外经贸英语函电 English Correspondence for Foreign Trade 外语系 王 军

 What are the components of a business letter?  What is the form of a business letter?  what are the writing principles of the business letter Unit1 Basic Knowledge of Business Writing

Ⅰ.Components of Business Letters 1.Letterhead 信头 2.Date 日期 3.Reference number 案号（编号） 4.Inside address 收信人地址（封内地址） 5.Attention line 经办人 （注意事项） 6.Salutation 称呼 7.Subject line 事由 8.Body 正文 9.Complimentary close 结尾敬语 10.Signature 署名 11.IEC block 缩写名、附件、抄送 12.Postscript 附言

1. letterhead Banderjohn Trading Co.,Ltd. 317 Pitranm Road, #02-16/18 Concorde Shopping Center Singapore Fax:(65) Tel:(65) Letterhead includes the sender’s name, postal address, telephone number, telex number, fax number, cable address, and address, etc. Usually letter head is printed in the up-center of a letter writing paper.

2. Date Banderjohn Trading Co.,Ltd. 317 Pitranm Road, #02-16/18 Concorde Shopping Center Singapore Fax:(65) Tel:(65) September 2005 NOTES: The date is typed below the Letterhead. It can be placed at the right or the left hand margin of the paper The date should always be typed in full and not abbreviated (e.g. December for Dec.). And the –th, -st, and –rd that follow the day can be omitted. (e.g. 5 May for 5th May, June 1 for June 1st). Don’t write 04 instead of Avoid typing dates in figures (e. g. 10/9/2008),

The forms of dates are as follows: British forms: 15 August, 2004; 15 August 2004 American forms: August 15, Reference number In business communication, when a firm writes to another, each will give a reference. The reference may include a file number, or initials of the signer followed by that of the typist of the letter. These are marked “ Our ref:” and Your ref:” to avoid confusion: Your ref: CNN/001 Our ref: 12345/XY Usually, the reference number is typed near the date or one line below the date and right above the receiver’s address.

Banderjohn Trading Co.,Ltd. 317 Pitranm Road, #02-16/18 Concorde Shopping Center Singapore Fax:(65) Tel:(65) September 2005 Your ref: CN/011 Our ref: 12344/XY Mr. Lee Jung Hyun, Sales Manager The Acme Shoe Co., Ltd. 16-Pulton Road Chiswick U K

4. Inside address Banderjohn Trading Co.,Ltd. 317 Pitranm Road, #02-16/18 Concorde Shopping Center Singapore Fax:(65) Tel:(65) September 2005 Your ref: CN/011 Our ref: 12344/XY Mr. Lee Jung Hyun, Sales Manager The Acme Shoe Co., Ltd. 16-Pulton Road Chiswick U K

NOTES: Mr., Mrs., Miss, and Ms. are used to address to one person After the name, his or her official position should follow, if there is any. Messrs. Is, also a courtesy title, used for partnerships whose firm’s name includes a personal element, ad in Messrs. Macdonald & Evans. Examples of Inside address: 1.Messrs. William & Werner 36, Tower Street North York, Ont. M2H1W8, Canada 2.Mr. C.E. Eckersley The London Export Corporation 6 and 7 Clifford Street London, W. 1, England

5. Attention line The Attention line starts at the left hand margin one line below the inside address. It generally follows the inside address. e.g. Attention: Mr. Smith Attention: The Sales Manager For the Attention of Mr. Quain Mr. Lee Jung Hyun, Sales Manager The Acme Shoe Co., Ltd. 16-Pulton Road Chiswick U K Attention of Marketing Manager

6. Salutation Salutation is the complimentary greeting with which the writer opens his letter. Its form depends on the writer’s relationship with the receiver. e.g. Dear Mr/Mrs/Miss/Mr Dvis; Dear Sir/Dear Madam; Dear Sir or Madam Dear sirs, Dear Gentlemen: (colon)

7. Subject line Subject line is actually the general idea of a letter. It can be typed at the left- hand margin or center over the body. It call the receiver’s attention to the topic of the letter. Subject line can be introduced by “Subject:” or “Re:”.\ e.g. Mr. Lee Jung Hyun, Sales Manager The Acme Shoe Co., Ltd. 16-Pulton Road Chiswick U K Attention of Marketing Manager Dear Sir, Subject: Sales Contract

8. Body This is the main part of the letter. It expresses the writer’s ideas, opinions, purposes and wishes, etc., so it should be carefully planned. When writing, pay attention to the follows: Write simply, clearly, courteously, grammatically, and to the point. Paragraph correctly, confining each paragraph to one topic. See that your typing is accurate and the display artistic. Aim at an attractive and pleasing appearance for your letter. Margins especially are important, since they serve to “frame” your letter. Single line-spacing should be used between paragraphs of the body.

