0
Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Vocabulary

Comparison between in receipt of /have received/...was received

Hi:

When writing emails to my US clients, I often use "... was received" and "I have received..." to express the meaning of I have received something. But recently, I came across a situation where a business letter used "We are in receipt of the order... " as follows, so please kindly explain the differences between the two and also advise is it feasible to use "We are in receipt of the purchase order" in mordern business letters. (namely is it outdated?)

Sample letter:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND ACCEPTANCE
OF ORDER

Date: _

To: _ (Customer)

We are in receipt of your order as contained in the
attached purchase order form.
We confirm acceptance on said order subject only to the
following exceptions: (Describe)

On exceptions noted, we shall assume you agree to same
unless objection is received within ten days of receipt of
this notice.
Thank you for your patronage.

Very truly,

Thanks!

Best regards,

Xin Yan

China

  

Top answer

Hi, We are in receipt of is common business jargon. We have received means the same thing. It, too, is common, but also sounds more human and rather more stylish.

  • Hi, We are in receipt of is common business jargon.
  • We have received means the same thing.
  • It, too, is common, but also sounds more human and rather more stylish.
  • Clive Clive
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

3 Answers
0
Hi,

We are in receipt of is common business jargon.

We have received means the same thing. It, too, is common, but also sounds more human and rather more stylish.

Clive

Clive
0
I like the word "receipt". I just used it in a sentence that said "We will process your order upon receipt of payment". That, in my view, is what the word was intended for rather than substituting it for "have received"
0

We have received is ordinary, we are in receipt of is fancy!

Related Questions