商务英语函电教程 Unit 1 [武汉理工]

BUSINESSENGLISHCORRESPONDENCE UnitOneBasicKnowledgeofBusinessLetterWriting LearningObjective TolearnthestructureofBusinesslettersToknowtheformatsofBusinesslettersToknowhowtoAddressEnvelopsTounderstandthegeneralprinciplesappliedtobusinessletterwriting 1 TheStructureofBusinessLetters 1 TheBasicpartsofBusinessLettersLetterheadReferenceDatelineInsideNameandAddressSalutationSubjectLineBodyComplimentaryCloseSignature LetterheadLetterheadincludesthesender sname postaladdress thecompany slogo telephonenumber telexnumber cableaddressandE mailaddress etc Itsposition Itmaybepositionedinthecenteroftheletterorattheleftmarginforfullblockstyleorflushattherightmarginforindentedstyle ShanghaiHualiImp Exp Co LtdRoom606PlazaBuilding Fax 86 21 642533781302MeilongRoad 200237Tel 86 21 64255578Shanghai People sRepublicofChinaE mail huali188 Insomecountriestheletterheadcontainsotherdetails Forexample intheU K thedirector snamesofacompanyisgiven DirectorEdmondHalleyCapitalFoodCo Ltd15PARKGTEROAD LONDONSW124NQ U K ReferenceInclude afilenumber departmentalcodeortheinitialsofthesignerfollowedbythatofthetypistoftheletter Thesearemarked Ourref and Yourref toavoidconfusion Yourref AMD IPOurref WRL QNposition Theyareoftenplacedtwolinesbelowtheletterhead Ifdesired thereferenceinitialscanalsobeplacedatthelowerleftmargintwolinesbelowthenameofthesigner DatelineThedatelineconsistsofthemonth day andyear withthemonthwritteninfull norabbreviatedorrepresentedbyfigures day month year Englishpractice month day year Americanpractice Neverusetheshortformofthemonth e g Jan Feb Oct Don twrite08insteadof2008fortheyear orgivethedateinfigures e g 10 12 2008 Bothofthefollowingstylesareacceptable 28March2008March28 2008 InsideNameandAddressThenameandaddressofthereceiveristypedattheleft handmarginatleasttwolinesbelowthedate Precedetheaddress snamewithacourtesywithtitle suchasMr Ms orDr Ifyoudonotknowwhetherapersonisamanorwoman andyouhavenowaytofindout omitthecourtesytitleandgivethefullname Donotusebothkindsoftitleswithonename however Asshownbelow thetitleofaperson spositionwithinanorganizationmaybeincludedandtypedeitheronthesamelinebelowtheperson sname whicheverpositionresultsinbetterbalance Ifthetitleappearsonthesameline placeacommabetweenthenameandthetitle Forexample 1 Mr GeorgeRussell Director164BayRoad LiquorlandOklahomaCity OK73125U S A 2 Mr ThomCollinsAssistantVicePresidentTheHerculesEngineeringCo Ltd BrazennoseStreet ManchesterM608ASEngland Ifthenameofaspecificpersonisunavailable youmayaddressthelettertothedepartment followedbythenameofthecompany CustomerServiceDepartmentAcmeConstructionCompanyInordertoavoidambiguity whenyouwriteletterstoothercountries alwaysincludethenameofthecountry evenifthecitymentionedisthecountry scapital Seetheexamplebelow Mrs AnnMeadowsWarner ThompkinsCompany210TracyAvenueSpokane Washington99202U S A SalutationThesalutationisthecomplimentarygreetingtothereceiver Placeittwolinesbelowtheinsideaddress flushwiththeleftmargin Itsformdependsonthewriter srelationshipwiththereceiver 1 Thecustomaryformalgreetinginabusinessletteris foraddressingonepersonDearSir DearMadam foraddressingtwoormorepeopleDearSirs DearMadamsGentlemen alwaysshouldbeinpluralformandneverwrite Gentleman 2 Ifthereceiverisknowntothewriterpersonally alessformalandwarmergreetingisusedasfollows DearMs KatherineBlack DearDr HarryThetrendistoward Ms asthecourtesytitleforallwomenregardlessoftheirmaritalstatus SubjectLineSubjectlineisactuallythegeneralideaofaletter