business letter

1

BusinessLetterWriting

BusinessLetter—layout

ayout:Notethepositionof

head

eline

ning(insideaddress)

utation

y

sing

natureandname

8.P.S.(Postscript)

ndentedstyle,andtheotheris

ys,blockstyleismorepopularespeciallyinbusinessworld.

Forindentedstyle,youshouldindented4lettersatthebeginningofeach

paragraph,ortheblock

style,youneedtoleavespacebetweenparagraphs,butyouneednotindented4

itealongside.

1..Letterhead

Theletterheadisalsocalledreturnaddress,

nessworld,letterhead

uneednotto

sonalletter,youalsoneednottowritethe

letterhead.

Notesforletterhead:

1)Youshouldbeawareoftheorderyouwriteletterheadisjustreverdfromthatin

Chine,i.e.,mple,thenumber

oftheroom,numberofthebuilding,numberofthestreet,city,provinceandthen

thecountry.

Becareful!

InChinathe14thApril2003iswritten2003/04/14

InEnglandthe14thApril2003iswritten14/4/2003or14/04/2003

InAmericathe14thApril2003iswritten4/14/2003or04/14/2003

Itisprobablysafesttowrite14thApril,2003orApril14,2003!!!

ning

Theopeningisalsocalledtheinsideaddress,whichistheaddresxactlythe

ninggoesabovethesalutationontheleft,whichis

2

eroftheinsideaddressisthesameasthe

nbusinessworld,ifyouknowthereceivers’nameand

position,youshouldwritethembeforethecompanynameandaddress.

utation

Thesalutationisthegreeting,whichgoesoneortwospacesbelowtheopeningatthe

yitisbesttosay“Dear…”ifyouknowthenameofthe

receiver,orjust“DearSir/Madam”ifyoudonotknowthereceiver’u

shoulduacomma(,)enormallyuacolon(:)

Afterthesalutation,while,inEnglishletter,tcorrect.

Insalutation,youstillshouldpaymuchattentiontothetitle,e,Mrs.,

Miss,ouldbefollowedbysurname,

example,,(husband’ssurname),,MissWhiteetc.

Note:InChina,peoplealwaysaddressthetitleofone’sposition,suchasmanager,

director,ish,however,t

correctlyudthatyouwrite“DearTeacherZhang”,“DearManagerYang”,andso

onandsoforth.

y

Itisthemostimportantpartoftheletter—eor

gthofthelineshouldbeadjustedtothe

agraphshouldbeblockedor

indented,yitissingle—spacedforabusiness

llyconsistsofatleasttwoparagraphs—evenifthecondparagraphis

nothingmorethan“Thanksandbestwishestoyou,”ains

introduction,purpoandconclusioninthebodyoftheletters.

sing

nesswriting,itisalwaysthe

shouldmatchthetoneestablishedbythesalutationandcarriedthroughthebodyof

uallytwospacesbellowthebodyoftheletter,togetherwiththe

signaturegroup.

singshouldmatchthe

acomma(,)afterthesalutation,youshoulduacommaafterthe

nothingafterthesalutation,youalsoshouldunothingafterthe

closing.

DearSirorDearMadam

DearSir/Madam

Yoursfaithfully

,Yourssincerely,

3

,

,

Yourstruly,*

DearRo

DearJack

Bestwishes

Withkindregards

Yours

Love(informal,clofriends)

Cordiallyyours,

natureandname

ineaftertheclosingandsignyour

nessletters,youshouldsign

rtomakethe

peopleknowhowtoaddressyouwhenreply,.,Or

r,inpersonalletters,youcansignyour

fullname,firstnameornicknameaccordingtotherelationshipwiththereceivers.

8.P.S.(postscript)

renotonpurforgetto

mentionsomethinginyourletter,njustaddwhatyou

forget.

Therearesomephrasforpoliteexpression:

Iwouldliketo…

wouldyoulike…,

Wouldyouplea…

Iwillbegratefulif…,

Iamafraidthat…,

Thankyoufor…

Itwaskindofyoutohave…

Iwonderifitispossiblethat…

Youweremostthoughtfulto…

Pleaacceptmyapologyforthedelayinnding…

Certainly,youhaveeveryrighttoexpectbetterrvice,andI…

tion

Iwouldverymuchliketoinviteyoufor….

Wouldyoupleaattendtheannualconferenceheld….

dliketoinviteyoutobeoutguest.

Onbehalfof…,Iamextendingtoyouourformalinvitationtovisit…

Ihavegreatpleasure,onbehalfof…toinviteyoutoattendthe…on…sponsored

by…heldin(place)on(date)/from…to…

Accepttheinvitation:

Iacceptwithmypleasureyourkindinvitation….

