Grammar help please

squizza

squizza

Eeyore
Suspended / Banned
Messages
2,855
Edit My Images
Yes
Ladies and gents,

I could appreciate your help on the following...

I'm bloomin chuffed with my spec covering letter but the first line is the only thing letting it down.

Its currently
Please accept this letter confirming my interest in working for _______. I was wondering if you have an opening for a receptionist?


What is another way for saying 'wondering'. This is the only part of the letter that has me completely stumped. :bang:

Many thanks in advance

Edit: Thesaurus has come up with stupid words like pondering.
 
Last edited:
Nothing wrong with wondering,you could try wandering but I wouldn't recommend it :D

Curious seems out of context tbh :thinking:
 
it's an enquiery isn't it. so thats the word (spelt right) that you should use :)
 
I was wondering if ........... Could you say whether
 
TBH the first two sentences both sound a little clumsy to me.

If you're sending a letter / CV in on spec you're not technically "confirming" your interest unless you've already spoken to them beforehand. And asking them whether they have an opening for a receptionist is a closed question inviting just a "yes" or "no" answer. They may not have a vacancy for a receptionist, but there might have been another position there that may suit you.

Try something like :

I would like to express my interest in working for xxxxxx. I'm enquiring in particular about any vacancies that you may have for receptionists, however I also have significant administration / people management / blah blah blah skills which could prove to be an asset in other areas of your organisation / company / whatever.

That way you're also getting into your sales pitch early on and showcasing some of your skills right at the start of the letter.
A lot of readers will decide whether to bin it or carry on reading after the first two sentences, so that tactic will really help you.
 
Bowl them over and spell it inquiring.

By the way, the rest of your post needs plenty of help. ;)
 
Please accept this letter confirming my interest in working for _______. I was wondering if you have an opening for a receptionist?

Please accept this letter confirming my interest in working for ___________.

a) I am interested to know if you have an opening for a receptionist as ? (what is the reason for being interested) <insert here> I have a friend who has 346 years experience as a Receptionist etc :D

b) I am interested to know if you have any current vacancies for a receptionist?

c) I would be interested to know if you have any vacancies for a receptionist?


Good luck :)
 
Last edited:
SarahLee said:
Try something like :

I would like to express my interest in working for xxxxxx. I'm enquiring in particular about any vacancies that you may have for receptionists, however I also have significant administration / people management / blah blah blah skills which could prove to be an asset in other areas of your organisation / company / whatever.

That way you're also getting into your sales pitch early on and showcasing some of your skills right at the start of the letter.
A lot of readers will decide whether to bin it or carry on reading after the first two sentences, so that tactic will really help you.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree with this.
 
Good advice from Sarah - by the way...

[YOUTUBE]aObZJN9zDtA[/YOUTUBE]
 
Inquire vs, Enquire

Saw this on a website and thought it useful...

"These are two spellings of the same word, which means to seek information about something or to conduct a formal investigation (usually when followed by &#8220;into&#8221;). The corresponding noun is enquiry or inquiry.

In practice, enquire and enquiry are more common in British English, and inquire and inquiry are more common in US English, for both informal questions and formal investigations. However, the Guardian (a British newspaper) tells writers to &#8220;use inquiry&#8221; and the Oxford English Dictionary seems to recognise inquire as the more dominant form, deeming enquiry:

&#8221;An alternative form of INQUIRE. The mod. Dicts. give inquire as the standard form, but enquire is still very frequently used, esp. in the sense &#8216;to ask a question&#8217;.&#8221;

So, it&#8217;s up to you which spelling you use, though if you&#8217;re writing for a particular publication, it&#8217;s worth asking about their house style. Sticking with inquire is probably best if you&#8217;re at all unsure."

Anthony
 
It doesn't matter in the least whether you use "enquire" or "inquire" but style, grammar, spelling and punctuation are very important. Mistakes let you down, and devalue your CV or letter. I always ask someone else to proof read important stuff, because spell checks aren't context sensitive and can miss things.

I'm not too keen on expressions like "Please accept this letter" either. It's a bit clumsy, and unnecessary. I'd just say" I am writing to ask/enquire if you have any vacancies for....", or "I would like to apply for the position of.............", "This is to confirm my interest in the position we discussed this morning..............."

Simple and direct is usually best. Good luck!
 
I agree with Martyn about "Please accept". You're asking them to accept the letter.....when they've already got it in their hand.
It's akin to phoning them up and asking if you can ring them in my opinion.
 
And make sure you're not starting the letter "Dear Sir/Madam"..
 
Thankyou all for your advice :) Why wouldn't you use Sir/Madam? :)
 
squizza said:
Ladies and gents,

I could appreciate your help on the following...

I'm bloomin chuffed with my spec covering letter but the first line is the only thing letting it down.

Its currently
Please accept this letter confirming my interest in working for _______. I was wondering if you have an opening for a receptionist?


What is another way for saying 'wondering'. This is the only part of the letter that has me completely stumped. :bang:

Many thanks in advance

Edit: Thesaurus has come up with stupid words like pondering.
Click to expand...

How about " I would like to express an interest in- etc
Realspeed
 
Last edited:
squizza said:
Thankyou all for your advice :) Why wouldn't you use Sir/Madam? :)
Click to expand...

Because I'd make sure I found out who I was writing to and always use their name.. Mr Smith, or Ms Jones :)

It demonstrates you care enough about the job to find out who you might be working for, and that you're capable of finding out who they are (quick phone call). Enquiring about the health of their children by name might be taking it too far and verging on creepy, though.. :lol:
 
Alastair said:
Because I'd make sure I found out who I was writing to and always use their name.. Mr Smith, or Ms Jones :)

It demonstrates you care enough about the job to find out who you might be working for, and that you're capable of finding out who they are (quick phone call). Enquiring about the health of their children by name might be taking it too far and verging on creepy, though.. :lol:
Click to expand...


Fair point, makes total sense :)
 
squizza said:
Fair point, makes total sense :)
Click to expand...

OK, one more point, and please don't be offended! Remember to use "Yours sincerely" if you write to someone by name, and "Yours faithfully" if you do have to write using "Dear Sir/Madam".

You can sign off with Best/Kind Regards, but it's very American. I do use these in mail, but not in more formal correspondence. I think the traditional forms are still appropriate in the UK.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top