Module 1 Fundamentals of English Business Letter-Writing ¡¡¡¡ Learning Objectives After completing this module, students should be able to * master the basic principles of effective business letter-writing; * master the formats and structure of business letters, envelopes and e-mails; * master the proper arrangement of various parts of a business letter; and * acquire skills in writing effective business letters, e-mails and envelopes. I. Formats of Business Letters ¡¡¡¡A letter that is neat, easy to read and presents a professional image will leave a good impression on your reader. When writing business letters, you must pay special attention to the format used. Keep in mind that different organizations have different format requirements for their professional communication. ¡¡¡¡Indented Format Following traditional British practice, the indented format takes in five or six spaces in the first line of each paragraph in the body of the letter, though deeper indentations than these are sometimes preferred. However, Consistency in use is the important point. ¡¡¡¡Blocked Format Blocked Format is the easiest style to use because every letter begins at the left margin. Because of this, it's also one of the most widely-used styles. However, in some cases, blocked format can give the letter a left-heavy appearance. You may want to avoid this minor flaw by using modified blocked format. ¡¡¡¡Modified Blocked Format The modified blocked format uses the basic blocked format. However, the following parts of the letter begin at the horizontal center of the page: the return address, the date, the complimentary close, the signature, the sender's printed name, and the sender's official title. Using the center at a left margin for these elements gives the letter a more balanced look. Writers can also use blocked paragraphs, as in blocked format letters. II. Principles of Business Letter-Writing ¡¡¡¡Clearness In order to achieve clearness, you should not convey more than one idea in a sentence. You'd better not introduce more than one topic in a paragraph and not deal with more than one matter in a letter. ¡¡¡¡Conciseness Try to make your message brief and straight to the point. Avoid using long words or sentences. Use daily expressions to replace jargons. Express yourself in an orderly and logical way. A good business letter should be natural, human and easy to read. ¡¡¡¡Correctness You have to make sure that both the language and facts are correct. In terms of language, you should make sure that you make no grammatical mistakes. Pay attention to punctuation for it will effect the meaning of the sentence. ¡¡¡¡Courtesy This is more than politeness. A good business letter should be positive, friendly and sincere. III. Structure of Business Letters ¡¡¡¡A well-constructed business letter in English generally should include seven essential parts and some miscellaneous parts. 1. The Essential Parts of a Business Letter ¡¡¡¡A business letter generally should include seven essential parts: the letterhead, the date, the inside name and address, the salutation, the body of the letter, the complementary close and the signature. ¡¡¡¡1) The Letterhead (ÐÅÍ·) ¡¡¡¡The letterhead includes the essential particulars about the writer - name, post address, post- code, telephone number, fax number, e-mail address, etc. Usually big firms engage experts to design attractive letter paper for them, with their well-balanced letterheads, sometimes even with trademarks pre-printed on it in order to strengthen their firms' impression and enhance their firms' prestige. The best way is to print the letterhead in the up-center, because the letterhead printed in the up-center will offer a well-balanced appearance which will show a very smart and wonderful design of the letterhead. ¡¡¡¡2) The Date (ÈÕÆÚ) ¡¡¡¡The date line is used to indicate the date on which the letter was written. Some offices show the standard date line near the body of the letter, ending at the right margin two spaces above the name of the addressee, which is written flush with the left margin. If the centered date line is chosen, it is placed two