1. Business English Correspondence
梁红 (Alina) Ph. D.
Associate Pro.
Tel:

2. Chapter 1 The Layout of Business Letters Key points for this chapter: 1. The objective of a business letter 2. Requirements for a good business letter 3. Essential qualities of a good business letter: 3Cs 4. Layout of a business letters 5. Format of business Letters 6. Envelope Addressing

3. 1.1 The objective of a business letter
To get action
To build goodwill
To furnish information
The following is concrete purposes in the course
To ask for or to convey information
To make or to accept an offer
To deal with matters concerning negotiation of business
To remind the recipient of the sender’s existence

4. 1.2 Requirements for a good business letter
Good language (English)
No any grammatical mistakes
Free from any misunderstanding

5. 1.3 Essential qualities of a good business letter
3Cs:
Clearness(Clarity)
Straightforward and Plain or simple English
Avoiding misunderstanding
Conciseness(should be precise and to the point)
Easier to read
Careful paragraph, one paragraph for each point
Courtesy(honest friendship, thoughtful appreciation, sincere politeness, considerate understanding and heartfelt respect.)
Reply promptly
“You” attitude
Direct and approachable
Comfortable and responsive
(refers to the textbook P7)

6. Structure 1)信头(letterhead) 2）编号，日期(reference and date)
3）封内名称和地址 (inside address)
4）经办人(attention)
5）称呼(salutation)
6）事由（标题）(subject)
7）正文(body)
8）结尾敬词 (complimentary)
9）签名(signature)
10）附件 (enclosure)
11）抄送(cc to XX)
12）附言(postscript)

7. 1.4 Layout of a business letters
Optional Parts
References
Attention line
Subject Headings
Postscript
Enclosure
Copies
Basic Parts
The Letter-head
The Date
Inside name and Address
The Salutation
The Message
The Complimentary Close
The Signature

8. 1) letterhead:(The company’s name , address, postcode, telephone number, telex number, fax number, the name of the officer or the director and even some picture or slogan for a symbol of the company)
2) References
3) Date: It is usual to show the date in the order day/month/year ( English Practice) or month /day /year (American practice). Avoid giving a date in figures and abbreviations.
4) Inside (receiver’s) address
5) Salutation
6) Subject/Subject heading
7) The body of the letter
8) complimentary close
9) Signatures
10) Enclosures
11) Copies
12) Postscripts Please refer to the textbook P17

9. Please Pay Attentions to:
British Style
1st March 2004 or
1 March 2004
American Style
March 1st, 2004
Oct. 28, 2004
Don’t use the figures
12/10/2004
Please Pay Attentions to:
The following dates in letters, which are correct?
16/02/2007
Feb. 16th,2007
Feb. 16,2007
16 Feb. 2007
16th Feb.,2007
16th Feb. 2007

10. Attention in the inside name and address:
Make sure there is no any mistakes in spelling of the name
Make sure you know clearly to use Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, Esq., and Messrs.
1) Mr. for a man
2)Mrs.for a married woman
3)Miss for an unmarried woman
4)Ms. for both married and unmarried women
5)Esq. (Esquire) is sometimes used instead of Mr. For certain classes of persons(e.g. judges, magistrates),and it always follows the name
6)Messrs. is used occasionally for two or more men (e.g.. Messrs.S.laurel and O.Hardy) but more commonly forms part of the name of a firm(e.g.. Messrs. Holmes & Weston & Co.)
7)Mmes (Mesdames) can be used for two or more women

11. The Salutation
1)To an unknown person
Dear Sir or Madam, (Sirs)(Br E)
Ladies and Gentlemen (Am E)
2)To a known person
Dear Mr. White:/Mrs./Ms
3)Very Formal Situation
To whom it may concerns
注意不能单用sirs，gentlemen也不能用单数
Please make sure you know which of the following salutations are true:
Dear Sirs,
Dear Sir,
Dear Madam,
Dear Sir or Madam,
Dear Gentleman: (,)
Dear Gentlemen,
Gentlemen: (,)
Gentleman,
Sir,
Sirs,

12. The Complimentary Close
Br E:
Yours faithfully
Am E
Yours sincerely
Yours truly
Sincerely yours
Best regards,
With best regards
Thanks & best regards

13. 1.5 Format of Business Letters
Indented Form
Blocked Form
Modified Blocked Form

14. Specimen letter for exercise
The N&P Manufacturing Company Ltd
42 Narrow alley
Cheswick
London W5A 3EU UK
10 February 2004
Dear Sirs,
We have seen your advertisement for the sofa-beds in the Guardian. We are a well-known company selling wide range of furniture products in Germany. We would like to enlarge our assortment by hand-make pine furniture you advertise. Could you please send us your latest catalogue and price list including more details about cash or trade discounts.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours faithfully,
Kurt Johansen
(Signature)
Sales manager

15. 6 Addressing Envelopes
Stamp
Return Address
Address
Remarks

16. Writing practice
Suppose you are an automobile manufacturer in China and I am a big car importer in American. Write a letter to me(in modified blocked form) and invite me to visit your factory.