English for Business Writing: Essential Vocabulary

"I am writing to enquire about"

A formal opening phrase used to introduce the purpose of an email or letter requesting information.

"I am writing to enquire about the availability of meeting rooms for next Thursday afternoon."

"please find attached"

A conventional phrase notifying the recipient that a document or file has been included with the email.

"Please find attached the revised proposal we discussed during yesterday's call."

"as per your request"

A phrase indicating that the action taken or information provided is in direct response to something the recipient asked for.

"As per your request, I have revised the contract terms and sent them to the legal team."

"I look forward to hearing from you"

A polite closing phrase expressing anticipation of the recipient's reply, commonly used at the end of formal emails.

"Thank you for considering our application. I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience."

"with reference to"

A formal way to indicate the subject or context of a letter, especially when responding to a previous communication.

"With reference to our telephone conversation on Monday, I would like to confirm the agreed delivery schedule."

"further to my previous email"

A phrase used to continue or follow up on a communication that was sent earlier.

"Further to my previous email, I wanted to check whether you had the chance to review the attached report."

"kindly revert"

A request for the recipient to respond or reply, commonly used in South Asian and international business English.

"Kindly revert with your comments by end of day Friday so we can proceed with the approval."

"on behalf of"

A phrase indicating that the sender is acting or writing as a representative of another person or organisation.

"I am writing on behalf of our CEO, who is currently travelling, to confirm our acceptance of the offer."

"executive summary"

A concise overview of a longer report or proposal, written for senior decision-makers who need the key points quickly.

"The executive summary outlined the three main risks and the recommended mitigation strategy in just two pages."

"key findings"

The most important conclusions or results discovered through research or analysis, typically highlighted in a report.

"The key findings of the market research suggest that younger consumers prefer subscription-based pricing models."

"scope of work"

A section in a proposal or contract that defines the specific tasks, deliverables, and boundaries of a project.

"The scope of work was agreed before signing, ensuring both parties had clear expectations of deliverables."

"it is recommended that"

A formal phrase used in reports to introduce an official suggestion or course of action based on the analysis presented.

"Based on the cost-benefit analysis, it is recommended that the company outsource its IT infrastructure management."

"in light of the above"

A phrase used to introduce a conclusion or recommendation that logically follows from the information just presented.

"In light of the above findings, management should consider reallocating the marketing budget for Q3."

"benchmarking"

The process of comparing a company's performance, processes, or products against industry standards or competitors.

"After benchmarking against three competitors, the team identified significant gaps in customer response time."

"return on investment"

A financial metric measuring the profitability of an investment relative to its cost, usually expressed as a percentage.

"The project delivered a 35% return on investment within the first twelve months of implementation."

"deliverable"

A specific, tangible output or result that must be produced and handed over as part of a project or contract.

"The first deliverable under the consultancy agreement was a comprehensive audit of current HR processes."

"agenda item"

A specific topic or point listed on the meeting agenda that will be discussed or decided during the meeting.

"The first agenda item was a review of last quarter's sales performance across all regions."

"action point"

A specific task assigned to a named individual during a meeting, with a deadline for completion.

"The action point was assigned to the project manager: prepare a revised timeline by next Friday."

"matters arising"

A standard agenda item that reviews unresolved issues or follow-up actions from a previous meeting.

"Under matters arising, the team confirmed that the supplier contract had been signed as agreed."

"to table an item"

In British English, to put a topic on the agenda for discussion; in American English, to postpone discussion of a topic.

"The chairperson decided to table the budget discussion until the finance director could attend."

"quorum"

The minimum number of members who must be present for a meeting's decisions to be officially valid.

"With only four board members present, the meeting could not proceed as a quorum had not been reached."

"any other business"

The final section of a meeting agenda where attendees may raise topics that were not included on the original agenda.

"Under any other business, the head of HR mentioned the upcoming team-building event in March."

"resolution"

A formal decision made by a committee or board, officially recorded in the meeting minutes.

"A resolution was passed approving the new company expense policy with immediate effect."

"in attendance"

A record of the people who were present at a meeting, typically listed at the top of the official minutes.

"The minutes noted that five board members and two external advisors were in attendance."

"subject to"

A phrase indicating that something is conditional upon a specified requirement being met before it takes effect.

"The deal is subject to board approval and satisfactory completion of the due diligence process."