Itisinsertedbetweenthesalutationandthebodyofthebusinesslettereitherattheleft handmarginforfully blockedletterformorcentrallyoverthebodyofthelettertocallattentiontothetopicoftheletter 1 DearSirorMadam Subject AnnualTradeFair 2 DearSir Re ContractNo 2216for200M TofWalnuts 3 Gentlemen SalesConfirmationNo TE88 BodyThebodyisthemainpartthatconveysyourmessage Itexpressesthewriter sidea opinion purposeandwishes Atypicalplanforathree paragraphletterincludes Paragraphone Referstoanypreviouscorrespondenceorintroducesthepurposeoftheletter Paragraphtwo Supportstheopeningandprovideswhatserviceorinformationyouhavetooffer ParagraphThree Endthebodyoftheletterwiththeactionorideathatyouwantthereadertoconsiderorwiththeresultsyouwouldliketohave ComplimentaryCloseThecomplimentarycloseismerelyapolitewayofendingaletter Itappearsinthemiddleofthepageorflushwiththeleftmargininfullyblockedlettersandtwolinesbelowtheclosingsentence Asthesalutationandcomplimentaryclosearemerelyamatterofcourtesyanddon tmeananythingtothemessage theycanbeomittedinthesimplifiedformusednowadays Thecomplimentaryclose whenitisused mustneverbeseparatedfromthesubstanceofaletterbycarriedtoaseparatesheet Iffaultylayoutoccurs thelettershouldberetyped leavingnarrowerspacetolayouttheletterwithinonesheetofpaperorrearrangingtheletterwithsomeportionofthebodycarriedovertothenextsheet Thenextpageorpagesshouldhavethesamequality sizeandcolorasthefirstpagetoshow thenumberofthesheet inthecenterofthepage thenameofyourcorrespondence ontheleft handside thedateoftheletter ontheright handside Thefollowingstylesareoftenusedforcontinuationsheets SignatureThesignatureisthesigningofthemessagesender sname Typethenamebelowcomplimentaryclose leaveenoughblanklinestosignyournamebyhandinblackorblueink Never sign witharubberstamp Ifyourletterisonplainpaperandyouwanttoemphasizethatyouarelegallyrepresentingyourcompany youmaytypethecompany snameinCapitallettersbelowthecomplementarycloseandplacethetitleofthemessagesenderonthesamelinewithorbelowthetypedname Thefollowingareexamplesofdifferentwaysofsigningabusinessletter 1 AnofficialsigningforhiscompanyYoursfaithfully MAINRICHINTERNATIONALCO LTD NancyNancy 2 Apartnersigningforhisfirm Sincerelyyours DennisBrownDennisBrown 2 AdditionalPartsofBusinessLettersEnclosureCarbonCopyNotationPostscript EnclosureAnenclosurenotationshouldbeaddedtothebusinessletter whensuchdocumentsasbrochures catalogues samples pricelistsareattachedtotheletter Theenclosurenotationfollowstwolinesafterthesignatureblock Typetheword Enclosure oritsabbreviationwrittenas Enc Or Encl withthenumberofenclosures Heretypicalenclosuresmightread Enclosure4samplesEncl PriceList CarbonCopyNotationCarboncopynotationisusedwhencopiesoftheletteraresenttoothers Type CC or cc withthenamesofthepersonswhowillreceivethecopiesoftheletter usuallypositionedtwolinesbelowthesignatureblockattheleftmargin Manycompaniesarenowusing PC forphotocopy Forexample PC MargaretRuthCC TheChamberofCommerceforMetalandMinerals c c Mr David PostscriptIfthewriterwishedtoaddsomethingheforgottomentionorforemphasis hemayaddhispostscripttwolinesbelowthecarboncopynotation andflushwiththeleftmargin Forexample P S Thecataloguewillbesenttoyoutomorrow TheaddingofaP S should however beavoidedasfaraspossible sinceitmaysuggestthewriterfailedtoplanhisletterwellbeforehetypedit ThefollowingletterisdesignedtoillustratethePositionofeachpartmentionedabove LetterheadInytatexMiddleEastLtdP O Box2216Jeddah12641 SAUDIARABIAOurref