Unit 11

Letter of Inquiry

Contents

Basic Paragraph-Building Skills (Part II)

Letter of Inquiry

Writing Practice

Basic Paragraph-Building Skills

Writing a Good Topic Sentence Writing a Helpful Outline in Advance Gaining Unity Gaining Coherence Gain Better Unity and Coherence from

Punctuation

Basic Paragraph-Building Skills

Gaining Unity Gaining Coherence Gain Better Unity and Coherence from

Punctuation

Part II

Gaining Unity

What is unity What might ruin unity How to gain unity

What is unity? Unity of a paragraph is concerned with its

content. Paragraph unity means that one main idea is discussed. If we start to discuss a new idea, we should start a new paragraph.

If all the sentences in the paragraph lead to one main idea, which is stated in the topic sentence, the paragraph is unified. In a unified paragraph, every sentence contributes to this focus by exemplifying it, explaining it, or expanding on it in some way.

What might ruin unity?unity?

One of the greatest enemies of paragraph unity is the human thought process. We tend to think associatively rather than logically. One fact might reminds us of another, even if the latter is not logically related to the former.

Practice

Examine the following two paragraphs and decide which is unified.

(1) Progress is gradually being made in the fight against cancer. (2) In the early 1900s, few cancer patients had any hope of long-term survival. (3) In the 1930s, less than one in five cancer victims lived more than five years. (4) In the 1950s, the ratio was one in four, and in the 1960s, it was one three. (5) Currently, four of ten patients who get cancer this year will be alive five years from now. (6) The gain from one in four to four in ten represents about 69,000 lives saved each year.

Para.1

(1) Progress is gradually being made in the fight against cancer. (2) In the early 1900s, few cancer patients had any hope of long-term survival. (3) But because of advances in medical technology, progress has been made so that currently four in ten cancer patients survive. (4) It has been proven that smoking is a direct cause of lung cancer. (5) However, that battle has not yet been won. (6) Although cures for some forms of cancer have been discovered, other forms of cancer are still increasing. (7) Heart disease is also increasing.

Para.2

The topic sentence –first sentence –in both paragraphs is the same, but the support they contain differs. The details provided in paragraph 1 are all related to the main idea. The specific figures show that more cancer patients now survive than in the past. They prove that progress in the battle is being made. Therefore, paragraph 1 is unified.

Comment:

In paragraph 2, the first two supporting sentences stay on the track. Sentence 4 introduces a new idea, the cause of lung cancer, which is not covered by the topic sentence. Sentences 5 and 6 draw the reader’s attention to the idea opposed to the progress made in the field. They shift the focus. The last sentence has nothing to do with the topic sentence. These sentences break the unity in paragraph2.

Comment:

Compare the following two paragraphs and see which one achieves unity and which one does not.

Para.1 I want to talk about my father. He is strict

with his children, especially me. He won’t let me out of the house unless I’ve done all my homework. He is a tall and rather skinny man. Some people say he is good-looking. He has a nice streak of gray in his hair. He laughs a lot and enjoys life. My father has a sense of humor.

My father’s face is rough. His complexion is leathery and wrinkled. There are large pores in his skin that covers his nose and cheeks. His nose, broken twice in his life, makes him look like a boxer who has lost too many fights. His mouth, unless he smiles, looks hard and threatening. His chin is massive and angular. Shaved or not, my father’s face is rugged.

Para.2

How to gain unity

A writer gains unity by Cutting out any thoughts that do not fit in

with a paragraph’s controlling idea; Writing a helpful outline.

Cross out the irrelevant sentences and put the numbers of those in the spaces provided.

A Dangerous Cook (1) When my friend Tom sets to work in the kitchen, disaster often

results. (2) Once he tried to make toasted cheese sandwiches for us by putting slices of cheese in the toaster along with the bread; he ruined the toaster. (3) Unfortunately, the toaster was a fairly new one that I had just bought for him three weeks before, on his birthday. (4) On another occasion, he had cut up some fresh beans and put them in a pot to steam. (5) I was really looking forward to the beans, for I eat nothing but canned vegetables in my dormitory. (6) I, frankly, am not much of a cook either. (7) The water in the Teflon pan steamed away while Tom was on the telephone, and both the beans and the Teflon coating in the pan were ruined. (8) Finally, another time Tom made spaghetti for us, and the noodles stuck so tightly together that we had to cut off slices with a knife and fork. (9) In addition, The meatballs were burned on the outside but almost raw on the inside. (10) The tomato sauce, on the other hand, turned out well. (11) For some reason, Tom is very good at making meat and vegetables sauces. (12) Because of Tom's kitchen mishaps, I never eat at his place without an Alka-Seltzer in my pocket, or without money in case we have to go out to eat.

