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		Ask for help > Linkers in a formal letter     
			
		 Linkers in a formal letter 
		
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 zvonka.rink
 
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							| Linkers in a formal letter 
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							| Dear colleagues, 
 I need your help. My students took a test in which they had to fill in the missing words in a formal letter. In one of the gaps I expected the word begin:
 
 To begin with, I would like to have.....
 
 Can start be used as an equivalent in a formal letter?
 
 Also:
 
 I �m writing to ask you for further details of the  CC Restaurant and its facilities.
 
 Can about further details ... be used and the meaning would remain the same?
 
 I thank you so much for your help and answers. I really hope that all the suggested words are also OK because this will make my students sooooo happy.
 
 Enjoy the weekend.
 
 |  8 Oct 2011      
					
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 remymatta
 
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							| Dear colleague,     It �s more colloquial if you use " start"; "begin" is much more appropriate for using in a formal introduction.   As for "ask for" and "ask about" they have two  different meanings:   To ask for is :to demand To ask about is to seek knowledge/inquire  about In your case ,I think "to ask for" is the most correct one.   Some helpful suggestions:       
| Main Entry: | first |  
| Part of Speech: | adverb |  
| Definition: | at the beginning |  
| Synonyms: | at the outset, before all else, beforehand, in the first place, initially, originally, to begin with, to start with |   Hope this was Helpful :)     |  8 Oct 2011     
					
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