Personal – Page 9

Letter of Congratulations

Letters of congratulations, or congratulations letters, are appropriate for various situations, both personal and business. The sample letter of congratulations below is typical. In it, someone congratulates a colleague cum acquaintance for an award she has received. Unsolicited gestures such as this are good practice, both in business and in friendships.

(print personal Letter of Congratulations on standard stationery)
495 West Village Way
Suite 975
New York, New York
10023-6825

January 15, 20xx
Mavis Jamieson
880 West 60th Street
Suite 1850
New York, New York
10025-5745

Dear Mavis:

Please accept my heartiest congratulations on your recent selection for inclusion on the short-list for the NY City Writers Prize.

I just heard the news today from Francis Goodspeed when she dropped into my office with the marked up proofs for her latest collection of stories. As you can imagine, Fran was very excited too!

I am so proud of you. As you know, I have been a longtime promoter of your work, and in my mind it’s about time they finally recognized your talent. In fact, I believe that your selection for the NYCWP short-list is long overdue.

I have already read two of the other books that are short-listed and in my opinion they don’t hold a candle to your “No Turning Back”. I will read the other three books nominated and let you know what I think. Although, I could hardly be considered an objective reviewer on this one!

Once again Mavis, my sincere congratulations on your nomination. Just being nominated for the NYCWP is an honor in itself. I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you until they announce the winner on March 1st.

Sincere best wishes,

Brad Merchant

Letter of Apology

A personal letter of apology, or apology letter, should be short and sincere. If you are going to write one at all, make sure it is heartfelt, or there is really no point. Sending someone a sincere letter of apology can have significant impact, and can go a long way towards patching up interpersonal differences. The sample apology letter below is from one neighbor to another.

(print personal Letter of Apology on standard letter stationery)
175 Pitkin Park Road
Apt. No. 7
Montpelier, VT
05602-2950

April 10, 20xx
Martin Gavin
175 Pitkin Park Road
Apt. No. 15
Montpelier, VT
05602-2950

Dear Martin:
Re: Parking Garage Problem
Please regard this as a letter of apology for the recent problems that I caused you by moving your belongings in the parking garage without your permission.

Believe me, I had no intention of causing you any problems. Over the long weekend I decided to rearrange my space in the garage and install some new shelving on the front wall opposite my parking space. While I was at it I thought I would also tidy up the entire garage. It was during that process that I noticed that your boxes of books were stored, what I thought was, dangerously close to the electric heating element. So, I took the liberty of moving those boxes to the other side of the garage. It didn’t occur to me at the time that this would block the entry and exit on the passenger side of your vehicle.

After you brought this to my attention Monday evening I immediately moved your boxes back to where they were stored originally. As you suggested, by stacking them carefully I was able to place them so that there was sufficient safe clearance from the heating element. I trust you will find everything in order now.

I’m really sorry that I didn’t check with you first before moving your belongings. I can now see how it would have upset you to return after the holiday weekend and find your belongings moved for no apparent reason. All I can say is that it won’t happen again.

Sincerely,

Jeff Gibson

Letter of Acceptance

Letters of acceptance, or acceptance letters, are used for both personal and business situations. The most well known of these is the personal job acceptance letter. However, on the business side, there are a number of situations in which formal letters of acceptance are also appropriate. These are almost always written in response to some sort of formal application received from an applicant. The sample below is typical; it is a mortgage approval letter of acceptance advising an applicant that his home mortgage application has been accepted.

(print business Letter of Acceptance on business letterhead paper)
December 15, 20xx
Mr. Roger Treadway
350 Drummond Street W.
Perth, ON
K7H 2K1

Dear Mr. Treadway:

Re: Mortgage Application – 457 Cornelia Lane, Perth, Ontario
This is to advise you that we have completed our review of your recent application for a homeowner’s mortgage on the above-noted property and have approved it for a total loan amount up to $175,000.

The initial term of the mortgage is 5 years, at an annual fixed interest rate of 5.75%. You will have the option of taking out low-cost mortgage life insurance when you sign the papers.

You will soon be contacted by Susan Laurent of my office who will set up an appointment with you so that you can sign the final papers and formalize the agreement.

We thank you for your interest in working with our mortgage department and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.

For any additional information regarding the terms of your mortgage, please do not hesitate to contact me at (xxx) 865-2595.

Sincerely,

Sharon Wycliffe
Senior Associate, Homeowner Loans

test2