Iwouldlovetoattendyourparty.

Iwouldliketovisityou….

4

Iwouldbeverypleadto….

Refutheinvitation

Iwouldverymuchlovetotakepartinyourparty,but….

IamsorrythatIwillhaveanothermeetingonthatday,….

Itissopleadtogetyourinvitation,whileIwillbeonbusinesstripduringthat

period.

Sampleletters

Readthesamplesinthefollowingpartsandwriteyourownletterofthesametype.

ofinvitation

CommerceChamber

46WoodworthRoad

LondonEC35FG

April8,2004

HenryJones

51GrantAvenue

Toronto,

M4C4C9

DearMrJones

Wewouldliketoinviteyoutojoinusfortheannualsalesconferenceandinvite

ferencewillstartat9:00

am.

Morethan500companydirectorsareexpectedtoattend.

Wewouldbeverygratefulifyoucouldinformuswhetheryouwillbeavailableon

June12thandtellusthetopicofyourspeech.

Yourssincerely

HelenHenderson

HelenHenderson(Miss)theSecretary

Exercis1.4.1-1:ThestudentsunionwillholdapartyonthisSaturdayat6:00atthe

ninvitationlettertoyourEnglishTeacher.

hatwriteareplyto

acceptorrefu.

5

int

Imustcomplainabout(that)…

Iamnotsatisfiedwith…

Ifeelsomethingshouldbedoneabout…

May4,2002

DearSir/Madam,

Furthertomytelephonecallthismorning,Iwouldliketowritetoyouforthe

tape-recorderIboughtlastmonthinyoushop.

ttoalocalrepairshop,they

toldusthatitwasfactorydefectandsuggestedthatItakeittoyourbranch

dformorethantwoweeks,andyourcompanydidnot

ndareplacement.

Iwillbegratefulifyoucouldreplacethemachineformesoon.

Yoursfaithfully,

JamesChristopher

Exercis1.4.1-2:nd

letter

tocomplain.

y

Iamterriblysorry,but…

IamafraidI…

Imustapologizefor…

DearCustomer,

Iamwritingtoyoutoexplainthereasonsforthepoorrvicewehavegivenoverthe

gizefortheincompletedeliveryandnorepliestothe

remelysorryforalltheinconveniencecaudbyourpoor

rvices.

Themainreasonslieinourworkingprocedureshavenotkeptpacewiththe

fall,wedonothaveenoughstaffstodealwiththe

deliveriesandinquiries;condly,ourwarehouisnotlargeenoughtostoreour

goods;thirdly,ourcomputersystemsarealsonotsomodernastosatisfytheneedof

6

company’xpansion.

tthatwe

avealreadyinvitedmorestaffs;andwe

havealreadyrentawarehouacquired;moreover,wehavealreadyinvestedenough

moneytoimprovethecomputersystemstocopewiththepaceoftheexpansion.

Accordingly,thepoorrvicesasbeforewillnotappearanymore.

Yoursfaithfully,

Henry

Henry,themanager

Exercis1.4.1-3:Writeareplytoshowtheapologyaboutthewalkmanmentioned

above,andgiveyoursolutionoftheproblem.

ation

Askingforinformation

Couldyoupleatellmethat…

Couldyoupossibly…

Woulditbepossibleto…

Iwouldbegratefulifyouwould.….

Wouldyouminddoing…

Iwonderifyoucould…

Iamwritingtoyouinthehopeof…/toinquireabout…

Offeringinformation

Itismypleasureto….

Iwouldliketotellyou…

Wewouldliketoinformyouthat….

Thankyouforyourinquiryabout…

tion

I’dliketosuggestthat…

MayIsuggestthat…

Perhapswecould…

Couldyouplea…

Sampleletter

DearSir/Madam

Iamorganizingagroupofstudentstopayavisittothehistoricalexhibitionin

sitwillbepartofourschool’sactivitiestoencouragethestudentsto

ore,Iwouldbegratefulifyouwouldsupplyme

withthefollowinginformation:

Firstofall,whataretheopeningandclosingdatesbetweenwhichtheexhibition

willbeheld,andwhatarethedailyopeninghour?Secondly,whatisthesizeofthe

7

exhibition,whatisitsthemeandwhatobjectsareondisplay?Thirdly,arethereany

otheractivitiesbeingheldinconnectionwiththeexhibition?

