Narration:
Here are some tips for structuring a letter where you need to make a request. We’ll use the request letter we saw earlier in the lesson. The first point is that, like all letters for Task I, you should begin by stating the purpose for writing. In this case, the purpose is to recover an item left in a hotel room. In this letter the writer gives some background to the situation, then goes on to make the actual request to have the necklace sent back, as we see here. A useful tip for when you are writing a letter in which you request something is to also ask for confirmation as to whether your request is possible, as we see here. In formal request letters it is also common and polite to thank the person for the help you are expecting from them – as we see here.
Here is some more useful language for making requests.
When writing a letter of thanks, it is common to start your letter by giving thanks and also to repeat your gratitude at the end of the letter using a different phrase and vocabulary, as you can see here. It is also common when writing a letter of thanks to end by reciprocating – that is, to offer something in return. For example, in this situation, we could say this.
Here is some more useful language for giving thanks.