Writing Formal Emails Letters

Respuesta correcta: C) I am writing to request an extension of the library deadline for our group project.

• A) Hey, could you please maybe extend the deadline for our group project?The greeting and the request are informal and hedged, which suits a message to a classmate rather than to the principal.
• B) Just a quick note to say that we would be really grateful if the deadline could move.'Just a quick note' is conversational and 'really grateful' is too familiar for a formal request.
• C) I am writing to request an extension of the library deadline for our group project.Correct. 'I am writing to...' states the purpose of the letter formally and tells the reader immediately why the message exists.
• D) You need to extend our deadline because we have not finished the project yet.This is a blunt instruction to the reader and it gives a reason the writer should present politely instead.

Respuesta correcta: B) I would be grateful if you could approve our request, since the equipment is already booked for that date.

• A) Approve our request, because the equipment is already booked.It opens with an imperative and gives the reason as an afterthought, which reads as an order.
• B) I would be grateful if you could approve our request, since the equipment is already booked for that date.Correct. The reason explains the circumstances behind the request and is attached with 'since', which keeps the tone courteous.
• C) You do not have to approve it, although the equipment is already booked for that date.The condition is stated as optional and no request is actually made, so the sentence communicates nothing to act on.
• D) Since the equipment is already booked, this is impossible for us to send to the office.The sentence reports a problem instead of making a request, so the reader is left without an action to take.

Respuesta correcta: D) I look forward to your reply. Thank you for your time and consideration.

• A) Bye! Let me know soon, please.The sign-off is informal and the pressure to reply is placed on the reader rather than requested politely.
• B) Yours, and that is all I needed to say about this matter.The closing is curt and ungrateful, which is not the register a formal letter requires.
• C) I hope you will not ignore this email, because I have already waited two weeks.This is an accusation rather than a courtesy and undermines the polite request made earlier in the letter.
• D) I look forward to your reply. Thank you for your time and consideration.Correct. It invites a response and closes with thanks, which are the two conventional moves at the end of a formal letter.

Respuesta correcta: A) I sincerely apologise for the delay in replying to your enquiry of 3 March.

• A) I sincerely apologise for the delay in replying to your enquiry of 3 March.Correct. 'I sincerely apologise' is a formal acknowledgement and the date identifies exactly which message is being referred to.
• B) Sorry, the reply is late. I have been very busy and also the mail is slow.It is too casual for a business message and the excuses put the blame outside the writer's control.
• C) The reply is late, and in my opinion the office should have replied faster.This criticises another party instead of accepting responsibility, so no apology is actually made.
• D) Please accept that the reply was late, although it was not my fault.'Please accept' demands rather than apologises, and the denial of responsibility weakens the apology.

Respuesta correcta: C) You can reach me at 787-555-0142 or at marina.torres@example.com.

• A) You can reach me at 787-555-0142 or maybe somewhere near my house.The second option is not usable, so a reader who cannot call is left with no way to reply.
• B) My phone and my mailbox are both the best ways to contact me.The sentence describes the methods in general instead of giving the actual numbers and addresses needed.
• C) You can reach me at 787-555-0142 or at marina.torres@example.com.Correct. It offers two complete channels and names the means of reaching the writer, which lets the reader respond without difficulty.
• D) Email me at example.com, and my telephone is on the letterhead of this paper.The address is given backwards and the phone number is only stated to exist, not to be readable.

Respuesta correcta: A) I am writing to enquire whether your office could send the annual report by post.

• A) I am writing to enquire whether your office could send the annual report by post.Correct. 'I am writing to enquire whether' is the standard formal opening for a letter that asks for information.
• B) Send the annual report to my house as soon as you can, please.The imperative gives an instruction rather than enquiring, which changes the purpose of the letter entirely.
• C) I am writing to tell you what happened with the annual report last year.This reports the past instead of asking about something, so the reader has no request to act on.
• D) Just wondering if you might possibly post the report out at some point.The chain of hedges sounds conversational and uncertain rather than formal and businesslike.

Respuesta correcta: D) Dear Sir or Madam,

• A) Hey you,This greeting is conversational and would be inappropriate in any formal letter.
• B) Hi everyone,The plural greeting suggests a group chat and does not address a single professional reader.
• C) My friend,It implies personal familiarity that the writer has not established with the reader.
• D) Dear Sir or Madam,Correct. This is the conventional salutation when the recipient is not named, and it pairs with the closing Yours faithfully.

