Business English Correspondence 梁红 (Alina) Ph. D. Associate Pro. Email:alina6696@163.com Tel:13970956653

Chapter 1 The Layout of Business Letters Key points for this chapter: 1. The objective of a business letter 2. Requirements for a good business letter 3. Essential qualities of a good business letter: 3Cs 4. Layout of a business letters 5. Format of business Letters 6. Envelope Addressing

1.1 The objective of a business letter To get action To build goodwill To furnish information The following is concrete purposes in the course To ask for or to convey information To make or to accept an offer To deal with matters concerning negotiation of business To remind the recipient of the sender’s existence

1.2 Requirements for a good business letter Good language (English) No any grammatical mistakes Free from any misunderstanding

1.3 Essential qualities of a good business letter 3Cs: Clearness(Clarity) Straightforward and Plain or simple English Avoiding misunderstanding Conciseness(should be precise and to the point) Easier to read Careful paragraph, one paragraph for each point Courtesy(honest friendship, thoughtful appreciation, sincere politeness, considerate understanding and heartfelt respect.) Reply promptly “You” attitude Direct and approachable Comfortable and responsive (refers to the textbook P7)

Structure 1)信头(letterhead) 2）编号，日期(reference and date) 3）封内名称和地址 (inside address) 4）经办人(attention) 5）称呼(salutation) 6）事由（标题）(subject) 7）正文(body) 8）结尾敬词 (complimentary) 9）签名(signature) 10）附件 (enclosure) 11）抄送(cc to XX) 12）附言(postscript)

1.4 Layout of a business letters Optional Parts References Attention line Subject Headings Postscript Enclosure Copies Basic Parts The Letter-head The Date Inside name and Address The Salutation The Message The Complimentary Close The Signature

1) letterhead:(The company’s name , address, postcode, telephone number, telex number, fax number, the name of the officer or the director and even some picture or slogan for a symbol of the company) 2) References 3) Date: It is usual to show the date in the order day/month/year ( English Practice) or month /day /year (American practice). Avoid giving a date in figures and abbreviations. 4) Inside (receiver’s) address 5) Salutation 6) Subject/Subject heading 7) The body of the letter 8) complimentary close 9) Signatures 10) Enclosures 11) Copies 12) Postscripts Please refer to the textbook P17

Please Pay Attentions to: British Style 1st March 2004 or 1 March 2004 American Style March 1st, 2004 Oct. 28, 2004 Don’t use the figures 12/10/2004 Please Pay Attentions to: The following dates in letters, which are correct? 2007.02.16 16-02-2007 16.02.2007 16/02/2007 Feb. 16th,2007 Feb. 16,2007 16 Feb. 2007 16th Feb.,2007 16th Feb. 2007

Attention in the inside name and address: Make sure there is no any mistakes in spelling of the name Make sure you know clearly to use Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, Esq., and Messrs. 1) Mr. for a man 2)Mrs.for a married woman 3)Miss for an unmarried woman 4)Ms. for both married and unmarried women 5)Esq. (Esquire) is sometimes used instead of Mr. For certain classes of persons(e.g. judges, magistrates),and it always follows the name 6)Messrs. is used occasionally for two or more men (e.g.. Messrs.S.laurel and O.Hardy) but more commonly forms part of the name of a firm(e.g.. Messrs. Holmes & Weston & Co.) 7)Mmes (Mesdames) can be used for two or more women

The Salutation 1)To an unknown person Dear Sir or Madam, (Sirs)(Br E) Ladies and Gentlemen (Am E) 2)To a known person Dear Mr. White:/Mrs./Ms 3)Very Formal Situation To whom it may concerns 注意不能单用sirs，gentlemen也不能用单数 Please make sure you know which of the following salutations are true: Dear Sirs, Dear Sir, Dear Madam, Dear Sir or Madam, Dear Gentleman: (,) Dear Gentlemen, Gentlemen: (,) Gentleman, Sir, Sirs,

The Complimentary Close Br E: Yours faithfully Am E Yours sincerely Yours truly Sincerely yours Best regards, With best regards Thanks & best regards

1.5 Format of Business Letters Indented Form Blocked Form Modified Blocked Form

Specimen letter for exercise The N&P Manufacturing Company Ltd 42 Narrow alley Cheswick London W5A 3EU UK 10 February 2004 Dear Sirs, We have seen your advertisement for the sofa-beds in the Guardian. We are a well-known company selling wide range of furniture products in Germany. We would like to enlarge our assortment by hand-make pine furniture you advertise. Could you please send us your latest catalogue and price list including more details about cash or trade discounts. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Kurt Johansen (Signature) Sales manager

6 Addressing Envelopes Stamp Return Address Address Remarks

Writing practice Suppose you are an automobile manufacturer in China and I am a big car importer in American. Write a letter to me(in modified blocked form) and invite me to visit your factory.