E-prime challenge

[Karen]

I find writing English easier than speaking English.

is this what you mean?

[Marcio_Osorio]

"Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul." -- Oscar Wilde

[Karen]

How lovely. I must say, you have a great ability to translate standard language into e-prime. Keep up the superb work. K

[Marcio_Osorio]

K, I didn't translate that Oscar Wilde's particular quote. He somehow wrote it in E-Prime.

[Karen]

lol. Would you like to continue sending me memos for correction on the e-prime site?

[Marcio_Osorio]

Employee letter of recommendation

March 24, 2008

Contact Name
Address
Address2
City, State/Province
Zip/Postal Code

Object: Employee letter of recommendation

To Whom It May Concern/Dear Named,

I would like to confirm that X has been employed by Employee Hirers, Inc. for 14 years. During this time, X has displayed great leadership skills and a unique ability to identify and solve problems. S/he has been instrumental in streamlining our personnel department. His/her experience in recruiting has been a very valuable asset, one that can certainly be of great value to any company utilizing his/her services. X is loyal and always places the welfare of the company above all else. His/her long hours and patience with employees under him/her and with management, not to mention his/her great customer relations skills, make him/her an ideal employee. If available, s/he can certainly count on re-employment with our firm, should the opportunity arise.

Any company considering X for employment has my most enthusiastic recommendation. As his/her performance has indicated, s/he is destined to achieve new heights in his/her career and set new records for his/her future employer, as s/he did here.

Sincerely,

-x-x-x-
(c) Business-in-a-Box.

[Marcio_Osorio]

Letter of reference, short

March 24, 2008

Mr. Rodrigo Enjoa Rapadura
Firma Empregadora Ltda. (Hiring Company Ltd.)
Rua Nua, 123 – Centro
Terra Velha de Dentro – PE (Old Land Within, Pernambuco)
59871-989

Object: Letter of reference

To Whom It May Concern/Dear Mr. Rapadura,

X has worked with us for over 140 years and has had our absolute highest regard. S/he has always demonstrated his/her dedication to the firm and we have always been able to count on him/her in times of need.

Let me outline some of the reasons why we recommend him/her for employment with your company:

-S/he never called in sick
-S/he never asked for money in advance
-We never found fault with his/her work
-S/he never went on vacation
-S/he never retired
-S/he outlived everybody else in the company

In short, it has been a distinct pleasure to have worked with X and we are able to make this recommendation without any reservations whatsoever. You can call me at the number below if you have any questions or if you can add anything further.

Sincerely,

Homero Romero Mero
Personnel Manager
(81) 1234-5678
horome@internet-o.com

[Karen]

I love the part where it reads: 'She outlived everybody else in the company'.

You wrote:'we have always been able to count on him/her in times of need.'
Our team has always counted on her during difficult times.

You wrote:'
In short, it has been a distinct pleasure to have worked with X and we are able to make this recommendation'

I feel privileged to have worked with x and can make this recommendation without any reservations.

[Marcio_Osorio]

Originally Posted by Karen

[...] You wrote:'we have always been able to count on him/her in times of need.'
Our team has always counted on her during difficult times.

You wrote:'
In short, it has been a distinct pleasure to have worked with X and we are able to make this recommendation'

I feel privileged to have worked with x and can make this recommendation without any reservations.

Thank you! You made it a lot better!

[Marcio_Osorio]

March 27, 2999

Uncooperative Bill Evaders, Inc.
123 Crook Road
Hideout MN 99999-9999

Re: Invoice 12345X – Long overdue

Gentlemen:

According to our records, the above invoice for US$ 99,999.99 has not yet been settled and we would appreciate an early payment. If payment is already on the way to us, please ignore this letter.

Yours very truly,

Joe Dunahill
Credit Control Department

[Karen]

Oh wonderful, you have given me another opportunity to restate a very typical memo that I see in most organizations.

As of March 14th, our records show that you have not settled an invoice #12345X in the amount of US$99,999.99. If you paid this amount, please send a quick reply to jdccc@ubei.mn at give us the date in which you sent the check.

Regards,
Joe Dunahill
Credit control Department

[Marcio_Osorio]

K, I think I will forever thank you. You made it simple and beautiful.

On with the E-P challenge.

"I have been asked to prepare a report for the Managing Director and need to know what instructions there are for welders changing gas canisters."

[Karen]

If the managing director asked you to write the report, you would write:

The managing director requested that I prepare a report inclusive of the instructions for welders changing gas canisters.

I need to prepare a report for the Managing Director inclusive of instructions for welders changing gas canisters.

[Marcio_Osorio]

K, I like both of your alternatives. Thank you again.

"I have tried to telephone your office in the lunch hour--which is the only time it is convenient for me to telephone--but I have been unable to get a reply from your number."

[Karen]

Can you tell me the most convenient time to contact you? 1:00 (lunch) works best for me but after many attempts to contact you at 1:00, I realized that at this time you may also go out for lunch.
Marcio, again this site 'is' getting corrupted with those terrible messages. I just can't figure out why the makers of this site don't have a filtering system. I 'am' so tempted to leave this site for good. The only reason that I stay 'is' that I may have an opportunity to help others in their e-prime. (Gosh, I found it hard to write out of e-prime!!! I have written in e-prime for so long that writing out of e-prime really takes some thinking........lol

[Marcio_Osorio]

Your E-Prime example reads a lot better and clearer than the book's[1]. :-) Thank you anew!

------------------------
[1] The book from which I have taken all the excerpts so far, English for Business - A functional approach, 2nd Edition, ISBN # 0-8264-5857-2. Printed in UK.

Don't let a spammer's advertisement ruin it. I just don't even read their ads; they usually contain a lot of "is of predication" together with a lot of "is of identity". That alone turns me off. We can simply ignore them.

Shall we proceed with the challenge?

"Most of the tractors on offer at the present time are over-priced for this market and the spare parts are too expensive."

[Karen]

At the present time, I find the tractor market overpriced and the spare parts too expensive.

Marcio, if you just use the formula of: time (if needed) + subject + verb, + action request (especially in a memo) you will find it very easy to remain in e-prime.

I feel ready for another challenge. By the way, I have now received invitations to the universities in the Karachi area to spread the word of e-prime. So far, I have received great reception to this wonderful way to communicate. Have a great day, K

[Marcio_Osorio]

You did it better than the book ever thought it could! Thank you!

Thank you also for the guidelines. I will keep these in mind.

Next challenge:

"As general administrative support duties continue to be consolidated, employers will increasingly seek well-rounded individuals with highly developed communication skills and the ability to perform multiple tasks."

Congratulations on receiving invitations from the local universities!

[Marcio_Osorio]

"As general administrative support duties continue to be consolidated, employers will increasingly seek well-rounded individuals with highly developed communication skills and the ability to perform multiple tasks."

Forget about that one. I have this one for next challenge:

"It'll be difficult to fill Joe's shoes. He was the only one who could land the helicopter on that tiny, walled-in space."

[Karen]

You will find Joe's shoes difficult to fill. I had observed that out of all the helicopter pilots who had landed their helicopters, only Joe could land a helicopter in a tiny walled-in space.

[Marcio_Osorio]

Thank you!

"The profits of Joe's company are increasing by leaps and bounds."

[Karen]

The profits of Joe's company continue to increase by leaps and bounds. Note: leaps and bounds have a strong vague undertone. You could say, by 200% monthly.

[Marcio_Osorio]

Great, Karen! Many thanks!

[Marcio_Osorio]

New challenge:

"You're in safe mode now, so run a full scan of your PC at maximum security levels."