Respuesta correcta: B) Purpose, details and request, closing thanks, then the sign-off.

• A) Sign-off, purpose, closing thanks, then the details and the request.Beginning with the sign-off removes the heading the reader needs before the rest makes sense.
• B) Purpose, details and request, closing thanks, then the sign-off.Correct. The reader learns why the message exists, what is being asked, and how the writer closes, in that order.
• C) Request, purpose, sign-off, then closing thanks and the details of the request.The request appears before the purpose that would explain it, and the sign-off interrupts the body.
• D) Details, closing thanks, purpose, then the request and finally the sign-off.The reader meets the facts before knowing why they matter, which is the reverse of the expected order.

Respuesta correcta: C) A full description of the writer's weekend and the weather during the trip.

• A) The date on which the writer is travelling.The travel date determines whether the request can be met, so it is essential to the reader's decision.
• B) The reference number of the booking being changed.The reference lets the office find the file immediately and without a second letter.
• C) A full description of the writer's weekend and the weather during the trip.Correct. Nothing about a weekend or the weather affects the request, and a formal letter keeps only what the reader needs to act.
• D) The specific change the writer is asking for.The precise request is the point of the letter, so it can never be left out.

Respuesta correcta: D) Replace the repeated plea with 'I would be grateful if you could confirm the room booking by Friday'.

• A) Repeat the request at the beginning, in the middle and at the end so it cannot be missed.Repetition in formal writing reads as padding rather than emphasis and buries the body of the email.
• B) Add 'please' several times to every sentence so the tone becomes more formal.Repeating please does not change the register, and several polite words in one sentence read oddly.
• C) Remove the request entirely and describe the situation so the reader infers it.With no explicit request the reader must guess what is wanted, which is the opposite of clear formal writing.
• D) Replace the repeated plea with 'I would be grateful if you could confirm the room booking by Friday'.Correct. The revision states the request once, in indirect form, and attaches a clear deadline.

Respuesta correcta: A) Yours sincerely,

• A) Yours sincerely,Correct. Yours sincerely is used when the recipient is named, while an unnamed recipient requires Yours faithfully.
• B) Yours faithfully,This closing is for an unnamed recipient, so pairing it with a named addressee is a mismatch.
• C) See you around,The sign-off is conversational and does not close a formal letter.
• D) Goodbye forever and ever,The hyperbole is not a formal closing and would confuse rather than impress the reader.

Respuesta correcta: C) I was unable to submit the form earlier because the office was closed during the holiday period.

• A) Your office is always closed at the worst moment and I could not do anything about it.This assigns blame to the reader, which is inappropriate in a formal message to an office.
• B) I was too busy with my own work to bother with the form.The admission is candid but informal and puts the writer in a poor light in a formal letter.
• C) I was unable to submit the form earlier because the office was closed during the holiday period.Correct. It states the reason in a neutral, verifiable way without complaining about the delay itself.
• D) The form is impossible for anyone to fill in, since the instructions are very confusing.This criticises the document instead of explaining a specific personal obstacle, so it deflects rather than informs.

Respuesta correcta: B) The kettle arrived damaged on 12 April, and I am writing to request a replacement under the guarantee.

• A) Your useless kettle arrived broken and you people have no idea how to run a shop.The insult and the familiar 'you people' belong to an argument, not to a formal complaint.
• B) The kettle arrived damaged on 12 April, and I am writing to request a replacement under the guarantee.Correct. It records the facts with a date and states the remedy formally, without either accusing or excusing the company.
• C) Kettle broken, delivery terrible, refund please, thanks a lot.This telegraphic list omits dates and the grounds for the claim, so the company could not act on it.
• D) I am writing to complain about the kettle, which is a product, and it was not as expected.Calling the kettle a product and saying it was not as expected state no fault and ask for no remedy.

Respuesta correcta: D) Please find attached the completed form required for the sports permit.

