5.3. Formal Letter Phrases
A bank of phrases that open a complaint, a request, an application or an apology, and the traps that drop the tone.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You recently had a new washing machine delivered and installed by a local shop, but it has leaked water into your kitchen twice since it was fitted.
Write a letter to the shop's customer service manager. In your letter:
- give details of the purchase and the installation
- describe the problems the machine has caused
- say what you would like the shop to do
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,
Write at least 150 words.
The short version
Four purposes: complain, request, apply, apologise. Each has its own opening phrase.
Name the purpose in line one: I am writing to…
Formal means no contractions: I'd becomes I would, hasn't becomes has not.
Every phrase needs a concrete detail after it, such as a date or a sum.
What you have to do
The test shows a situation, a reader and three bullets. When the reader is someone you do not know, or an official, the letter is formal. It needs at least 150 words in about 20 minutes, no contractions, and set phrases that name the purpose. It is marked on covering the bullets in a fitting tone, organisation, vocabulary and grammar. This lesson is a phrase bank. The phrases open a complaint, a request, an application or an apology, and close the letter politely.
I am writing to complain about… The problem has continued since [date], despite…
I would be grateful if you could… / I would like to ask you to…
I am writing to apply for the post of [role] advertised in… / I have two years’ experience…
I am writing to apologise for… / I am sorry that this caused…
Opening, closing and signing off
The purpose phrase is the first sentence. Before it comes the greeting, and after the last bullet comes a closing line and a sign-off. The closing line is one polite sentence that looks forward to a reply. The sign-off follows the greeting: no name takes Yours faithfully, a name takes Yours sincerely.
Dear Sir or Madam, / Dear Ms Khan, / I am writing in connection with… / Further to your letter of 3 May…
On 2 May I… / I enclose a copy of the receipt. / As agreed on the phone on Tuesday…
I look forward to hearing from you. / Thank you for your attention to this matter. / I would appreciate a reply by 14 June.
Dear Sir or Madam → Yours faithfully. Dear Ms Khan → Yours sincerely.
Complain and apologise, in one sentence each
I am writing to complain about the three-week closure of the main pool, which has continued since 3 April despite the notice promising a two-week repair.
I am writing to apologise for missing the volunteer shift on Saturday 12 May, and to explain why I was unable to let you know in advance.
Quiz time4 questions
Each drill gives you the task or the sentences it needs, so nothing has to be looked up. Practise one judgement at a time.
Pick the phrase that fits the reader
The reader is an official you have never met. Choose the sentence that fits.
Read thisTask: A neighbour's dog barks through the night. Write a letter to the council's environmental health department. Bullet 3: say what you want the council to do.
Which sentence fits this reader?
Spot the phrase that is too informal
Four sentences from one formal letter. One belongs to a text to a friend. Find it.
Read thisFrom a letter to a community hall, opened with *Dear Sir or Madam*, about a deposit that has not been returned.
Which sentence contains the error?
Complete the purpose line
One word completes the purpose line for this task.
Read thisTask: You have seen an advertisement for a part-time receptionist at a dental practice. Write a letter to the practice manager. Bullet 1: say which job you are writing about.
I am writing to for the post of part-time receptionist advertised in the Fen Gazette on 3 May.
Which sentence apologises?
Two of these are formal. Only one does the job the bullet asks for. Choose it.
Read thisTask: You missed a meeting with your child's teacher, Mrs Dunn. Write a letter to her. Bullet 1: apologise for missing the meeting.
Which sentence answers bullet 1?
The full model
Below is an application task with a complete formal letter that uses the phrases in the bank. Read the first sentence of each paragraph and name the phrase it starts with, then check the detail that follows it.
You want to apply for a weekend volunteer role at the harbour museum. Write a letter to the volunteer coordinator. In your letter: - say why you are interested - describe your relevant experience - ask about the hours and training Write at least 150 words.
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to apply for the weekend volunteer role at the harbour museum, which I saw advertised on the noticeboard at Fen Library on 3 May. I have lived in the town for six years and I visit the museum with my nephew most months. What interests me most is the boat hall, and I would welcome the chance to help visitors understand the collection rather than simply walk past it. I have two years' experience as a gallery steward at the Quay Street Arts Centre, where I welcomed visitors, answered questions and ran the shop till on Saturdays. I am a confident speaker, and I am free every weekend. I would be grateful if you could tell me the Saturday hours and whether the first two weekends are a training shift. I would also like to know whether a uniform is provided. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, Jordan Hale
Apply, give a detail, request, close, sign off: every paragraph opens with a phrase from the bank. Every phrase has a date, a place or a number after it. No name → Yours faithfully.
Your turn to write3 questions
Which letter is it from?
Match each purpose to the sentence that belongs in that letter.
Friend or coordinator?
Each line on the left is how you might put it to a friend. Match it to the formal version you would send to someone you do not know.
Write the purpose line
One formal sentence. State the problem and what you want.
You paid for a photography course in March. The course was cancelled, and the refund you were promised has not arrived after six weeks. Write the purpose line of a formal complaint to the course provider.
0 / 12 words
Set up your learning path at the top of this lesson to get band-specific feedback.
Tips
- Learn the four openers as one list
I am writing to complain about, to apply for, to apologise for, and I would be grateful if you could. Four phrases cover almost every formal letter the test sets.
- Put a date after the phrase
Since 3 April, on Saturday 12 May, by 14 June. A date turns a set phrase into a specific sentence, and it is the easiest detail to invent.
- Read the letter back for contractions
Every I'd, hasn't and it's becomes the full form. If one slips through, the whole letter sounds less formal than the phrases promised.
Recap
Each purpose has its own opening phrase: complain, request, apply, apologise.
State why you are writing in the first sentence, then put a concrete detail after every phrase.
Formal register means no contractions, no chatty phrases, and a sign-off that matches the greeting.
Next: the phrases that make an informal letter sound natural.