Practice the vocabulary of professional writing with this business letters exercise. The terms here reflect the conventions and expressions of formal and semi-formal business correspondence in English.
💬 Useful phrases “Let me clarify what I mean by that.” — used to prevent misunderstanding by providing further explanation “If I understand you correctly...” — paraphrasing the other person's point to confirm comprehension “Would you be able to expand on that?” — asking for more detail on a point someone has briefly mentioned “That's an interesting perspective. Have you considered...?” — engaging constructively with someone's idea while introducing a new angle “I'd like to revisit this point later if that's okay.” — noting something to return to without interrupting the current discussion “To be transparent about our situation...” — signaling honest and direct communication about a limitation or constraint “We're aligned on the goal, but differ on the approach.” — clearly identifying where agreement and disagreement exist “Let's define what success looks like for this project.” — proposing to establish shared expectations and measurable outcomes
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Choose the correct response to complete each sentence.
1. This is the best way of __________________________ (= making sure) that everyone knows what's going on.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
2. I'm attaching an __________________________ ( = detailed) list of damages.
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3. We'll require 20% of the total payment __________________________ ( = in advance), and the rest upon delivery of the merchandise.
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4. I haven't had a chance to __________________________ (= look over) your file yet.
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5. I'm going to ___________________________ ( = send) your email to my supervisor.
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6. I'll be able to ___________________________ you a price ( = give you an estimate) by Friday.
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7. Could you tell me more about the steps ____________________ in this process? ( = steps that make up this process)
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8. Orders are usually processed __________________ ( = in the span of) two business days.
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9. How long does it ___________________________ ( = usually) take to produce 1,000 bags?
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10. Unfortunately, we don't ___________________________ any discounts at this time.
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