Iwouldliketoinquireifthereisanydiscountavailableonentranceticketsfor

,howmuchisthediscountandwhatistheminimumnumberof

studentsnecessarytoqualifyforit?

Ilookforwardtoyourreply.

Yourssincerely,

GeorgeMoore

GeorgeMoore

2)

,

rypleadtohearyouwillbevisitingBeijingand

hopethefollowinginformationwillhelpyoutoenjoyyourstay.

Firstofall,Beijingiscosmopolitancitywithalonghistory,whichisthecenterof

politics,remanyinternationalqualityhotelsand

restaurantsaswellasshoppingcenters,marketsandentertainmentplaces.

However,Ithinkyouwouldliketoesomeplacesthatareuniquetomycountry.I

knowyouareinterestedincultureandhistory,sofirstlyIsuggestyouvisittheGreat

Wall,ly,thePalaceMuum,foritwill

asalargecollectionofart

nterestingplacesaretheSummerPalace,Heaven

llallshowyouthetraditionalChine

cultures.

nlyhaveashorttimeinBeijing,you

canhelpinanyother

way,plealetmeknow.

Yourssincerely,

Amy

Amy

Exercis1.4.1-4:Writetoaforeignuniversitytoinquirethecourstheyoffer,and

iteareplyonbehalfof

theuniversitytooffertheinformationrequired.

8

tulations

Iwouldliketodelivermycongratulationstoyou.

IwaspleadtohearthatyouwerepromotedtobetheGeneralmanagerofyour

company.

Iwassohappytoknowthat….

Congratulationsonyour…

Sampleletter

DearHolly,

IwaspleadtohearthatyouhavebeenpromotedtoGeneralmanagerofACE

wscameasnosurpritome;Ialwaysconsideryouasaperson

whowasgoingplaces!Iamveryhappytoeyourabilitiesrecognized---Iknow

youwilldoanexcellentjobinyournewposition.

appyforyourgood

future.

Sincerely,

Mary

Exercis1.4.1-6:Yourcolleaguejustgiveabirthtoababy,writealettertogiveyour

congratulations.

Thankyouforyour…

Iappreciateyourhelp…

Thankyouverymuchfor…

Iamgratefulfor….

Sampleletter

DearSusan,

ThankyouverymuchforlettingmeliveatyourhouwhileIwasinBeijing.

Ihadagreattimeatthefootballgame.

hatyoucanpaymeavisitwhenyoucometo

Guangzhousoon.

Yours,

James

James

Exercis1.4.1-5:Oneofyourfriendboughtabookyouneedforyoufromabroad,

writealettertothankhim.

ationandreplies

Forajob

IamaniorinBeijingUniversityandwillbegraduatedinJuly…

9

Iaminterestedinthejobyouoffered…

Ilearnedfromthenewspaperadvertimentthatthereisavacancyfor…

Iwouldliketoapply….inyourcompany.

Ishouldliketoapplyforthepostofwhichyouadvertidinyesterday’sChina

Daily…

Iamanexperienced….

Thankyouforyourtimeandconsideration.

IlookforwardtohearingfromyouandIdohopeIshallhavetheopportunityofan

interview.

Icancomeforaninterviewatanytimeconvenienttoyou.

Reply:

Ireceivedyour…andIampleadtoinformyou…

Wewouldliketoofferyouthepositionof…

Wewereverymuchinterestedinyourletterapplyingfor…Canyoucomeinforan

interviewon…

Whileweareverymuchinterestedinyourqualifications,weareafraidthatyoudo

notquitemeetourcurrentneeds.

Weshallkeepyourofferonfile/inmindwhenthereisavacancy/shouldtherebeany

openings.

Forentrytoacollege

Iamwritingtoaskwhetheryoucouldndmesomeinformationaboutyourcollege

andfortheapplicationforms.

IamwritingtoyouinthehopethatImayobtainanopportunitytodograduatestudy

inyouruniversity.

IwishtostudyforanMBAdegreeinyourschool.

Reply

Thankyouforyourenquiryabout…Weshouldbeverypleadtowelcomeyou

here…

Sampleletter

DearSir/Madam;

Ilearnedfromthenewspaperadvertimentthatthereisavacancyforanaccountant

obeconsideredasanapplicantfortheposition,andbegto

statemyqualificationsasfollows:

atedfromBeijingUniversity,en

experiencedaccountantwhohasbeenworkingasanaccountantatIBMcompanyfor

thereisanAmerica,accordingly,Imustcommunicate

ore,Ihaveverygoodproficiencyandknowledgeof

English,andIpasdCETband6whenIwasintheUniversity.

lltellyouIamconscientiousandthatIhavean

10

agreeablepersonalityandgoodappearanceandthatIgetalongexceedinglywellwith

successfulinmyapplication,Ishalldischargemydutiestothebestofmyability.

