Cover letters

Part 1

Business letter writing:

General outline

1. Look at the sample letters (A) and (B), and identify which is formal and which is informal. Why?

A. Dear Kate,

I want to tell you how

sorry I am about what hap-

pened yesterday. I didn’t

mean to hurt you and I’m

really sorry I made you fell

sad.

Why don’t we meet next

Sunday just to have a good

friendly talk?

I hope you’ll forgive me.

I want to say again how sor-

ry I am.

Love,

Max

B. Dear Mr. Dawson:

I am writing to you with refer-

ence to our last meeting. I wish to

apologize for my behavior.

As you know, I was most disap-

pointed by the rejection of my ap-

placation to the educational pro-

gramme last September, and that

was the reason of my rude behave-

iour last week.

Please, accept my most sincere

Apologizes. I hope we can get togeth-

er again in the near future.

Yours sincerely,

Laura Smith

2. Think of possible reasons for writing a business (formal) letter.

Reading

Writing Strategies

Writing an effective business letter is an important skill not only for experienced managers and businessmen, but also for every educated person who wants to be successful in formal communication. There are five main steps in creating ineffective business letter:	1. recognize
1. Identifyyour aims Establish what you want to achieve from the letter. Create your letter based on these aims.	2. purpose of doing something
2.Establishthe fact Make sure you have all necessary relevant and accurate facts. For example, if you are a job applicant,you might include some resume facts, interview impressions or references.	3. get success in reaching a goal by making an effort
3. Know the recipient of the letter It works better if you write in the language of your recipient. Try to imagine yourself in the place of your recipient. Read your letter from this point of view. It will help you to get your desired response.	4. discover or prove
4. Create a sample copy Having established your aims and thought of the relevant facts with a view of the recipient - write down the main parts of your letter.	5. closely connected
5. Decide on the layout of the letter The physical appearance of a letter consists of the paper and the envelope. It is essential that the name and address should be spelt correctly. Design your letter following the formal elements of business letters.	6. correct and true in every detail
	7. a person who receives a letter
	8. a person who makes a formal request
	9. an answer
	10. the way in which the parts of a letter are arranged

Business letter style

the business letter style is usually considered in four aspects:	1. a line started further away from the edge of the page than he other lines
1. Format: There are three main formats, accepted in formal written communication: a)blocked - all the elements of a letter are left oriented; b)modified blocked - the parts are left oriented except the date and closing which are placed in the center; c) semi-blocked - looks like the modified blocked style, only each paragraph is indented.	2. the quality of being expressed clearly
2. Prose: Clarity of communication is the primary goal. Don’t use any jargon or slang if your recipient doesn’t understand or share it. Short sentences are preferable, because they are easier to understand and interpret in the right way. Don’t ramble, give precise and relevant information.	3. main, most important, basic
3. Manner: Personalize your letters, be polite and friendly in all cases, whatever the subject of your writing is your letter should leave an impression that much effort and thought has been put into writing it.	4. what you hope to achieve
4. Accuracy: the final copy of your letter is to be polished and checked for spelling and punctuation.	5. talk in a confused way
	6. clear and accurate
	7. an attempt to do something difficult

Part 2

Cover letters

Study the sample cover letter and say what type of business correspondence it letter it refers to:

a) Employment correspondence (that is used for job-hunting matters)

b) transactional (that is used as a reply or heeds a reply)

c) Social correspondence (that is used for interpersonal matters)

Dear Mr. Carry:

I am writing in response to your advertisement in yesterday’s edition of “the Times”. I would like to apply for the position of Personal Assistant.

I have recently graduated from Leeds College with honour. My degree is in advertising and in my second year of studies I worked for Leeds Publishing Ltd for a year.

I also attended a secretarial course, where I got skills and experience practically in all areas of office work.

I have enclosed my resume and would be happy to provide any further information if required.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours,

Linda Davis

Reading

What’s a cover letter?

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16