spaces below the letterhead as though it's part of the letterhead and centered exactly. ¡¡¡¡In typing the date line, never abbreviate the name of the month or use figures for it. To give the date in figures (e.g. 12/10/2008) is in bad taste, and it may easily cause confusion because in Britain this date would mean 12 October, 2008, but in the United States and some other countries it would mean 10 December, 2008. Also, use numerals only for the day of the month. you needn't add nd, d, rd, st, or th to the number. These sounds are heard but not written. For example, we use May 5, 2009 instead of May 5th, 2009, and June 2, 2009 instead of June 2nd, 2009. ¡¡¡¡3) The Inside Name and Address (·âÄÚÃû³Æ¼°µØÖ·) ¡¡¡¡Although it may seem unnecessary to include the addressee's name and address on the letter, it is appropriate and necessary to do so because they serve as a future reference on the copy the sender keeps. ¡¡¡¡The inside name and address includes addressee's title and full name, business title, business name and full address. ¡¡¡¡It is the usual practice to type the inside name and address in blocked paragraph form at the left-hand margin of the letter. No matter which style you are using, this helps to give the letter a tidy appearance. ¡¡¡¡Mr., Mrs., Miss., Ms. and Messrs, are the ordinary courtesy titles used for addressing correspondents. ¡¡¡¡4) The Salutation (³Æºô) ¡¡¡¡The salutation is the friendly greeting that precedes the body of the letter. The particular form used depends upon the writer's relationship with his correspondent. To some extent, it settles the form of the complimentary close. The salutation and complimentary must always be in keeping. ¡¡¡¡For ordinary business purposes, Dear Sir (or Dear Madam for both single and married women) is used for addressing one person, and Dear Sirs or Gentlemen (or Mesdames) for addressing two or more people, as where a letter is addressed to a firm. Note that Gentlemen is the American, and Dear Sirs is the British way of opening a letter to a company when you write to a firm, not to a particular person. ¡¡¡¡The salutation always appears on a line by itself, conventionally three line-spacing below the inside name and address, and followed by a comma for Dear Sirs and a colon for Gentlemen. ¡¡¡¡The salutation usually matches the complimentary close. ¡¡¡¡5) The Body of the Letter (ÐÅÎÄ) ¡¡¡¡The body of the letter is the most important part in a business letter, which carries the actual message you are sending. ¡¡¡¡Before starting to write, you must consider the following two points at first: ¡¡¡¡¢Ù What is your aim to write this letter? ¡¡¡¡¢Ú What is the best way to go about it? ¡¡¡¡Since the main purpose of the letter is to convey a message, the letter should be written in language that is easily understood. The following serves as reminders: ¡¡¡¡¢Ù Write simply, clearly, courteously, grammatically and to the point. ¡¡¡¡¢Ú Paragraph correctly, confining each paragraph to one topic. ¡¡¡¡¢Û Avoid stereotyped phrases and commercial jargon. ¡¡¡¡6) The Complimentary Close (½áβ¾´Óï) ¡¡¡¡The complimentary close, like the salutation, is purely a matter of convention and a polite way of ending a letter. The expression used must be appropriate to the occasion and be in keeping with the salutation. ¡¡¡¡The following are the usual matches used in modern business letters: Salutation Close Occasion Dear Sir(s) Yours faithfully standard and formal closure for business letters Dear Madam Yours faithfully standard and formal closure for business letters Gentlemen Yours truly often used by Americans Dear Mr. Smith Yours sincerely less formally and often used between persons known to each other ¡¡¡¡The complimentary close appears two lines below the last line of the message. Either left justified or five spaces to the right of the center. The complimentary close must never be separated from the substance of a letter by being carried to a separate sheet. Line spacing or word spacing should be re-arranged on the computer to keep it on the same sheet with the body of the letter or carry some parts of the letter to the next sheet. When using