Grammar in Context: Prepositional Collocations

Task 1:

Complete the sentences below with the correct verb or adjective followed by an appropriate preposition (e.g., for, to, with, about).

thank	apply	inform	respond
inquire	upset	interested	complain
invite	sorry	concerned	apologize

1. I would like to .........apologize for......................my absence at the meeting.

2. I am ..concerned about......................the lack of supervision in the playground.

3. I am writing to .......complain to.........................the poor service I received at your store.

4. I am very ...sorry about...................... not being able to meet the deadline.

5. We would like to ......invite..............you........to......... the ABC Company’s open house on Saturday, June 16 at 1:00 p.m.

6. I am writing to ...inform ......................you about the new budget proposal.

7. I would like to take this opportunity to ........thank............you .....for...........  being a loyal customer over the years.

8. I am ................interested in............ finding out about the training programs that you offer.

9. I am very ........upset about...........................the way I was treated by one of your admin staff.

10. I am writing to .........inquire about..................... the position you have available.

11. I am ............responding  to.. ........................your advertisement in the Globe and Mail on June 3, 2009.

12. I would like to .........apply .for....the position of Sales Manager that was advertised in the Kingston Whig Standard on September 31, 2010.

Task 2:

Write six sentences of your own using prepositional collocations.

 1, I blame my son for making the mess at home.
 2, I will come over to your place around 2 pm.
 3, After settling down in Canada, the first thing that I have to do is to pass drive license.
 4, Please pay attention about your class.
 5, I can not agree with you.
 6, I would like to contribute to my all energy on this project.

Task 3:

Errors in Letter-writing Conventions

This letter has nine errors relating to proper business letter conventions. Underline the mistakes and correct them.

Mrs. Lucinda Minto, Manager

Bright Star Lighting Store

11 Glendale Ave.

Oshawa, ON 
L1H 8K9

Monday, September 12, 2009

Dear Lucinda:

I am writing to you to explain a situation happened on me. I purchased a floor lamp in your store on August 25th, 2009,. Unfortunately, I was not able to use it, because it did not work properly. Every time I switched it on, it switched off by itself after about 30 minutes. I took the lamp back to the store, but the salesgirl refused to refund me my money back. I had a telephone conversation with you about it and you confirmed that your store’s policy is to exchange faulty merchandise rather than refund the money. Unfortunately, the lamp that I am looking for is no longer available at your store. After giving these circumstances, I would like to request to refund the money back to me. I will so appreciate about it.

I am looking for reply from you.

Sincerely,

Peter Wu

Marisa Romer

Task 4:

Answer the questions.

1. What is the purpose of the letter? explain the problem and ask for refunding money.

2. What is the problem? he bought a lamp didn't work, but there wasn't the some one in the store that could be changed.

3. What is the customer requesting? refunding money.

4. Is it a reasonable request? Why? Yes, it is. Because he can not find the same lamp in the store.