The numbers of the irrelevant sentences are ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 3 5 6 10 11

Gaining Coherence

What is coherence How to gain coherence

What is coherence The sentences in a paragraph should be

arranged in a clear, logical order, and the transitions should be smooth and natural.

How to gain coherence

Gaining coherence from logical order Gaining coherence from transitions

Gaining coherence from logical order

A paragraph can grow from the least important example to the most important example, or from the most important example to the least important one. It can develop chronologically (in time order), spatially (in space order), inductively (from specific facts to a general conclusion), or deductively (from a general conclusion to specific facts).

Arrange our sentences in logical order A ． chronological order (time order) 按时间先后排列 B. spatial order (space order) 按位置远近排列 C order of importanceC order of importance 按重要性顺序排列按重要性顺序排列 D order of induction/deductionD order of induction/deduction 由特殊到一般排列由特殊到一般排列 // 由一般到特殊排列由一般到特殊排列

A. Time order Time order is a way of organizing the ideas

in the order of their occurrence in time. A writer begins with the first step in a process and describes the sequence in order until he reaches the last step. In narrative paragraphs the sentences are usually organized according to time order.

Example: coherence from time order

　　 We had a number of close calls ( 险事 ) that day. When we rose, it was obviously late and we had to hurry so as not to miss breakfast; we knew the dining room staff was strict about closing at nine o‘clock. Then, when we had been driving in the desert for nearly two hours ----- it must have been close to noon ---- the heat nearly hid us in; the radiator （散热器） boiled over and we had to use most of our drinking water to cool it down. By the time we reached the mountain, it was our o'clock and we were exhausted. (To be continued)

Here, judgment ran out of us and we started the tough climbing to the summit, not realizing that darkness came suddenly in the desert. Sure enough, by six we were struggling and Andrew very nearly went down a steep cliff, dragging Mohammed and me along with him. By nine, when the wind howled across the flat ledge of the summit, we knew as we shivered together for warmth that it had not been our lucky day.

本段从“ rose” （起床）写起，然后是吃早餐（“ not to miss breakfast”, “closing at nine o'clock” ），然后是“ close to noon” ，一直写到这一天结束（“ By nine--” ）。

B. Space order Space order is a way of beginning with an

object that is farthest away from a viewer and then in each sentence moving gradually closer to the point where the viewer is standing , or the vice versa. It is commonly used in descriptive paragraphs.

Example: coherence from space order From a distance, it looked like a skinny

tube, but as we got closer, we could see it flesh out before our eyes. It was tubular, all right, but fatter than we could see from far away. Furthermore, we were also astonished to notice that the building was really in two parts: a pagoda sitting on top of a tubular one-story structure. Standing ten feet away, we could marvel at how much of the pagoda was made up of glass windows. (To be continued)

Almost everything under the wonderful Chinese roof was made of glass, unlike the tube that it was sitting on, which only had four. Inside, the tube was gloomy, because of the lack of light. Then a steep, narrow staircase took us up inside the pagoda and the light changed dramatically. All those windows let in a flood of sunshine and we could see out for miles across the flat land.

本段的写法是由远及近，从远处（“ from a distance” ）写起，然后“ get closer” ，再到（“ ten feet away” ），最后是“ inside the pagoda”…… 当然，按位置远近来写不等于都是由远及近。根据需要，也可以由近及远，由表及里等等。

C. Order of Importance Order of importance is a way of organizing

the ideas in a paragraph in the order of their importance. The paragraph can be developed from the least important point to the most important point, or vice versa.

Order of importance can be used for all kinds of topics and in all types of writing.

Example: coherence from order of importance If you work as a soda jerker( 检验员 ),

you will, of course, not need much skill in expressing yourself to be effective. If you work on a machine, your ability to express yourself will be of little importance. But as soon as you move one step up from the bottom, your effectiveness depends on your ability to reach others through the spoken or the written word. (To be continued)

And the further away your job is from manual work, the larger the organization of which you are an employee, the more important it will be that you know how to convey your thoughts in writing or speaking. In the very large business organization, whether it is the government, the large corporation, or the Army, this ability to express oneself is perhaps the most important of all the skills a man can possess.