continuation sheets, always type a heading to show: ¡¡¡¡¢Ù the number of the sheet (in the upper center of the page); ¡¡¡¡¢Ú the name of your correspondent (on the left-hand side of the page); ¡¡¡¡¢Û the date of the letter (on the right-hand side of the page). ¡¡¡¡ For example: ¡¡¡¡ -2- ¡¡¡¡ ABC Trading Co., Ltd. 5 March, 2008 ¡¡¡¡ ¡¡¡¡ ¡¡¡¡7) The Signature (Ç©Ãû) ¡¡¡¡The signature is the signed name or mark of the person writing the letter or that of the firm he or she represents. It is written in ink immediately below the complimentary close. Because a signature is the distinguishing mark of the one who uses it, the same style must always be adopted. ¡¡¡¡The signature as written and the signature as typed must correspond exactly. 2. The Miscellaneous Parts of a Business Letter ¡¡¡¡The other parts of a business letter should be the reference, the attention line, the subject line, the reference notation, the enclosure, the carbon copy and the postscript. ¡¡¡¡1) The Reference (°¸ºÅ) ¡¡¡¡Most letter-heads provide for reference letters and numbers. When one firm writes to another, each will give a reference to avoid confusion, which is marked as "Our ref:" or "Your ref:". ¡¡¡¡2) The Attention Line (×¢ÒâÊÂÏî) ¡¡¡¡The phrase "For the attention of ..." or simply "Attention" is used where the writer of a letter addressed to an organization wishes to direct it to a particular official or department in charge of the situation covered. It is typed two line-spacing above the salutation, underlined and, except with the fully-blocked letter-style, centered over the body of the letter, for example: ¡¡¡¡For the attention of Mr. John Smith or ¡¡¡¡Attention: Mr. John Smith ¡¡¡¡3) The Subject Line (ÊÂÓÉ) ¡¡¡¡The subject line gives an overview of what the letter is about. The subject line of a letter is an informal way of categorizing or titling a letter. Many letters in business begin with a subject line after the salutation, a valuable aid in the distribution of mail that also facilitates filing. The subject line can be centered, but when the paragraphs are blocked, it is flush with the left margin. The short form "Re:" may precede the subject matter. ¡¡¡¡The heading belongs to the letter and is also typed two line-spacing below the salutation, underlined and, except with the fully-blocked letter-style, centered over the body of the letter. ¡¡¡¡ 4) The Reference Notation (¾­°ìÈË´úºÅ) ¡¡¡¡This notation is typed two spaces below the typed signature, and shows only the initials of the typist. If the dictator's name is not typed in the signature area, the reference notation shows the initials of both the dictator and the typist. MB/ds -- (Mary Brown/David Smith) are acceptable forms of reference notations. ¡¡¡¡5) The Enclosure (¸½¼þ) ¡¡¡¡When there is something enclosed with the letter, type the "Enclosure" or an abbreviation of it in the bottom of left-hand, two-line spacing below the Reference Notation. The writer may indicate one or more enclosures in the letter by following any of the examples given below: ¡¡¡¡Enclosure: Price list ¡¡¡¡Enclosures Enclosures 4 ¡¡¡¡Encl: As stated ¡¡¡¡Encl. ¡¡¡¡6) The Carbon Copy Notation (³­ËÍ) ¡¡¡¡There are two types of carbon copy notations. The first is indicated by "cc" followed by the names of the persons who will receive copies of the letters. This notation is typed on the original and carbon copies. ¡¡¡¡The second type of copy notation is specified on the copy only by the abbreviation "bcc" (blind carbon copy) and the recipient's name. No one other than the recipient of the "bcc" and you will know he has received a copy of the letter. ¡¡¡¡Here are the examples: ¡¡¡¡cc Shanghai Branch Office ¡¡¡¡bcc Mr. Jones, the sales manager ¡¡¡¡7) The Postscript (¸½ÑÔ) ¡¡¡¡If the writer wishes to add something he forgot to mention or emphasize in the body of a letter, he may type his after-thought two spaces below the carbon copy notation. The adding of a "P. S." should, however, be avoided as far as possible, since it is usually a sign of poor planning. ¡¡¡¡Here's an example: ¡¡¡¡P. S. I, on behalf of my company, sincerely invite you to attend the Trade Fair