1、to the Course of English Business Correspondence,By Prof. Zhang Shaolin,OBJECTIVESGetting familiar with the new words and expressions; Knowing the format and format of English business letters and the envelope. Practising relevant writing,Chapter 1,Layout of English Business Letter,Main Contents,1.1
2、 Introduction 1.2 New words and expressions 1.3 Tips for composing English business correspondence 1.4 Layout of English envelopes 1.5 Layout of English letters 1.6 Formats of English letters,1. What should we pay attention to when we compose an English business letter? 2. Do you know the components
3、 of an English business letter? 3. What are the formats of business English letters?,Discussion,1.1 Introduction,Foreign trade correspondence is of great importance in international trade and business communication.,Quite a large part of business of the world is conducted by means of correspondence.
4、,This course mainly dwells on 12 types of foreign trade letters widely used in foreign trade.,1.2 New words and expressions of Chapter 1,to be conducted by means of correspondence well-groomed business letters to be embodied in the layout of the letter an even appearance to be cluttered (with ) at t
5、he top to sit lopsidedly on either side to lay lopsided stress on to plan your margin accordingly,通过信函进行修饰得体的商业信函在信件的布局中体现整齐划一的外表 顶端混乱地堆集 着 两边不对称摆放片面强调 从而安排你的页边空白,to bear in mind that on the preceding page to be single-spaced triple spaces between paragraphs a wordy letter misspelled words a typogra
6、phical error to prejudice the reader against you the proper use of punctuation the full block form,记住 在前一页 设置单倍行距 段落间的三倍间隔用词累赘的信件 拼写错误的单词 排版错误 使读者对你产生偏见恰当使用标点符号(信件)顶格式,the indented style the simplified form in compliance with your request to be subject to our final confirmation irrevocable Letter of
7、 Credit to be available by draft at sight a heavy demand for the goods the reference and date to begin a letter with a salutation,缩进式 简化式 遵照贵方的要求以我公司最后确认为准 不可撤消的信用证 凭即期汇票可获(支付)对该产品的大量需求提及的事情与日期 用尊称作为一封信的开头,the subject line the complimentary close the enclosure of the letter carbon copy notation the
8、postscript of/to a letter the icon of products a miniature of the products the initial of the signer abbreviation of Messieurs a courtesy title the customary formal greeting to be scrapped and retyped,主题行,事由 信尾客套话 信的附件 副本符号 信后附言 产品图标 产品缩图/缩型 签名者姓名首字母 “诸君”一词的缩写词 礼貌头衔 惯例的正式问候(信件)被废掉重新打,to sign by hand
9、 and in ink illegible handwriting to sign a letter with a rubber stamp integrated circuit boards peripheral equipment the elements of a toolkit a revocable vote at the upper left corner the name of the recipient,用墨水手写签署 难以辨认的笔迹 用橡皮印章签署信件集成电路板 外围设备 工具包中的基本物件 可废弃的选票 在左上角 接收者的名字,1.3 Tips for composing
10、business correspondence,What tips are given in this chapter about composing business correspondence?,Discussion,1.3.1 Even spacing,(1) The letter should present an even, well-balanced appearance, neither cluttered in any part nor arranged lopsidedly on one side.,(2) Wide margins make the letter more
11、 readable and inviting.,(3) Most business letters are single-spaced between lines, with double spaces between the paragraphs.,(4) When paragraphs are indented, they should all line up with the same distance from the margin.,1.3.2 Short sentence and paragraph,Short sentences and paragraphs are easy t
12、o read and inviting to the eyes.,A new paragraph should be used for a new thought or idea.,Ideas should be expressed as simply and briefly as possible.,1.3.3 Correct layout,A layout is an overall design of a page, book, etc., including elements such as page, type size, font, and the arrangement of t
13、itles, etc.,One form should be adopted from the beginning to the end of the letter.,The layout of the business letter covers “forms of the letter” and “parts of the letter”.,1.4 Layout of envelopes,When you write an envelope, you should put your name and address at the upper left corner of the envel
14、op and the recipients name and address in the center of the envelope.,Your name 30% Address50%,Recipients NameAddress,Generally, the information about the recipient is laid out in the following order:,(1) recipients name (if known); (2) company name; (3) address or post office box; (4) city, state,
15、and postal code; (5) country (if it is an international mail).,Susan JonesABC Company1234 main StreetNewtown, NY20022USA,1.5 Layout of letters,1.5.1 Three parts of a business letter,The structure of a letter is demonstrated in the tables below illustrating the position of each part in a letter.,the
16、pre-message; the message; the post-message.,1.5.2 Sixteen segments of a business letter,1.5.1 Layout of pre-message (1) Letter head (2) Date (3) Inside address (4) Attention line (5) Reference number (6) Subject line (7) Salutation,(1) Letterhead (信头),Many companies also add a phone number, fax numb
17、er, e-mail address or website to the letterhead.,The letterhead can be on the left side of the page, in the middle, or on the right.,Companies normally have their own letterhead templates, customized with the logo, company name and address.,Example of letterhead,Total Communications1234 NE Central R
18、oadCamas, WA 98607Phone: 360-555-1212Fax: 360-555-1515T,(2) Date,September 2, 2010,2 September 2010,The American form:,The British form,All business letters should be dated. The date includes the day, month and year. There are two basic forms of dates, e.g.,(3) Inside address (信内收信人地址),Charles Stapl
19、esGeneral Manager7 Studios11943 Montana AvenueLos Angeles, CA90049USA,The order of the inside address includes the recipients name, title, the company, then the street, city, state or province, postal code, and country (if necessary), Example:,(4) Attention line (指明收信人),Att: Charles Staples, Game De
20、signer ATT: Sales Manager,The attention line is optional. It is used when the inside address includes only a company name. its function is to tell to whom the letter should go. We can use such abbreviations as “Att” or “ATT”, Examples:,(5) Reference (指涉),Re: Order No.789 Ref: PO No. 345,Sometimes, “