这一段谈的是表达能力，它的重要性与职业，身份有关，从“ not need much skill” 或“ of little importance” 到“ more important” ，最后是“ most important” 。

D. Order of induction or deduction Order of induction or deduction is a way of

developing the paragraph from specific facts to a generalization or from a generalization to specific facts. It can be employed in all kinds of writing.

Example: coherence from order of induction Give students a chance to grow .Don’t mold

them from one of a thousand patterns. Let them seek knowledge; but don’t find it for them. Let them take their own time to grow; do not set rigid time schedules. Most of all, do not push them again a stone wall cursing them with knowledge gained from the experience of others. Experience can not be taught ; it must come through personal search.

The first six sentences of the paragraph give facts that lead up to the general conclusion in the closing sentence:” Experience can not be taught ; it must come through personal search. ”

Example: coherence from order of deduction

If a reader is lost, it is generally because the writer has not been careful enough to keep him on the path. This carelessness can take any number of forms. Perhaps a sentence is so excessively cluttered that the reader, hacking his way through the verbiage ( 冗词贅语 ), simply doesn‘t know what it means. Perhaps a sentence has been so shoddily ( 劣质地 ) constructed that the reader could read it in any of several ways. Perhaps the writer has switched tenses, or has switched pronouns in mid-sentence, so the reader loses track of when the action took place or who is talking. (Next page)

Perhaps sentence B is not logical sequel to sentence A --- the writer, in whose head the connection is clear, has not bothered to provide the missing link. Perhaps the writer has used an important word incorrectly by not taking the trouble to look it up. He may think that “sanguine“( 红润的；乐观的 ) and ”sanguinary” ( 血腥的，残暴的 ) mean the same thing, but the difference is a bloody (very) big one. The reader can only infer what the writer is trying to imply.

这一段谈的是 a writer's carelessness ，先给出一个general statement 作为主题句，然后通过 5 个 ＂ perhaps ＂加以例证。

Gaining coherence from transitions

What is transition Functions of transitions The placement of transitions Transitions Used for different reasons Some other transitions

What is transition Transitions are words such as first, second,

next, finally, therefore, and however, or phrases such as in conclusion, on the other hand, and as a result. They are verbal signals that help our readers follow our thought.

Walter's goal in life was to become a successful surgeon. First, though, he had to get through high school, so he concentrated all his efforts on his studies --- in particular, biology, chemistry, and math. Because he worked constantly on these subjects, Walter became proficient in them; however, Walter forgot that he needed to master other subjects besides those he had chosen. As a result, during his junior year of high school, Walter failed both English and Latin. Consequently, he had to repeat these subjects and he was almost unable to graduate on schedule. Finally, on June 6, Walter achieved the first step toward realizing his goal.

Functions of transitionsTransitions add coherence in two important ways A. Transitions help within a paragraph

Transitions within a paragraph make it easier for our reader to follow the movement of an idea from one sentence to the next one.( See Example A)

B. Transitions help between paragraphs

Transition that appears at the beginning of a paragraph carries forward the idea that was talked in the preceding paragraph. (See example B)

Example A To many foreigners, the American word family is

confusing. Foreigners often hear an American say "My family is coming to visit." In this sentence, family means grandparents and perhaps other relatives. However, at other times, the same American might say, "I'm going to stay home with my family this weekend." In this case, he is talking about his wife and children. This is a much narrower meaning than the first one. Using family in this way makes a foreigner wonder which term really describes an American family. The answer, of course, is that there are two meanings for the word family in the United States--a narrow one and a broad one. And there is another term--immediate family--to describe something in between.

Comment:

There are three kinds of transitions in this paragraph. Such transitions as “however” ，“ in this case” and “of course” are transitional words and phrases. The pronouns “this”, “one”, and the repeated noun “family” also act as transitions.

Example B When an American today says "my family is coming to visit,"

he or she is using family to include cousins, uncles, grandparents, or any other relatives who do not live with him or her. That is, this person is using family the way it was used 150 years ago when the majority of Americans were farmers. In that earlier time, of course, three or more generations lived under one roof-grandparents, their children, their children's spouses, and their children's children.

