English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I am lost on the usage of inquire. Are any of the following sentences acceptable? If so, which is the most appropriate?
- I'd like to inquire if you are still accepting applications?
- I'd like to inquire as to if you are still accepting applications or not?
- I'd like to inquire whether you are currently accepting applications.
This is part of a formal letter and I am held up on how to correctly write this sentence. This question is is similar to this question.
If it's a formal letter I'd express it as, "I am writing to enquire whether you are still accepting applications for the position of Paper Clip Straightener as advertised on SEEK on 19th July."
If you're in north America, the date should be month then day, so "July 19th".
Enquire and Inquire are essentially the same word, but "enquire" connotes a general question, whereas "inquire" can connote a more formal inquiry.
Since it's formal writing, contractions (such as "it's" for "it is") should not be used unless you're quoting, and avoid superfluous words and improper constructions, so "as to whether" is just "whether", "off of" is "on" and so on.
I'd use "I would like to inquire if you are still accepting applications for position X". I've used that one before, myself! Also, if it's a formal inquiry, avoid contractions!