• A) Attached is the form, which you need, and you will need it soon.The inverted sentence omits the purpose and repeats the need, which makes the instruction harder to follow.
• B) I send you now the thing that is attached at the end of this message.The wording is vague and informal and never states what the document is or what it is for.
• C) You will not be able to do anything without the document, and it is attached.The opening is a threat rather than an explanation and the sentence never names the document.
• D) Please find attached the completed form required for the sports permit.Correct. It names what is attached, explains why it is needed and uses the conventional formula 'please find attached'.

Respuesta correcta: C) Thank you for considering my application, and I would be glad to provide any further information.

• A) Hope you like my application because I worked really hard on it for weeks.The first-person emphasis and the contraction belong to an informal message to a friend.
• B) Send me an answer now, because I need to know as soon as possible.This is a demand rather than a courteous close and applies pressure to the reader.
• C) Thank you for considering my application, and I would be glad to provide any further information.Correct. It thanks the reader, acknowledges the reader's decision and leaves the door open, all in measured formal language.
• D) That is everything, although I might write again later with more details.The hint at further messages leaves the reader unsure whether the application is complete or still open.

Respuesta correcta: B) She led the team that reorganised the archive, and the catalogue was complete three months ahead of schedule.

• A) She is a wonderful person and the best colleague anyone could ask for.This is praise with no evidence, and a reader cannot judge a recommendation built only on adjectives.
• B) She led the team that reorganised the archive, and the catalogue was complete three months ahead of schedule.Correct. It names the specific contribution and an outcome with a timeframe, which is the kind of detail a reader can weigh.
• C) She is very good at her job and she is also very good at other jobs.The repeated vague claim restates the praise without adding a single fact about her work.
• D) I have worked with her since I was at school, so I know her very well indeed.This establishes familiarity but says nothing about the candidate's ability, which is what the letter must report.

Respuesta correcta: A) I would appreciate it if you could send me the signed form before the end of the week.

• A) I would appreciate it if you could send me the signed form before the end of the week.Correct. 'I would appreciate it if' is the standard indirect form, and the request is followed by a clear timeframe.
• B) Send me the signed form before the end of the week without forgetting it.This is a command with an added reproach, which is the wrong register for a formal email.
• C) It would not be a bad idea if the signed form reached me before the end of the week.The hedged suggestion is so weak that the reader may not recognise it as a request at all.
• D) The signed form, which you will send me, is due before the end of the week.The clause asserts the reader's future action instead of requesting it politely.

Respuesta correcta: C) The office will confirm your booking by email once the deposit has been paid.

• A) They will confirm it once you have paid, and they usually do it quickly.Both pronouns are ambiguous: they and it have no clear referent anywhere in the sentence.
• B) It will be confirmed by them after it has been paid by you.The passive stacking of it and them leaves the reader guessing which nouns were replaced.
• C) The office will confirm your booking by email once the deposit has been paid.Correct. Each clause names its own subject, so no reader has to guess who confirmed the booking or who paid the deposit.
• D) That is confirmed by them when it is paid, as is normally done.That and it refer to nothing that has been named, and as is normally done adds no content.

Respuesta correcta: D) Well, that is my idea anyway, so do whatever you want about it, whatever.

• A) I am writing to confirm the arrangements for the visit on 4 May.This states the purpose precisely and belongs in the opening of such a letter.
• B) Please let me know if any further information is required.This anticipates the reader's needs politely and is a normal part of a formal closing.
• C) I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.This is the conventional formal expression of an expected reply.
• D) Well, that is my idea anyway, so do whatever you want about it, whatever.Correct. The repeated fillers and the casual dismissal of the matter are incompatible with the courtesy a formal letter requires.

Respuesta correcta: B) I am writing to request a change of lab room for Thursday, since our current room seats only eighteen of our twenty-four students.

• A) Hi, the room is too small, it is a fact, and we need a change, so fix it, thanks.The casual opening and the bare imperative replace the formal request with a demand.
• B) I am writing to request a change of lab room for Thursday, since our current room seats only eighteen of our twenty-four students.Correct. It names the purpose, gives a specific verifiable reason with figures and makes the request in a single courteous sentence.
• C) Rooms, seats, students, numbers: these are the things that matter in this kind of letter.Listing the nouns states the topic without making any request, so the reader has no action to take.
• D) It is not possible to say that the room is small, although everyone knows it is.The sentence denies a claim nobody made and concedes one nobody disputed, so it says nothing about the request.