A friend who lives in a different city has invited you to his/her daughter’s 8th birthday. However, you can not accept the invitation due to some personal reasons.

Model Answer 1:

Dear Wilson,

It was great to hear from you, and I’m really surprised that Diana has already turned eight! It sounds as if she has grown so fast. I wish her a happy birthday and thank you for inviting me to this special occasion.

I’d love to be at Diana’s birthday party but I’m terribly sorry that I can’t make it due to some deadlines at my office next week. The problem is that I’ve been promoted to the assistant manager position a few months ago and the work pressure has skyrocketed since then. The office management has assured me that I’ll be given an assistant soon but until that happens, I’ll hardly have time for myself.

Perhaps I can visit you sometime next summer when I hope I’ll stay with you for a couple of days. Please share some birthday photos on Facebook so that I get a glimpse of the celebration. I owe Diana a birthday gift.

Anyway, I must finish today. So thanks once again for your kind invitation, and I do hope that we can get together sometime in the summer.

Warm wishes,

Harris