But family is a very vague word. It can mean, for example, the speaker's parents, who do not live with him or her. On the other hand, it can mean uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews, first and second cousins, or even in-laws. As a result, the expression immediate family has come into use. It means something between the narrowest use of family and the broadest one: usually the grandparents, their children and their children's children.

Comment

In the second paragraph, the transition “but” signals a change from talking about traditional meaning of family in the first paragraph to talking about the broader meaning of family in the second paragraph. When the reader finds “but ” beginning the second paragraph, the reader is prepared for the shift in the direction of thought that is coming.

The placement of transitions Transitions can be used at the beginning of

a sentence, in the middle of a sentence and at the end of a sentence.

Many transitions are used only at the beginning or in the middle of sentences.

The placement of transitions often depends on and adds to the rhythm of a sentence or a paragraph.

Transitional Expressions 3-1 To Give Examples: for example, for instance, in

fact, specifically, that is, to illustrate To Show Addition: again, and, also, besides,

equally important, first (second, etc.), further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, moreover, next, too

To show place or direction: above, below, beyond, close, elsewhere, farther on, here, nearby, opposite, to the left (north, etc.)

To Show Time: after, afterward, as, as long as, as soon as, at last, before, during, earlier, finally, formerly, immediately, later, meanwhile, next, since, shortly, subsequently, then, thereafter, until, when, while

Transitional Expressions 3-2 To Contrast: although, and yet, at the same time, but,

despite, even though, however, in contrast, in spite of, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, still, though, yet

To Show Comparison: also, in the same manner, likewise, similarly

To Show Results: accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for this purpose, otherwise, so then, therefore, thus, thereupon, subsequently, hence, wherefore

To Show Summary or Conclusion: all in all, in conclusion, in other words, in short, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to sum up

To Indicate Logical Relationship: accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this reason, hence, if, otherwise, since, so, then, therefore, thus

Transitional Expressions 3-3 To show consequence: at first, first of all, to begin

with, in the first place, at the same time, for now, for the time being, the next step, in time, in turn, later on, meanwhile, next, then, soon, the meantime, later, while, earlier, simultaneously, afterward, in conclusion, with this in mind,

To Show Diversion: by the way, incidentally To Show Emphasis: above all, chiefly, with

attention to, especially, particularly, singularly To Restate: in essence, in other words, namely,

that is, that is to say, in short, in brief, to put it differently

To Show Summary or Conclusion: all in all, in short, in conclusion, in other words, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to sum up

Some other transitions

A. pronouns as transitions B. Synonyms as transitions C. Repeated words as transitions D. Parallel structures as transitions

A. pronouns as transitions Some of the pronouns most often used as

transitions are it, this, that, these, those, I, he, she, them, such and one. When a pronoun is used as a transition, it moves a thought forward. A pronoun can appear in two places: within a sentence or linking two sentences together.

Within a sentence: He asked what that meant. Linking sentences: We watched the hikers. They

climbed slowly.

The following paragraph shows the pronoun it helping a writer to clearly present an idea.

It is the most talked-of subject in town. Every family in the community discusses it half a dozen times a day. You mentioned it to at least one of your friends before you came into the room today. You think about it at least once during every class. Its passage is steady. It touched everyone. What is it? It is TIME.

B. Synonyms as transitions Synonym is a word that means the same

thing as another word. Eg. rich & wealthy; sick & ill.

Synonyms are used as transition in the same way that pronouns are. Synonyms move an idea forward through a paragraph or between paragraphs.

Community colleges are like the two-year colleges called junior colleges, or "j.c.'s". Both schools prepare students for four-year colleges. J.c.'s offer all the courses most four-year colleges ask their freshmen and sophomores to take. Community colleges also give such required courses. But community colleges are also like other institutions called trade schools. Both schools offer technical training. Trade schools give courses in such areas as carpentry, nursing, television repairing, or photography. Community colleges have complete technical courses for students who do not plan to go on to a university.

Colleges, schools, trade schools and institutions are the four ways of saying the same thing. Technical training and technical courses are also synonyms

C. Repeated words as transitions Repeating a word without purposes makes

writing dull. But repeating a word to keep an idea moving ahead helps a piece of writing. Repeating a word can add coherence. A repeated word can carry an idea from one sentence to another sentence. Or a repeated word can carry an idea from the ending of a paragraph to the beginning of the next paragraph.