21、Your ref” is used to indicate to which letter we reply; “Our ref” is used as the reply letters reference number. Examples:,Your ref: CNN/255 Our Ref: 1234/BD,A reference may be an order number, part number or date. “Re” and “Ref” are the most common abbreviations. Examples:,(6) Subject line (事由),Sub
22、: DELAY OF DELIVERY Sub: Request for price lists,The subject line shows the general idea or the purpose of the letter. It features a word or tow, or a short phrase. Examples:,Usually, reference numbers and subject information are combined together to facilitate understanding. Example:,Re: Account No
23、. FG1234Billing dated 10-4-09Error in Billing Sub: Order No. 1234Price Reduction,(7) Salutation (尊称),Dear Mr. Smith, Dear Mrs. Jones, Dear Peter, Dear President Jones, Dear Professor Qin,A salutation is a way of greeting the reader or addressee. The name is usually combined with “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, “Miss
24、.”, “Ms.”, or an official title like “President” or “Doctor”, etc. A salutation often ends with a comma. Examples:,If the addressees name is not known, you may use his title, or address the letter to his department or may say as the following examples.,Dear Sales Manager,Accounting Department Dear s
25、irs, Gentlemen, Ladies and Gentlemen,1.5.2.2 Layout of message,(8) Opening (9) Body (10) Closing sentences,(8) Opening sentences (开头语),In response to your letter of May 15, Your letter has been received and we are pleased to say that After reading your advertisement Our Sales Manager, John Jones, su
26、ggested that I contact you regarding ,The opening sentences give the reader a general idea about what your letter is going to say. e.g.,(9) Body (主旨段落),The body gives more details, asks questions, presents points of view, etc. usually, a good foreign trade letter is not very long. Extra information
27、other than the subject the letter deals with is kept out.,(10) Closing sentences (结尾语),Thank you for your attention. Your assistance in this matter is appreciated. I would appreciate your mailing this information today. Please call me. Our supply is limited. Act now!,The closing sentences of a lette
28、r can be an expression of gratitude, a suggestion or a request. Examples:,1.5.2.3 Layout of the post-message,(11) Complimentary close (12) Signature (13) Identification initials (14) Enclosure (15) Copies (16) Postscript,(11) Complimentary close (信尾客套话),Very truly yours, Yours cordially, Respectfull
29、y yours,The complimentary close is always followed by a comma and only the first letter is capitalized. The close can be formal or informal, depending on whether you are familiar with the addressee.,Examples of formal complimentary closes:,Examples of Less formal complimentary closes:,Best regards,
30、Cordially, Yours truly,Examples of Informal complimentary closes:,Best wishes, Warmest regards, See you in the near future,(12) Signature,Sincerely, John Smith Sales Department (NORTHWEST COMMUNICATION),John Smith,The signature is put at the left margin, leaving three lines space for the handwritten
31、 signature before the typed name, title and/or department. It usually looks like this:,(13) Identification initials (作者/打字员姓名缩写),DG/bm,Identification initials are the initials of the person who dictates the letter in uppercase characters and then the initials of the person who types the letter in lo
32、wcase characters.,(14) Enclosure (附件),Enc. 4 samples 1 Encl. Price List 2 Encl. Category List Attachments,Enclosures are optional it is used when you put something into the envelop together with the letter. We often use the abbreviation “Encl.” or “Enc.” . “Attachments” is also acceptable. It is usu
33、ally signified below the identification initials, on the left margin. e.g.,(15) Copies (抄送),CC: Jean Goecks CC: Sales Manager,This part is often initialed as “CC”. It stands for “Carbon Copies”, which means to send a copy of your letter to someone other than the recipient. e.g.,(16) Postscript (附笔),
34、P.S. Hope to see you at the trade fair on August 10. PSS Be sure to place your order soon!,The postscript is used to add further information to the letter. It is always abbreviated as “PS”, “P.S” or “PSS”.,1.6 Formats of English Business Letters,1.6.1 Block format,The most common layout of a busines
35、s letter is known as block format, esp. in the USA. Using this format, the entire letter is left justified and single spaced except for a double space between paragraphs.,1.6.2 Modified block format,Another widely utilized format is known as modified block format. In this type, the body of the lette
36、r and the senders and recipients addresses are left justified and single-spaced. However, for the date and closing, tab to the center point and begin to type.,1.6.3 Semi-Block format,The final, and least used, style is semi-block. It is much like the modified block style except that each paragraph i
37、s indented instead of left justified.,1.7 Font English Business Letters,Another important factor in the readability of a letter is the font. The generally accepted font is Times New Roman, size 12, although other fonts such as Arial may be used.,When choosing a font, always consider your audience. I
38、f you are writing to a conservative company, you may want to use Times New Roman. However, if you are writing to a more liberal company, you have a little more freedom when choosing fonts.,Attention:,Keep in mind that different organizations have different format requirements for their professional
39、communication. While the examples provided here contain common elements for the basic business letter (genre expectations), the format of your business letter may need to be flexible to reflect variables like letterheads and templates. Our examples are merely guides.,Exercises,1. Improve the letter
40、on Page 14; 2. Arrange the parts of a letter to form a proper letter on Page 15. 3. Write an envelope with the following information Sender: Wang Ning, Department of Foreign Languages, Bowen Management College, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin Guangxi, P.R. China, 541004 Recipient: Susan Jones, Atlantic Nut Company, 345 North First Street, Atlanta, GA 33415-0022, USA,Thank You,