"non-disclosure agreement"

A legally binding contract in which parties agree to keep specified information confidential and not share it with third parties.

"Both parties signed a non-disclosure agreement before sharing any financial data during the acquisition talks."

"counter-offer"

A response to an initial offer that proposes different terms, effectively rejecting the original offer while continuing negotiations.

"After reviewing the terms, we submitted a counter-offer that reduced the fee and extended the payment period."

"binding agreement"

A contract or arrangement that is legally enforceable and obligates all parties to fulfil its terms.

"Once signed by both parties, the memorandum of understanding becomes a binding agreement under English law."

"mutual consent"

Agreement reached voluntarily by all parties involved, without pressure or coercion, often required for contract modifications.

"The terms of the lease can only be amended by mutual consent of the landlord and tenant."

"walk away"

To withdraw from negotiations and decline to reach an agreement, typically because the terms offered are unacceptable.

"The seller refused to lower the price, so the buyer decided to walk away from the deal."

"in principle"

Agreement on the general idea or concept of a proposal without yet committing to the specific details or formalities.

"Both sides agreed in principle to the merger, with legal teams to finalise the exact structure next month."

"penalty clause"

A provision in a contract that specifies financial consequences if one party fails to meet its obligations or deadlines.

"The construction contract included a penalty clause of £5,000 per day for any delay beyond the completion date."

"we would like to draw your attention to"

A formal phrase used to highlight an important point or issue that the writer wants the reader to notice or consider.

"We would like to draw your attention to the revised payment terms outlined in section 4 of the contract."

"it is worth noting that"

A phrase used to introduce additional relevant information that adds value to the main point being made.

"It is worth noting that the proposed solution has already been successfully implemented in two similar markets."

"notwithstanding"

A formal word meaning "in spite of" or "despite," used to acknowledge an exception or qualification to a statement.

"Notwithstanding the delays in Q2, the project remains on track to meet its annual targets."

"pursuant to"

A formal legal and business phrase meaning "in accordance with" or "as a result of" a specific rule, agreement, or instruction.

"Pursuant to clause 7 of the service agreement, the contractor is required to submit monthly progress reports."

"going forward"

A phrase indicating that something applies from this point in time into the future, often used when announcing a change in policy or approach.

"Going forward, all travel requests must be approved by the department head at least two weeks in advance."

"to leverage"

To use an existing advantage, resource, or opportunity strategically to achieve a better outcome or greater result.

"The company plans to leverage its strong brand reputation to enter three new Asian markets next year."

"value proposition"

A clear statement explaining how a product or service solves a customer's problem and why they should choose it over competitors.

"The sales pitch focused on our value proposition: faster delivery and a lower total cost of ownership than any rival."

"proactive approach"

Taking initiative and acting in advance to prevent problems or create opportunities, rather than simply reacting to events.

"The team's proactive approach to quality control reduced product defect rates by 40% over six months."

"as illustrated in the chart"

A phrase used to direct the audience's attention to a visual element that supports or shows the point being made.

"As illustrated in the chart, revenue grew steadily throughout the first three quarters before declining in Q4."

"the data suggests"

A careful phrase used to introduce a conclusion drawn from data without claiming absolute certainty.

"The data suggests a strong correlation between customer onboarding quality and long-term retention rates."

"year-on-year growth"

The percentage change in a business metric compared to the same period in the previous year, used to show trends over time.

"The company reported 18% year-on-year growth in recurring subscription revenue during the last fiscal year."

"to summarise"

A signal phrase used in presentations or documents to indicate that the speaker or writer is about to give a brief recap of the key points.

"To summarise, the three priority actions are: reduce costs, improve customer service, and accelerate product development."

"I would like to highlight"

A phrase used in presentations to draw special attention to a particular point the speaker considers especially important.

"I would like to highlight that our net promoter score improved by 22 points compared to last year."

"key performance indicator"

A measurable value used to evaluate how effectively an organisation or individual is achieving its stated objectives.

"Customer churn rate was identified as the primary key performance indicator for the new customer success team."

"drill down into"

To examine a topic, dataset, or problem in greater detail, moving from a high-level overview to more specific information.

"Let's drill down into the regional sales figures to understand which territories are underperforming."

"takeaway"

The main point, conclusion, or lesson that an audience should remember after reading a document or watching a presentation.

"The key takeaway from today's presentation is that we need to double our investment in digital marketing channels."