Repeating a word reinforce an important idea that we are representing.

Example: Transition gained by repeating the words gulls and current

Gulls, as they soar, are not always searching for food but merely having fun on the wing. A gull flying along the shore is taking advantages of wind current formed when the sea air strikes the warm land and rises. Gulls also love the lower, weaker air currents that form about three feet above the waves. They ride them for hours, tipping from one current to the next. Most people think that gulls ride behind boats for the food. But garbage is only a small part of what they eat. Clams and fish make up most of their diet. The sea gulls follow boats for the tide on the thermal currents the ships create at sea.

D. Parallel structures as transitions

In many ways, parallel elements used effectively serve the function of transitions, carrying the reader easily along from one idea to the next.

My mother has passed along to me certain rules for getting along with others. Don't argue with parents; they will think you don't love them. Don't argue with children; they will think themselves victimized. Don't argue with spouses; they will think you are a tiresome mate. Don't argue with strangers; they will think you are not friendly. My mother's rules, in fact, can be summed up in two words. Don't argue.　　文中的 don't argue 反复出现，形成平行结构，有助于段落的流畅和连贯。

Rules for the use of transition

A. Use enough transitions to make the relationship between ideas clear

Too many transition can be just as confusing as too few

Note the different ways of using transition in different languages （虽然， 但是）

Careful punctuate transitions

Gain Better Unity and Coherence from Punctuation

略

Letter Of Inquiry

Introduction Contents Samples Useful expressions Points in writing

Introduction A letter of inquiry is written to inquire about an

issue from a higher authority. The letter is drafted to get some more information which is not available on website, brochures, literature of the product. The letter is written by a customer to the company seeking some information about a new product or service. This sort of letter is written by a student to university to get information about a recently launched course. This type of letter is written to governmental officials to understand how to complete a procedure or apply for a license, etc.

Contents Specify the main purpose of inquiring. State the issue and aspect of the issue you

want to inquire about. Express your wish gratitude for a reply. Enclose your contact information. Close with a complimentary closure.

Dear Sir, Recommended by the Hong Kong Bank of China, we know

your company and its address. Currently, we are interested in a wide variety of crafts which sold to the United States and Canada. If you can sent your latest catalog and price list , we would appreciate it. We believe that your company will try to give me the best trading conditions if we give you a large number of orders. About my company's credit status, please contact the Bank of China Ningbo Branch.

If your products meet our expectations, we wil gevi you a long-term order.

Best regards. Yours xx

A Sample Letter of Inquiry Charles Taylor

4511 John Tyler Highway, Williamsburg, VA, United States (757) 564-3955

Date: October 15, 2008 Linda Robinson

Admission CoordinatorVirginiaUniversity918 Emmet Street South, Charlottesville, VA, United States(434) 924-3344

Dear Ms. Robinson: I have heard a lot about the various courses offered by Virginia University. The official website of the university gives a

lot of guidance and help to students who want admission. This is of great use as you can go through the courses and select a few that you are interested in.While going through courses in Management, I came across a course in Waste Management. This featured under the category of green education. That really interested me as I have completed my honors in Environmental Science. I love nature and want to do some thing to nurture it through my profession.I feel waste management is a course that will help me fulfill my dream. A lot of jobs are available in this field of management as many countries have started feeling the heat of global warming. I have some knowledge about the basics of this course but I need detailed information, so that I can take a decision to pursue my post graduate degree in waste management.

I request you to send me the detailed course structure, curriculum and admission procedure for the course as these details are not available on the website. The website gives information about fee structure, duration of course and eligibility criterion for admission.

You can send me information on my email address - charles_taylor@hotmail.com. This will be great help for me. I know it is a tough task and it will be time consuming. I look forward to your positive reply.

Yours truly, Charles Taylor

Charles Taylor4511 John Tyler Highway, Williamsburg, VA, United States (757) 564-3955

Date: October 15, 2008 Linda Robinson

Admission CoordinatorVirginiaUniversity918 Emmet Street South, Charlottesville, VA, United States(434) 924-3344

Dear Ms. Robinson: I have heard a lot about the various courses offered by

Virginia University. The official website of the university gives a lot of guidance and help to students who want admission. This is of great use as you can go through the courses and select a few that you are interested in.While going through courses in Management, I came across a course in Waste Management. This featured under the category of green education. That really interested me as I have completed my honors in Environmental Science. I love nature and want to do some thing to nurture it through my profession.I feel waste management is a course that will help me fulfill my dream. A lot of jobs are available in this field of management as many countries have started feeling the heat of global warming. I have some knowledge about the basics of this course but I need detailed information, so that I can take a decision to pursue my post graduate degree in waste management.

