English Letters 大学英语提高课程组 翟语佳

Question: How many parts does an English letter consist of?

Heading (Address) (Date) Inside address Salutation, Body _________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ __________________________________________. _________________________________________________ _________________________________. Complimentary close, Signature

The Structure of an English Letter (1) Heading 信头 the address of the sender the date (2) Inside address 信内地址 (3) Salutation 称呼 (4) Body 正文 (5) Complimentary close 谦辞 (6) Signature 签名 (7) The Postscript 附言 (8) Enclosure 附件

Part One: Heading 信头 1. Two parts: address of the writer and date 2. Location: in the top right-hand corner 3. Punctuation: It may or may not have end punctuation: closed punctuation and open punctuation. 4. Arrangement: first line: the house number, the name of the street or road second line: the name of the town or city third line: the name of the state or province, the postal code fourth line: the name of the country last line: the date

The Date of the Letter American: January 15, 1997 / January 15 th, 1997 English: 15 January, 1997 / 15 th January, 1997

Abbreviations in the Heading 缩写 N. Y New York N. J New Jersey St Street Rd Road Sq Square Ave Avenue

Part Two: Inside Address 1. Two parts: the name and address of the receiver 2. Location: in the top left-hand corner 3. Arrangement: same to address of the sender

Part Three: The Salutation 称呼 1. Definition: greeting to your addressee 2. Location: two spaces below the inside address 3. Form: first name, surname or full name (or with title) of the addressee can be used according to your relationship with the recipient. 4. Punctuation: comma should be put after the salutation

Salutation (1) 不知道收信人姓名 Dear Sir, Gentleman, Dear President, Dear Madame (2) 知道收信人的姓氏，而他并非你的好朋友 Dear Mr. James, Dear Prof. Mark, Dear Dr. Williams (3) 熟悉的朋友亲友 Dear Susan, Dear Mama, My dear Tom, My dearest, My dearest Jean, My darling, Darling Jean

Part Four: The Body Location: two spaces below the salutation Three parts: (1) Introduction (2) Details and Narration (3) Concluding Sentence

Part Five: The Complimentary Close 1. Location: two spaces or so below the body of the letter on the right-hand side 2. Punctuation: a comma after the close 3. First letter should be capitalized.

Most Commonly Used Words: (1) 收信人为单位、团体或陌生人 Yours truly / faithfully / sincerely (2) 收信人为熟人或朋友 Yours ever, Yours cordially / devotedly / excitedly / intimately (3) 收信人为长辈、上级 Yours respectfully / obediently / gratefully / appreciatively (4) 收信人为亲人或密友 Yours devoted friend, Yours affectionately, Affectionately, Love, Lots of love, Your loving son (sister / daughter), Fondly yours

Part Six: The Signature 1. Put it between the complimentary close and the typed name of the writer. 2. Use pinyin spelling or Chinese characters in ink. 3. Sign your full name for business letters, your full name or your given / first name or even a nickname for personal letters.

The Postscript / P.S. 附言 …. We look forward to seeing you all again. With love, Mary P. S. Helen ’ s passed her driving test! We can hardly believe it. Mary P. S.  Signifies the addition.

Enclosure (s) / Enc. / Encl. 附件 It signifies that the writer enclose some material in the envelope. e.g. Enclosure: Two photos Enc.: Two letters of recommendation One application form One resume

Thank you!