1 Reading
a Read the three emails and tick (✓) the correct answers.
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Email A |
Email B |
Email C |
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1 Which email is about changing the date of a meeting? |
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2 Which email is about some problems with a family holiday? |
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3 Which email is from the parents of a very young child who was ill? |
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Email A
Dear Mr Patterson
Thank you for your email of 5 September about the problems you had during your holiday with Turkish Sun Tours. I am writing to apologise for putting you in a different hotel from your friends. Unfortunately, our agents in Turkey made a mistake with your booking and did not reserve enough rooms at the Hotel Paradise. This is why they had to put your family in another hotel in the same resort.
I hope you will book a holiday with us again in the future and we would like to offer you a 25% discount on your next holiday with us. This is our way of apologising for the problems you had.
Yours sincerely,
Pam Webster
Customer Services Manager, Turkish Sun Tours
Email B
Hi Jim
Just a quick message to say sorry that we couldn’t come to your house for dinner last Saturday. Unfortunately, our youngest son, Jack, had a really high temperature, so we couldn’t leave him with our babysitter.
Some friends of ours are coming round for lunch next Sunday so, if you’re free, maybe you and Sarah could join us? Let me know if you can come. Hope to see you on Sunday.
Love
Melanie x
Email C
Dear Malcolm
I’m writing to let you know that I need to rearrange my trip to New York planned for next week. David Smith, our new Managing Director, has just asked me to go with him to Beijing on Sunday to attend a meeting with our Chinese distributor. I’m very sorry to cancel my trip at the last minute, but the meeting in China is really important.
Could we hold a meeting in New York during the week of 15 May instead? Let me know if you’re free to meet that week.
Best wishes,
Amanda
b Read the three emails again. Are the sentences true or false?
1 Mr Patterson didn’t stay in the same hotel as his friends.
2 The agents in Turkey couldn’t find a hotel for Mr Patterson’s family.
3 Turkish Sun Tours is going to give Mr Patterson a free holiday.
4 Melanie would like to invite Jim and Sarah to lunch next Sunday.
5 Amanda wants to meet Malcolm in Beijing next week.
Answer
a 1 Email C 2 Email A 3 Email B
b True: 1, 4; False: 2, 3, 5
2 Writing Skills – Formal and informal language
Read the sentences from an email from the manager of a restaurant to an unhappy customer. Rewrite the sentences and change the words in bold to make the email more formal.
1 Hi Mrs Miller
Dear Mrs Miller
2 Thanks very much for your email of 15 June.
3 I’m writing to say sorry for the poor service you received in our restaurant last Saturday.
4 We’ve just opened the restaurant and we’ve had a few problems finding experienced waiters and waitresses.
5 However, we’re working hard to improve our levels of service and I’m confident that we won’t have any more problems of this kind in the future.
6 We hope you’ll come back to our restaurant again and we’d like to offer you a 50% discount on your next meal with us.
7 This is our way of saying sorry for the problems you’ve had.
8 Best wishes,
Answer
2 Thank you very much for your email of 15 June.
3 I am writing to apologise for the poor service you received in our restaurant last Saturday.
4 We have just opened the restaurant and we have had a few problems finding experienced waiters and waitresses.
5 However, we are working hard to improve our levels of service and I am confident that we will not have any more problems of this kind in the future.
6 We hope you will come back to our restaurant again and we would like to offer you a 50% discount on your next meal with us.
7 This is our way of apologising for the problems you have had.
8 Yours sincerely,
3 Writing
Read the letter from David Hurst to a hotel in Sorrento. Write an email of apology from the manager of the hotel. Use the notes to help you.
10th July 2015
Dear Sir/Madam
Re: Problems at the Hotel Dante
I am writing to complain about the poor service I received when I stayed at your hotel in Sorrento last week.
First, when I booked the room on the Internet I asked for a room with a view of the sea. However, I was given a room with a view of the car park. Secondly, the receptionist was very rude to my wife when she had a problem with the shower. In fact, there wasn’t enough hot water for us to have a shower for the first two days of our stay. Finally, the service in the restaurant was too slow. Every morning we had to wait at least half an hour for our breakfast.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
David Hurst
Notes for reply to Mr Hurst
• apologise for poor service
• wrong room: problems with website?
• shower: problems with water heating system
• slow service in restaurant: three waiters ill that week
• offer a 50% discount on next visit?
Answer
Suggested answer
Dear Mr Hurst
Thank you for your email of 10 July about the problems you had during your stay at our hotel. I am writing to apologise for the poor service you had while you were staying with us.
Unfortunately, we have had a few problems with our website recently. I think that is why you were not given a room with a view of the sea. We have also had some problems with our water heating system in the last few weeks, so this is why sometimes there was not enough hot water for showers or baths. Finally, we did not have enough staff in our restaurant while you were staying with us because three of our waiters became ill.
I hope you will come and stay at our hotel in Sorrento again. I would like to offer you a 50% discount the next time you come to the Hotel Dante. This is our way of apologising for the problems you have had.
Yours faithfully
Enzo Conte
Manager
Hotel Dante
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