(6) will hold meetings during the day, we want to scheduled some outdoor

(7) activities. Because our organization is dedicated on the health of our

oceans, perhaps some event on the water could be arranged?

(8) Please to my attention send the materials at the above address. I will be

leaving for a business trip on March 3, so r would like to receive the

materials before r leave.

(9) r look for to hearing from you.

( 1 0) Sincerely :

franK.. fe..de..r

Frank Feder
Director of Operations

Requesting a Service �
Letter Practice 3
� '" � M, ' >. � � w
:. • \

Jan Turner, a meeting planner at Arrowhead East Conference Center, has kept a
log with informatio n from the letters req uesting a service. P retend that you are the
assistant to one of the contact people below. Use the information in the log to
write a letter requesting service. Remember to put your initials at the bottom of
the letter after the contact person's initials.

,
That's Hanoi Star

I Gooc{; Business .,
Company WRTG Radio
Contact Person Mary Smith Le Ngo Quang
Before reserving . .. .. Address 1 Longman Plaza 1 4 Thuy Khue
a meeting White Plains, NY 1 0606 Tay Ho
place, you or ' Hanoi, Vietnam
someone from E-mail m_smith @wrtg.com Inq @ hanoistar.net
your company
should Phone 91 4-555-81 00 84-4-971 -2282
personally check out the Fax 91 4-555-8765 84-4-971 -2285
facility. Brochures and Web Event Dates Sept. 1 5-1 7 Oct. 5-1 0
sites can be misleading.
Number of Attendees 50 1 000
Rooms Required
Large 5
Small 5 25
Audiovisual Equipment
Computer Projection System 5 5
Microphone 5
Speakers 5
Slide Projector 10
Overhead Projector 10
MonitorNCR 5 25
Equipment
Tables: 6' rectangular 1 0 per large room
Tables: 4' round
Podium 5
Flipchart 5 25
Catering: Dates/Number of People
Lunch Sept. 1 7/50
Dinner Sept. 1 6/50
Breaks Sept. 1 6 p.M.l50

Words and Expressions to Know

Look at this list of words and expressions that were used in the unit. Their definitions are in the glossary
at the end of the book.

accommodate confirmation look over rate see (find out)

confirm fax projected reserve

.� U n it 3