which will be held in our city next month. IV. Examples of Business Letters Sample 1 Indented Format MURPHY BROTHERS LTD. 5 West Street, Cork Ireland ¡¡ Telephone: 84767 Our Ref: No. J/W-CO18 Fax: 46578 Your Ref: E-mail: murphy@public.tpt.tj.cn Date: 30 November, 2014 Messrs. Williams & Warner Co. 36 Tower Street Sydney NSW 2000, Australia Attention: Mr. Arnold Simpson, Sales Department Dear Sirs, Re: Digital TV Our company is one of the largest household appliance importers in Ireland. We sincerely hope to enter into trade relations with you so as to promote trade between us. We are enclosing an enquiry note No.102 and looking forward to receiving your quotation CIF EMP including our 5% commission. While quoting, please state the earliest time of delivery and quantity available. If your quotation is competitive, we are ready to conclude substantial business with you. Your early reply will be much appreciated. Yours faithfully, Murphy Brothers Ltd. (Sig). Manager Encl.: As stated. P. S. I, on behalf of my company, sincerely invite you to attend the Trade Fair which will be held in our city next month. ¡¡¡¡Sample 2 Blocked Format Household Designs Co., Ltd. 22 High Street Manchester MI 2BL United Kingdom Telephone: Fax: Website: http://www.hodesig.rog.br ¡¡ Our Ref: No. J/W-CO18 Your Ref: Date: 30 November, 2014 Messrs. Williams & Warner Co. 36 Tower Street Sydney NSW2000, Australia Attention: Mr. Arnold Simpson, Sales Department Dear Sirs, Re: Digital TV Our company is one of the largest household appliance importers in Britain. We sincerely wish to enter into trade relations with you so as to promote trade between us. ¡¡¡¡ We are enclosing an enquiry note No.102 and looking forward to receiving your quotation CIF EMP including our 5% commission. While quoting, please state the earliest time of delivery and quantity available. ¡¡¡¡ If your quotation is competitive, we are ready to conclude substantial business with you. Your early reply will be much appreciated. Yours faithfully, Household Designs & Co., Ltd. (Sig). Manager ¡¡¡¡ Encl.: As stated. cc: Mr. David Brown ¡¡¡¡Sample 3 Modified Blocked Format ¡¡¡¡ Household Designs & Co., Ltd. 22 High Street Manchester MI 2BL United Kingdom Telephone: Our Ref: No. J/W-CO18 Fax: Your Ref: Website: http://www.hodesig.rog.br Date: 30 November, 2014 ¡¡¡¡ ¡¡¡¡ Messrs. Williams & Warner Co. 36 Tower Street Sydney NSW 2000, Australia Attention: Mr. Arnold Simpson, Sales Department Dear Sirs, Re: Digital TV ¡¡¡¡Our company is one of the largest household appliance importers in Britain. We sincerely hope to enter into trade relations with you so as to promote trade between us. ¡¡¡¡ ¡¡¡¡We are enclosing an enquiry note No.102 and looking forward to receiving your quotation CIF EMP including our 5% commission. While quoting, please state the earliest time of delivery and quantity available. ¡¡¡¡ ¡¡¡¡If your quotation is competitive, we are ready to conclude substantial business with you. Your early reply will be much appreciated. ¡¡¡¡ ¡¡¡¡ Yours faithfully, ¡¡¡¡ Household Designs & Co., Ltd. (Sig). Manager Encl.: As stated. ¡¡¡¡V. A Brief Introduction of E-mails ¡¡¡¡E-mails had become by far the most popular means of both internal and external communication in business. It's faster than writing and sending a business letter, and it's cheaper than a phone call. ¡¡¡¡There are some similarities and differences between e-mail messages and business letters. In both, the writing should be clear and concise. The spelling, grammar and punctuation should be good enough so that the writing is professional and understandable. ¡¡¡¡The full name of e-mail is "electronic mail". E-mails had changed the models of business operating and office working of the enterprises, and has transformed the financial activities and purchasing models as well. The communicating pattern of e-mails is both fast and cheap, and it is now obtaining its globalization and popularization to a increasingly widened extent. 