TF001Yourref FP t3DatelineMay20 2005InsideaddressMilanInternationalTradeCorp ViaPiccolomini520151Milan ItalySalutationDearSirs BodyWevisitedyourstandatMilanfairlastOctober Wewereinterestedinyourleatherboots WearewholesalersinJeddahandwethinkyourarticlescouldfindapromisingmarketinourarea Wewouldbeverypleasedtoreceiveyourcatalogueandpricelist ComplimentarycloseYoursfaithfully SignatureJohnCarterJohnCarterPurchasingManagerEncl PriceListP S Thecoveringsampleswillairmailyoutoday SpecimenLetter 1 二 TheFormatsofBusinessLetters 1 Indentedstyle2 FullBlockStyle3 Semi blockStyle4 Simplifiedstyle 1 IndentedstyleTheindentedstyleisatraditionalBritishpracticewiththeletterheadusuallyinthemiddleandthedatelineontheright handside Thecomplimentaryclosemaybeinthecenterorcommenceatthecenterpoint Theindentedstyletakes4or5lettersinthefirstlineofeachparagraphinthebodyofthebusinessletter Itlooksattractiveandmakesforeasyreading butitisnotconvenienttotype SeeSpecimenLetters 2 LondonTradingCo LtdBlackroad HammersmithW53DTTel 4123895563Fax 4123895887E mail lc May15 2008BeijingGarmentsImp ExpCorporation812JianguoRoad Beijing China100088DearMr Chen YourletterofNovember1 2007hasbeenreceived Asweareanxioustofinalizethistransaction wehavebeenexertingourselvestopersuadeourclientstoacceptyourprices Eventually theyhavedecidedtoaccept Wearegladtohavebeenabletoconcludethebusinesswithyou Awaityoursalesconfirmation Yoursfaithfully ColinRyan Indentedstyle 21CenturyTraders77CooperST 4HLondon2039 UK9October2007NationalGeographicSociety475KenwoodStDuluth MN55811U S ADearMrs Mason Thankyouforyourletterof12August concerningyourforthcomingvisittomycompany I llbegladtomeetyouatthetimeofyourvisit Pleaseconfirmyourflightnumber sothatmyassistant Helen Wewillmeetyouattheairport Ilookforwardtoseeingyou Yourssincerely JohnsonMorgan FullBlockStyle CapitalElectricalProductsCo Ltd15ParkagateRoad LondonSW124NQU K Tel 44 35987048E mail capital 25July2007TheCommercialAttacheBritishEmbassyBeirutDearSir ForanumberofyearswehaveimportedelectricshavesfromtheUnitedStates butnowlearnthattheseshavescanbeobtainedfromBritishmanufacturers WewishtoextendourpresentrangeofmodelsandshouldbegladifyoucouldsupplyuswithalistofBritishmanufacturerslikelytobeabletohelpus Ifyoucannotsupplytheinformationfromyourrecords couldyoupleasereferourenquirytotheappropriatequarterinLondon Yoursfaithfully FredJohns Semi blockStyle SHANGHAILIHUAIMP EXP CO LTDRm 9012UnionBuilding 1202HinghamRoadShanghai China20026TEL 86 21 64257881E mail lihua129 August28 2008GlobalTradeGroupLtd 56W39thST 3NewYork NYU S AIncompliancewithyourequestinyourletterdatedAugust28 2008 wehavesentyouourlatestbrochure byseparateairmail foryourreference Ifyouareinterestedinanyitemofourproducts pleaseletusknowassoonaspossible Wearelookingforwardtoyourspecificenquiry HenryLai Simplifiedstyle 3 AddressingEnvelopes BusinessEnvelopesusuallyhavethereturnaddressalreadyprintedintheupperleftcorner Thereceiver snameandaddressshouldbetypedabouthalfwaydowntheenvelope Thepostmarkorstampsshouldbeplacedintheupright handcorner whilethebottomleft handspaceisforpostnotationlike Byairmail Confidential Secret PrintedMatter etc Theformatofaddressontheenvelopecanbeinblockedorindentedstyle butitisbettertokeepthesameformatwiththeinsideaddressfortheletter SpecimenEnvelop 1 Blockstyle BYAIRMAIL SpecimenEnvelop 2 Indentedstyle GuidelinesforWriting Agoodbusinesslettercanpromotethesaleoftheproducts keepagoodimpressionofthecompanyandenhancetheworkefficiency