In the starting paragraph, the date, reference number, subject or the main content of the previous correspondence are usually cited, or an self- introduction be made, to show the purpose and request. In the middle paragraphs, necessary background information and enough evidence should be provided to account for specific problems. In the ending paragraphs, the writer’s plans, hopes and expectations will be expressed clearly. The optimal length of a sentence in a business letter is kept within words. The first paragraph is supposed to be within 4 lines, with the final within 8 lines. 9.Complimentary close Complimentary close is merely a polite way of ending a letter just as the salutation at the beginning. It is usually in correspondence with the date with two blank lines below the Body.

Various complimentary closes in business letters Respectfully yours/Yours respectfully Very respectfully yours/Yours very respectfully Sincerely yours/Yours sincerely Faithfully yours/Yours faithfully Sincerely yours/Yours sincerely Yours truly/Truly yours 10.Signature It is common to type the name of the sender’s firm or company immediately below complimentary close. Then the sender should sign his name below it. Since hand-written signature are illegible, the name of signer is usually typed below the signature, and followed by his job title or position.

Yours faithfully, for The Overseas Co. Ltd. W. Black Marketing Manager Examples of signing a business letter: Yours truly Larry Weiler Professor and Head

Banderjohn Trading Co.,Ltd. 317 Pitranm Road, #02-16/18 Concorde Shopping Center Singapore Fax:(65) Tel:(65) September 2005 Mr. Lee Jung Hyun, Sales Manager The Acme Shoe Co., Ltd. 16-Pulton Road Chiswick U K Dear Sir, Subject: Sales Contract Body:……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………… Yours faithfully, for The Overseas Co. Ltd. W. Black Marketing Manager

11. IEC block IEC is the initials of “initials, enclosures and carbon copies block”. IEC is printed one line below the Signature. 1). Initials 缩写名 sometimes, the business letter is written or typed by a secretary with the indication of a manager and signed by a person in charge. forms: RJ/MS, RJ/ms, RJ:MS, RJ:ms, rj:ms “RJ” or “rj” is the initial of manager Robert Jackson and “MS” or “ms” is the initial of secretary or typist. 2). Enclosures 附件 If something is enclosed, note it below the Initials. Enclosures 2 ( 或 Enc.2) 表示有两件 Enclosures: 4 checks ( 表示附件是四张支票） Encl.: Health Certificate ( 表示附件是健康证明） Enclosures:1. Check for $200(200 美元一张） 2. Price list ( 价目表一份）

3). Carbon copy 抄送 When copies of the letter are sent to others, type “cc” below the enclosures. cc: J.M.Dixon cc: The Osaka chamber So a complete IEC looks like this: GBH:HSL Encl:2 cc: Mr. G well

12. Postscript 附言 If the writer wishes to add something he forgot to mention or for emphasis, he may add his postscript one spaced line below the carbon copy notation. PS is the initial of Postscript. Try to avoid using PS, since it may suggest that the sender fails to plan his letter well before he typed it.

Ⅱ. Format of Business Letters: block form; extreme block form; semi-block form 1.block form 齐头式 ……………….Letterhead ………………. ……………………………………. ……….Date ……Inside address ……Salutation …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………Body ……Complimentary close Harry Hill Marking Manager

……………….Letterhead ………………. ……………………………………. ……….Date ……Inside address ……Salutation …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………Body ……Complimentary close Harry Hill Marking Manager 2.Extreme block form

……………….Letterhead ………………. ……………………………………. ……….Date ……Inside address ……Salutation ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………….Body ……….……Complimentary close Harry Hill Marking Manager 3. semi-blocked form