1. The Structure of E-mails ¡¡¡¡Normally a formal e-mail includes the following parts: ¡¡¡¡1) From (The sender's e-mail address) ¡¡¡¡2) To (The receiver's e-mail address) ¡¡¡¡3) CC (the receiver's e-mail address) ¡¡¡¡4) BCC (blind copy) (The receiver's e-mail address) ¡¡¡¡5) Date (The hour, day and month automatically showed on the e-mail) ¡¡¡¡6) Subject Line (Make sure that the subject line accurately reflects what is in the e-mail) ¡¡¡¡The e-mail address of the receiver is to be written in the column of "To" or to be selected from the e-mail Address Book. ¡¡¡¡The receiver's address is composed of three parts: the receiver's name + @ (at sign) + the host name connected to the Internet. ¡¡¡¡The receiver's name is composed of the first name (with all of the letters or some of the letters) and the last name (with the first two letters or only the first letter), for exemple: fangw@gmail.com, pengzh@gmail.com. ¡¡¡¡Usually, the language used in e-mails is rather simple and clear, sometimes even close to the colloquial form. In order to know clearer about the language characteristics and principles of the e-mail writing and master better ways of choosing the words and phrases in working out a standard e-mail with high language cultivation, it is necessary to remember some characteristics and principles of drafting, amending and editing the e-mails. 2. An Example of E-mail ¡¡¡¡ From: Maggie Wang (Maggie @ yahoo.com) To: David Chen (David tifert@163.com) CC: Alan Wan (Alan tifert@163.com) Date: 2008-10-6 15:08:23 Subject: Delivery of the cameras under Order No. TC303 Dear Carl, ¡¡¡¡ With reference to our Order TC303 of September for 1000 sets of cameras, we shall be glad to know when we may expect delivery as these are urgently required. When we made the initial enquiry, your department assured us that delivery would only take two months, and we placed the order on that understanding as we wished to have the Cameras before the end of November. Your failure to deliver by the promised date has caused us great inconvenience. Will you please inform us of the earliest possible date that you can deliver these goods? Should the delay be longer than two or three weeks, we shall regretfully have to cancel the order. ¡¡¡¡ Best regards, Kelly Wei ¡¡¡¡ VI. Ways of Envelope Addressing and the Standardized Designs ¡¡¡¡Never abbreviate part of the company name unless the company's registered name uses an abbreviation, and such abbreviation is shown on the company's official letterhead. ¡¡¡¡Names of cities or states should never be abbreviated. There is one exception: use the official U.S. Postal Service postal state abbreviations on the envelope address. ¡¡¡¡Figures are used for all house numbers except "one" (which is spelled out). If there is a numerical street number, separate the house number and street number by a dash, for example, "3780-87 Street". Note that there's no "th" after "87". ¡¡¡¡The three important requirements of envelope addressing are accuracy, clearness, and good appearance. ¡¡¡¡ The following layout shows where to write both the sender's and the receiver's names and addresses. ¡¡¡¡ ¡¡¡¡The following are the two examples of envelope addressing. ¡¡¡¡ ¡¡¡¡Sample 1 Indented Format ¡¡¡¡ Sample 2 Blocked Format ¡¡¡¡ ¡¡¡¡ Exercises I. Arrange a business letter in a proper format with the following points. ¡¡¡¡1. Sender's name: Messrs. David Warner & Co. ¡¡¡¡2. Sender's address: 23 East Highway, Morgantown, PA 28911 U.S.A. ¡¡¡¡3. Sender's Fax Number: (001)340 5656 ¡¡¡¡4. Sender's e-mail address: linabc@mail.zlnet.com.cn ¡¡¡¡5. Date: March 23, 2015 ¡¡¡¡6. Receiver's name: H. G. Wilkinson Company, Ltd. ¡¡¡¡7. Receiver's address: 245 Lombart Street, Lagos, Nigeria ¡¡¡¡8. Salutation used: Dear Sirs ¡¡¡¡9. Subject-matter: Sewing Machines ¡¡¡¡10. The message: ¡¡¡¡We thank you for your letter of March 16 enquiring about the supply position of the subject goods. ¡¡¡¡The enclosed booklet contains details of all kinds of Sewing Machines we handle which we hope will enable you to make a suitable selection. ¡¡¡¡We hope you will find some of the items in the booklet of interest to you and look forward to receiving your specific enquiry with keen interest. II. Address an envelope for the above letter. III. Arrange the above letter in an e-mail format.