Asforthesalary,Iwouldliketoget$2000permonthinyourcompany.

Iamlookingforwardtoyourearliestreply.

Yoursfaithfully,

ChenXin

ChenXin

Exercis1.4.1-7:StarCompanyneedsacretary,female,upto25withgood

lettertoapplythe

position.

Moresamples:

.11A

NewYork,NY10017

U.S.A.

May16,2008

ProfessorWangYiming

DepartmentofEnglish

BeijingforeignStudiesUniversity

Beijing,100089

People’sRepublicofChina

DearProfessorWang,

lifiedtoteachingreading,

aintanceofmine,gliofyourUniversity

suggestedthatIshouldwritetoyou.

Prently,IworkasateachingassistantinXcollegeinLosAngeles,California,

groundisstrongintheliberalarts,especiallyintheEnglishlanguage.

inlinguisticsfromUniversityofMichigan.

lly,Iaminterestedinpositionas

aforeignlanguageexpertorasateacher.

Ifyouhaveanypositionavailable,pleaallowmetointerviewwithyou.

Thankyouforyourtimeandconsideration.

Respectfullyyours,

(Signature)

ChristineStein

Reply:

11

June14,2008

,

pologizefortakingsolonginanswering,

asituationcaudbyanumberofrecentconferences.

e

informationyousuppliedaboutyourlf,therewouldbenoquestionaboutyour

r,wehaveonlyasmallquotaforforeignteachers,andallour

positionsforthisyearandthecomingacademicyearhavealreadybeenfilled.

Weshallkeepyourofferonfileandinformyou,

meantime,youmighttryothercollegeshereinBeijingorothercities.

shesforsuccess.

Sincerelyyours,

WangYiming

uctions

ThePhysicsDepartment

SichuanTeacher’sCollege

Chengdu,Sichuan

Oct.13,2007

ToWhomItMayConcern,

Thebeareroftheletter,i,acretaryofourdepartment,is

entrustedwiththetaskofmakingnecessaryarrangementsforourstudentsand

favorhimwithaninterview.

yoursfaithfully,

Liming

OfficeHeadoftheDepartment

forleave

Dearsir,

Becauofanattackofabadcoldwithafever,Ishallnotbeabletoattend

oaskforleaveofabnce.

Enclodisamedicalcertificateissuedbytheschoolclinic.

Yourkindpermissionwillbegreatlyappreciated.

Yoursrespectfully,

IvanFox

12

TheWritingofNotes,Fax,andMemorandum

WritingofNotes

mpodwithsimpleandcolloquial

ementsinletterwritingcanbe

omittedinnotes,suchasletterhead,thesalutation,theopening,theclosing,andthe

,esandthemessage

mple:

Notes

Date:Jan.12th,2004

Wewillhaveaweek’sholidayduringthespringfestivalfrom

ctionshouldhavesomeone

ood

restandbecareful.

WritingofFax

tingofit

isjustlikethewritingofthenotes:simple,conci,uldwriteto

whomthefaxisnt,uldlistthenumberof

maycontainmanyparts,likecoveringletter,the

documents,mple:

To:Maxine

From:Ben

Date:Oct.10,2000

Message:

Justareminderthatthecustomersurveyreportyou’repreparingisduenextweek.

I’dappreciateitifyouwoulddropmeanoteindicatingtheprentstatusofthe

WritingofMemorandum

Memorandum(memo)

simple,fast,eitisthewayofinternal

communication,thefollowing

formatofthememo:

13

Heading

Memorandum

To::

From:

Date:

Subject:

Message:

Forexample:

Memorandum

To:Allstaff

From:PeterChiligiris(managerofHR)

Date:May22,2010

Subject:MandatoryStaffMeeting

Message:

OnTuesday,June1st,wewillhaveourannualmandatorystaffmeetingat

9:ctthemeetingtolastanhour;

haveanythingelyouthinkshouldbeaddresd,plealetmeknownolater

thanMay25th.

Exercis:Writeamemoaccordingtotherequirement

dayyou

attendedameetingatwhichthecompanydecidedthatallnightstaffofthecompany

illbeapay-cutforthowhofailtodo

teamemo50-60wordstotellallnightstaffthatthecompany’sdecision.

AlsotellthemtopickuptheiruniformsatthervicedeskbyFridayorinformthe

rvicedesk(extension32)assoonaspossibleiftheycannot.