I request you to send me the detailed course structure, curriculum and admission procedure for the course as these details are not available on the website. The website gives information about fee structure, duration of course and eligibility criterion for admission.

You can send me information on my email address - charles_taylor@hotmail.com. This will be great help for me. I know it is a tough task and it will be time consuming. I look forward to your positive reply.

Yours truly, Charles Taylor

Sample: Dear Sir or Madam: I am a fourth-year student in South China

Agricultural University, majoring in engineering. I am so interested in this subject that I wish to study abroad for the degree of Master of Science. To take the course of engineering, I should enter a university where equipments and facilities for me to make practice and experiments with. I wonder if you could help me in this respect. I would appreciate it very much if you could send me the information about your university and the application form.

I am looking forward to your early reply. Yours faithfully, Lucy Mao

Daniel Smith4540 Main Street, South Brunswick, NC, United States(910) 754-2885

October 25, 2008 Jennifer Lewis

2438 South Stratford Road, Winston Salem, NC, United States

(336) 765-9027 Dear Ms. Lewis: As per our discussion in the college last week, I am requesting you to give me information about you

recently launched Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) by your company. The Sales Executive of your company who had come to my office to collect the monthly premium had told me about the scheme that will be launched in a fortnight.

Yesterday's newspaper had the advertisement of the scheme but did not give all the details. I searched on the internet but I got information in bits and pieces. I want all the details about the scheme like initial investment, monthly installments, locking period etc. This will help me in taking a final decision for investment. Let me understand how the scheme will help me in securing my amount and what profits I will make after 3, 5 or 10years as per your scheme.

I'll appreciate if you send me the complete brochure regarding the scheme. If you can manage to send a Marketing Executive who will explain me the scheme then it will be of great help to me. If I like the scheme and find it worth investing then I will give the initial amount right there to your Executive.

I'm looking forward for your positive reply. You can contact me on my phone number or my personal email address - daniel_smith@rediffmail.com.

Yours truly, Daniel Smith

Daniel Smith4540 Main Street, South Brunswick, NC, United States(910) 754-2885

October 25, 2008 Jennifer Lewis

2438 South Stratford Road, Winston Salem, NC, United States

(336) 765-9027

Dear Ms. Lewis: As per our discussion in the college last week, I am

requesting you to give me information about you recently launched Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) by your company. The Sales Executive of your company who had come to my office to collect the monthly premium had told me about the scheme that will be launched in a fortnight.

Yesterday's newspaper had the advertisement of the scheme but did not give all the details. I searched on the internet but I got information in bits and pieces. I want all the details about the scheme like initial investment, monthly installments, locking period etc. This will help me in taking a final decision for investment. Let me understand how the scheme will help me in securing my amount and what profits I will make after 3, 5 or 10years as per your scheme

I'll appreciate if you send me the complete brochure regarding the scheme. If you can manage to send a Marketing Executive who will explain me the scheme then it will be of great help to me. If I like the scheme and find it worth investing then I will give the initial amount right there to your Executive.

I'm looking forward for your positive reply. You can contact me on my phone number or my personal email address - daniel_smith@rediffmail.com.

Yours truly, Daniel Smith

Useful expressions I would be grateful to know the information about

…,Would you please send me …? I should like to obtain application forms for your college

and the proper information about your scholarship program.

I would be much obliged to you if you could send me …. I would be very grateful to you for the proper application

forms and scholarship information. Thank you for your help. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon. Hoping to get your favorable reply. I request you to send me the detailed course

structure, curriculum and admission procedure for the course.

Points in writing letter of inquiry The letter has to address the concerned authority

who can help you in giving information about your inquiry.

The letter has to use formal language with soft and positive tone.

The letter has to be to the point, short and precise.

The letter has to close with a complimentary closure. The phrases like thanking you, yours truly followed by sender's name and signature should be used.

Writing practice: You are going to apply to Harvard University

for an admission as a postgraduate. At the same time you want to get the scholarship. Write a letter of inquiry to the admission officer about the conditions for the scholarship .