quote:

I am in receipt of your inquiry regarding booking your travel for our February meeting. However, we will not be able to forego any plans for that meeting until the completion of our December meeting.

Here's the situation: We cannot set up travel plans for the February meeting until after the December meeting has been held. The meeting attendee had wanted to book his travel to both meetings now. Interesting misuse of forego, unless I am missing something.

It looks like overnegation.

What did you think of his flowery language? He always writes like this.

He should read Gowers' Plain Language.

Small correction - the title is The Complete Plain Words.

Looks like he's working from an old-fashioned book of models for letters. Haven't seen "I am in receipt of your" since Katharine Gibbs days. Reminds me of "____ accepts with pleasure" (etc, copying out every line of a wedding invitation).

arnie, I haven't read that book before, have you? It might be beneficial for me because I often come across that flowery language.

Yes, Gowers is a classic. Required reading for all who write letters (and emails nowadays).