LESSON 34: HOW TO APOLOGIZE FOR LATE PAYMENT?--怎样因未能按期付款向卖方表示道歉？


CONTENTS

I. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS 常用语

II. SAMPLE 范文

III. TIPS 掌握写作要领

IV. EXERCISE: WORDS, PHRASES AND SENTENCE PATTERNS 精通常用词组和句型

V. UPGRADING YOUR ENGLISH 英语升级

VI. GOODIES & GIFTS 实用小礼物

I. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
常用语

1. How to begin your letter?

We apologize for the lateness of our payment.

First let me apologize for not having cleared your July statement.

We are sorry to have caused you inconvenience by not paying your invoices sooner.

We regret that we underpaid the balance due on invoice #35321 last month and hope that you will accept our apology for the error.

2. How to tell the supplier that you are now able to make the payment?

As we have resolved our financial problems, we can now start paying your invoices.

Enclosed is our check #_____ for $_____, covering the amount indicated in your invoice #______.

We will send a full settlement of your July statement within the next few days.

3. How to end your letter?

Again, we are sorry for the past delay, and future payments will be on time.

I regret that we cannot pay the entire amount due today and hope you understand our situation and the reason for the delay.

I hope that the delay has not caused you any inconvenience.



II. SAMPLE
范文

Dear ____________:

Enclosed is our check #_______ for $_______, covering the amount of your invoice #________. We apologize for the lateness of this check which was caused by some changes in our Accounting Department. We have just hired a new accountant who needs to familiarize herself with our records.

I hope the delay has not caused you any inconvenience.

Sincerely yours,



____________[name]
____________[title]



III. TIPS
掌握写作要领

1. Apologize for the lateness of your payment.
2. Explain (if necessary) reasons for the delay.
3. Tell the supplier that you are now able to make the payment.
4. Specify details such as invoice number, the amount of your payment, etc.
5. Try to reestablish goodwill at the end of your letter.



IV. EXERCISE: WORDS, PHRASES AND SENTENCE PATTERNS
精通常用词组和句型

1. Click on the word or phrase that fits the sentence:

  1. Leading companies engaged in electronic commerce have formed a global group to discourage governments _____ imposing Internet taxes and other measures that could hurt business over the Internet.
    (A) in
    (B) for
    (C) from
    (D) of

  2. Even though you don't get a degree from this "Online University," you can bet ____ a few lessons that offer useful web design skills.
    (A) at
    (B) to
    (C) on
    (D) over

  3. The Internet service provider has entered an agreement ____ StarImage Inc. to give customers who develop film the option to have their photos scanned and posted online at no additional cost.
    (A) with
    (B) to
    (C) for
    (D) from

  4. As the online audience grows larger and more diverse, portals are evolving ____ new electronic commercial and cultural centers.
    (A) on
    (B) into
    (C) to
    (D) in

  5. A decommissioned missile command center has been fashioned ____ a safe house for corporations looking to protect their electronic data from saboteurs or disasters.
    (A) for
    (B) into
    (C) to
    (D) toward

  6. The university has filed an anti-spam lawsuit _____ a man who allegedly sent a large amount of junk e-mail to students.
    (A) about
    (B) with
    (C) to
    (D) against

  7. The software company will release a free beta version of its communication program for download and follow it up _____ a more complicated paid-for version.
    (A) as
    (B) on
    (C) in
    (D) with

  8. The tight labor market for technology workers has meant headaches for managers trying to keep highly skilled employees happy and _____ place.
    (A) in
    (B) on
    (C) with
    (D) to

  9. He subscribes to several on-line newsletters in order to keep _____ with the news.
    (A) [none]
    (B) in
    (C) up
    (D) down

  10. The magazine offers young people useful suggestions and practical rules to live _____.
    (A) on
    (B) by
    (C) with
    (D) for




V. UPGRADING YOUR ENGLISH
英语升级


Here is an exercise that helps you practice with authentic "online" English:

  1. The country's semiconductor exports should return to growth next year as efforts to slash production begin to pay off.
    The phrase "to pay off" means:
    (A) to result in failure
    (B) to result in success
    (C) to free the manufacturers from debts
    (D) to cover their expenses

  2. The foreign online service provider is planning to cash in on the U.S. Internet stock price boom with an initial public offering in New York.
    The phrase "to cash in on" means:
    (A) to buy with cash
    (B) to drive the price up
    (C) to waste money in reckless investment
    (D) to make a profit from

  3. The software company jumps on the web-phone bandwagon as it ships its InstantChat products today. The software is available in 10 languages.
    The phrase "jump on the bandwagon" means:
    (A) speed up the production or innovation of something
    (B) begin to do something that a lot of other people are doing
    (C) be overjoyed at accomplishing some significant project
    (D) actively promote one's own products

  4. After a tough year during which it lost some of its market share, the company now digs in: it's ready to compete and ready to regain prominence.
    The phrase "to dig in" means:
    (A) to be well prepared
    (B) to work hard
    (C) to increase investment
    (D) to start up new local business

  5. A newly released poll says that the online news audience is going mainstream, hungering for weather and local news.
    The phrase "going mainstream" means:
    (A) getting very busy
    (B) looking for more news
    (C) following the most usual way
    (D) going to travel more

  6. TechCast com. is set to go public today, offering 3.25 million shares at $18 apiece, higher than initial expectations.
    The phrase "go public" means:
    (A) make a public announcement about the offer of shares
    (B) launch a campaign promoting the selling the company's shares
    (C) win public support of its business activities
    (D) become a public company that offers its shares for sale on the stock exchange

  7. While the explosion of office e-mail and Internet access has made communication and information retrieval simpler, it also has made it easier for workers to goof off in cyberspace, spending more time on the Net than on the job.
    The phrase "goof off" means:
    (A) talk nonsense
    (B) be over-enthusiastic
    (C) waste time
    (D) doze off

  8. The growing popularity of e-mail is raising the profile of some companies that function like e-post offices, providing the technical support for group e-mail accounts so that individual businesses do not have to.
    The phrase "raising the profile of" means:
    (A) improving the image of
    (B) getting more public attention to
    (C) raising the value of their stocks
    (D) from

  9. The emergence of portals that target a specific audience will open the door for highbrow stuff to edge into the public sphere. A number of high-powered thinkers will open some of their most provocative discussions to the public online.
    The phrase "to edge into" means:
    (A) enter and develop gradually
    (B) enter and develop rapidly
    (C) work very hard to get into
    (D) easily get into

  10. New computer and satellite technology has given meteorologists the ability to zoom in on weather patterns that could nearly double the length of accurate weather forecasts.
    The phrase "to zoom in on" means:
    (A) carry out long-term study of weather patterns
    (B) enlarge of scope of weather analysis
    (C) reduce the scope of weather analysis
    (D) look at weather patterns closely and in detail



VI. SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
GOODIES & GIFTS （实惠小礼物）

1. New Words, New Meanings

cybersquat: v. cyber + squat (squat: to live in a building or place without permission and without paying rent). To occupy more Internet address sites than one needs. As a result, other organizations or individuals can't use these address sites.
占据域名

Example:
According to an official of the World Intellectual Property Organization, a new system aimed at ending cybersquatting on Internet address sites could be in place by the middle of the year.


2. A Ready-Made Letter For You

Dear ___________:

We are very sorry that we inadvertently underpaid the balance due on invoice No. _________. Enclosed is our check No. ________ for the $_________ we owe you.

We hope that you suffer no inconvenience from the delay and will accept our apology for the error.

Sincerely yours,



_________[name]
_________[title]

Enclosure