Businessletterwritingisoneofthenecessarybusinessactivities Hereareafewgeneral7Sprinciplesthatareappliedtobusinessletterwriting CourtesyConsiderationCompletenessConcreteness 4 Thegeneralprinciplesthatareappliedtobusinessletterwriting CorrectnessConcisenessClarity 1 CourtesyCourtesyplaysaconsiderableroleinbusinessletterwritingasinallbusinessactivities Courtesymeanstoshowtactfullyinyourlettersthehonestfriendship thoughtfulappreciation sincerepoliteness considerateunderstandingandheartfeltrespecting Comparethefollowingsentences Yourletterisnotclearatall Ican tunderstandit Impolite IfIunderstandyourlettercorrectly politeandtactful Youshouldgiveusmoredetailsonyourproducts Impolite Willyougiveusmoredetailsonyouproducts Courteous Comparethefollowingsentences Youmustcorrectallthesedocumentsbynoon Sentencewith you Allthesedocumentsmustbecorrectedbynoon Sentencewithout you Youshouldn tloadthiskindofgoodsondeck Sentencewith you Thiskindofgoodscannotbeloadedondeck Sentencewithout you Courtesyalsoinvolvesapromptreplyafterreceivingabusinessletter Pleasedoremembernottokeepyourreaderwaiting 2 ConsiderationConsiderationemphasizesYou attituderatherthanWe attitude Comparethefollowingpairsofsentences Weallow5percentdiscountforpaymentwithin10days We attitude Youearn5percentdiscountifyoupaywithin10days You attitude WeofferT shirtsindifferentcolorsandstyles We attitude SelectyouT shirtsfromdifferentcolorsandstyles You attitude Asthesayinggoes Everycloudhasasilverlining focusonthepositivesideratherthanonthenegative Stresswhatcanbedoneratherthanwhatcannotbedonesothatthereadermayfeelyouaresincereandconsiderate Comparethefollowingsentences Itisimpossibletofulfillyourorderthismonth Negative Yourorderwillbefulfillednextmonth Positive 3 CompletenessAbusinessletterissuccessfulandfunctionswellonlywhenitcontainsallthenecessaryinformation Toachievethis seetoitthatallquestionsareansweredandallthemattersarediscussed Comparethefollowingsentences Wehavearrangedtoshipthegoodswithinthisweek Incompleteness WehavearrangedtoshipthegoodsbyS S VirginMary whichisscheduledtosailforyouportonOctober25 Completeness 4 ConcretenessThefollowingguidelinescanhelpuswriteconcretely usespecificfactsandfigures putactioninyourverbs preferactiveverbstopassiveverbsorwordsinwhichactionishidden Compare WehavedrawnonyouasusualunderyouL C Rewriting WehavedrawnonyouoursightdraftNo 123fortheInvoiceamount USD500 underyourL C211oftheBankofChina 5 CorrectnessCorrectnessrefersnotonlytocorrectusageofgrammar punctuationandspelling butalsotostandardlanguage appropriatetone properstatement accuratefiguresaswellasthecorrectunderstandingofcommercialjargons Compare Wearesendingyouunderseparatecovertwobagsofsamplesforthegoodsyouorderedbyairasinstructed Poorpunctuation Wearesendingyou underseparatecover twobagsofsamplesbyairforthegoodsyouordered Goodpunctuation Pleaseinformustheearliestshipmentwecanhaveassoonaspossible Incorrectplaceofmodifiers Pleaseinformusassoonaspossibletheearliestshipmentwecanhave Correctplaceofmodifiers Workingasfastaspossible thegoodsarereadytobedelivered Incorrectuseofnounandpronoun Workingasfastaspossible wehavegotthegoodsreadytobedelivered Correctuseofnounandpronoun 6 ConcisenessConcisenessmeanssayingthinginthefewestpossiblewords Toachieveconcisenessofyourletterwriting trytokeepyoursentencesshort andavoidwordyexpressionandredundancy orrepetition andeliminateexcessivedetails Comparethefollowingsentences Wehavebeguntoexportourproductstocountriesabroad Wordy Wehavebeguntoexportou