TUTOR’S COPY

CHAPTER 5: Email 102

UNIT 4: REVIEW

1. EXPRESSION BUILDING
Identify if the statement is MAKING AN APPOINTMENT, REQUESTING A SERVICE or
COMPLAINING.
(Tutor should tell the student to read each sentence out loud before answering.)

1. I’m sending you this message to invite you to a conference on Monday.

(MAKING AN APPOINTMENT/REQUESTING A SERVICE/COMPLAINING)

2. I want you to do something about the defective product I purchased.

(MAKING APPOINTMENT/REQUESTING A SERVICE/COMPLAINING)

3. I will be available next Saturday. Please let me know if you are also available.
(MAKING AN APPOINTMENT/REQUESTING A SERVICE/COMPLAINING)

4. I was not satisfied with the service I received from your company.
(MAKING AN APPOINTMENT/REQUESTING A SERVICE/COMPLAINING)
5. I would like to place an order. Please see the attachment for the list of items.
(MAKING AN APPOINTMENT/REQUESTING A SERVICE/COMPLAINING)

6. I would like to have the package delivered earlier, if possible.

(MAKING AN APPOINTMENT/REQUESTING A SERVICE/COMPLAINING)

2. OPPOSITES
Match the words in Column A with their opposite meanings in Column B.
(Let the student read the word in Column A and ask him/her to choose the opposite
meaning from Column B.)

Column A Column B
___d__1. concise a. sender
___ e__2. rectify the problem b. disregard request
___ c__3. stand out c. blend in
___ b__4. respond to request d. lengthy and indirect

___ a__5. recipient e. worsen the situation

3. WORD ASSOCIATION
Think of at least three words you can associate with the words in each item.
Example:
Buy: product, service, money (You can buy products and services with money.)
(Tutor should assist the student in providing answers. The following are just sample
answers.)

1. apologize – sorry, regret, guilt

2. place an order – request, apply, avail
3. acknowledge – accept, receive, recognize
 4. complaint – criticism, feedback, dissatisfaction
5. set an appointment – invitation, arrangement, meeting
6. email – computer, sender, recipient
7. order – request, purchase agreement, goods
8. cancel the appointment – emergency, call something off, invalidate
9. rectify the problem – mollify, compensate, offer a gesture of goodwill
10. error – fault, mistake, wrong

4. MULTIPLE CHOICE
Choose the best answer in each item to complete the sentence.
(Tutor should give clues if the student is struggling.)

1. Are you ________________ on Thursday afternoon? I’d like to talk about the proposal for
the presentation.
a. applicable
b. available
c. feasible
d. attainable

2. We have to deliver the orders to our customers on time to ___________________.

a. make them transfer to other suppliers
b. give them the idea that they should pay on time
c. meet their expectations
d. end the transaction with them

3. We should ___________________ the receipt of customers’ complaints so that they know

we value their feedback.
a. acknowledge
b. challenge
 c. return
d. solve

4. ____________________, due to some unforeseen changes in my schedule, I won’t be able

to keep our appointment tomorrow afternoon.
a. Besides
b. Therefore
c. Because
d. Unfortunately

5. It is _____________________ for our customers if we leave their complaints unaddressed.

a. encouraging
b. frustrating
c. undying
d. contrasting

5. CHOOSE IT
Choose the most appropriate and polite expression in each situation below.
(Tutor should assist student in determining the most appropriate response for each
situation.)

Example:
Making an appointment
a) Could you please inform me of your availability this week?
b) Could you please cancel all other meetings you have this week?
c) I hope you realize how important it is for us to meet. Please be available anytime
this week.

1. Rescheduling an appointment
a) Would it be possible to reschedule our meeting later in the week?
 b) Please be reminded that I’m only available later in the week, so I think we
have to reschedule the meeting.
c) I would like to reschedule our meeting later in the week.

2. Telling the customer that the company is not responsible for the mistake.
a) We are very sorry to tell you but it was not a mistake caused by the company.
b) I apologize for the inconvenience you’ve experienced with our company.
Unfortunately, it is beyond our capacity to address this issue. However, we
are willing to help you with this problem as much as we can.
c) I’m very sorry for what happened but it is the responsibility of the other
agency to resolve this issue. I will send your email to them so they can
address you properly.

3. Placing an order
a) Please see the attachment for the items we want to purchase. Hurry up with
the delivery because we need it ASAP.
b) Please see the attachment for the list of the items we would like to purchase.
We hope to receive a delivery confirmation from you. Thank you.
c) Here are the things that we need. We would like you to deliver it on the
specified date because we cannot afford any delays.

4. Acknowledging the receipt of a complaint

a) We received your complaint. Sorry, but we don’t have enough time and
resources to address this issue at the moment. Thank you for sending your
complaint.
b) I received the complaint you sent yesterday. I apologize for the error and
would like you to know that we are now doing all we can to resolve the issue.
c) Our system received your complaint. Thank you.

5. Inviting someone for an appointment

 a) I would like to have a meeting with you on Wednesday. Please cancel all your
prior commitments.
b) Are you available for a meeting on Wednesday?
c) You should be available on Wednesday.

6. SITUATIONS
Create appropriate responses to the following statements.
(Tutor should assist the student in providing answers. The following are just sample
responses.)

Example:
The reason I am sending this message is to inform you that I am not happy with the
service I received from your company.
Response: First of all, thank you for sending us your feedback. I apologize for any
inconvenience you have encountered from our company. We can properly address
this issue if you provide us the details of the incident.

1. Last week, I purchased a television set from your store. Unfortunately, the product
started malfunctioning yesterday.
Response: I apologize for the inconvenience. Could you please provide us with the
complete details of the incident so we could address this issue properly?

2. I am interested in subscribing to your magazine and am writing to request some

additional information about subscriptions.
Response: Thank you for your interest in subscribing to our magazine. Please see
the attached file for the complete details of the subscription.
 3. I have received your appointment invitation. I really don’t think I can make it on the
18th. Can we reschedule our meeting for the 21st?
Response: Thank you for sending a quick response. We can have the meeting on the
21st.

4. I am writing to bring to your attention a serious issue I experienced in your

establishment yesterday. I was treated poorly by one of your representatives after I
called his attention regarding the incorrect order I received.
Response: I apologize for the inconvenience our company has caused you. I would
like to let you know that we will do our best to resolve this issue immediately.

5. I am sending this message to request the details of our appointment on Tuesday.

Please confirm the exact time and place for our meeting in your response.
Response: Thank you for your initiative to confirm the details of the appointment.
Would it be possible to conduct our meeting in your office on the 22nd at 10 AM?

7. SENTENCE PRACTICE
Please use the group of words below in a sentence.
(Let the student make their own sentences using the given words. The student can use
the words in any order.)

1. canceled order – The customer canceled his order a day before the scheduled
delivery.
2. recipient – You should have a clear subject for your email so the recipient can have
an idea of the message.
3. dissatisfied – The customer felt dissatisfied because of the bad service she received
from our company.
 4. respond to request – We should immediately respond to the requests of our
customers to build better business relationships with them.
5. email correspondence – We were able to address the incident properly after several
email correspondences.

8. LET’S TALK
Answer and discuss the questions with your tutor.
(Please choose one or two questions and discuss them with your student. Then, follow
up with related questions.)
1. How often do you use email? What do you use it for?
2. Compare postal mail with email. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
each?
3. Do you think customer concerns can be properly addressed using email? Why or
why not?
4. How do you see the use of email in ten years from now?