Unit 1 Make-up of a business letter

Unit 1 Make-up of a business letter

Text 1

To write a successful business letter you need to use the right tone and to communicate your message to the reader using straightforward language. The way a letter is written reveals a lot about the person who is writing it and it also sends a message about the organization that he or she is working for. It is, therefore, very important to make sure that the information, layout, style and spelling are all correct before you send it.

Clarity. There are a number of factors that affect how difficult or easy it is to read a letter:

l the layout must be correct and comprehensible

l sentences should be short and simple in construction

l technical subject matter (jargon) should be kept to a minimum

l avoid using abbreviations unless you are sure that the reader knows what they mean

The style of a letter is affected by:

l the variety of sentence constructions (a variety of sentence constructions makes writing more interesting to read).

l the degree of formality used

To keep the appropriate degree of formality the following points are important:

Ø contractions (we’ll, it’s, you’ve, etc.) are not normally used in formal correspondence

Ø formal letters are impersonal. ‘We’ is often used instead of ‘I’ when the writer represents a company

Ø the passive is often used as the reader is more interested in the action itself rather than who carried out the action

The envelope address ensures that carefully written message will be received by the addressee. Envelope addresses are written in a similar way to inside addresses. Most companies have their return address preprinted on all company envelopes to match the design of the letterhead stationary. If plain envelopes are used, the complete return address should be typed in the upper left corner of the envelope, approximately two lines from the top edge and two or three spaces from the left edge. In the case of letters within or for the UK, the name of the town and the country are written in capital letters, and the postcode is usually written on a line by itself. Postal notations such as AIRMAIL, SPECIAL DELIVERY, CERTIFIED MAIL, REGISTERED MAIL and RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED are typed in solid capital letters in the upper right corner of the envelope below the postage stamp.

The layout of business letters is more or less common in all countries. There are eight parts in a letter:

1. the letterhead

2. the return address;

3. the date;

4. the inside address (i.e., the recipient's name and address);

5. the opening salutation;

6. the body of the letter;

7. the closing salutation;

8. the signature.

Letterhead refers both to the high-grade paper used for business letters and to the company insignia (sign that shows what official rank someone has or which organization they belong to), trade name or product name printed at the top of each sheet. The printed information also includes the company name, address and the telephone number. More detailed letterheads may list the name and title of an executive officer, the name of a department, or the company's cable address. The printed letterhead of a company gives a great deal of information about it.

The abbreviation Ltd after a company's name indicates that it has limited liability. This means that the individuals who own the company, or part of it, i.e. the shareholders, are only responsible for their holding (i.e. the capital they have contributed) if the company goes bankrupt. In other words, it indicates to people giving the company credit that in bankruptcy they can only be paid back from what the company owns, and not from the personal funds of its shareholders.

The abbreviation plс (public limited company) is used to show that a company's shares can be bought and sold by the public, unlike the shares of private limited liability companies. In the USA the term inc. (incorporated) is used.

The abbreviation and (&) со. indicates that a company is a partnership between two or more people. (And is usually written as an ampersand (&) in English company names.) If the company is a family concern, Son/s, Bros (Brothers), or Daughter/s may be added. Partnerships may have limited liability or unlimited liability.

If neither Ltd nor & Co. appear after a company's name, then it may be a SOLE trader, i.e. a person who owns and runs a business on their own.

In addition to the address of the office from which the letter is being sent, the letterhead may also give the address of the head office or registered office, if different, and the addresses of any branches or other offices the company owns.

Sender's (return) address. The return address includes the writer's street address, city, state, and ZIP code. This information is typed immediately above the date of the letter in block style, single space:

371 Woodbine Boulevard

Spokane, Washington 99212

October 10, 1997

In correspondence that does not have a letterhead, the sender's address is placed in the top right-hand corner of the page in place of the printed letterhead. It is also acceptable, but less common, to place it in the top left-hand corner. Punctuation is rarely used in addresses these days.

The BLOCKED style is the most widely used, i.e. each line starts directly below the one above. In contrast with practice in some other countries, in the UK it is not usual to write the sender's name before his or her address.

The date is written directly below the sender's address, separated from it by a space. In the case of correspondence with a letterhead it is usually written on the right-hand side of the page. The month in the date should not be written in figures as this can be confusing; for example 11.3.03 means 11 March 2003 in British English, where the sequence is day-month-year, but 3 November 2003 in American English, where the sequence is month-day-year.

It is acceptable to write the date with or without the abbreviations -th and -nd, e.g. 24th October or 24 October, and to transpose the date and the month, e.g. October 24 or 24 October. These are matters of personal preference, but whatever you choose you should be consistent throughout your correspondence.

Inside address The complete name and address of the intended recipient is called the INSIDE ADDRESS. The inside address is written below the sender's address and on the left-hand side of the page.

Surname known If you know the name of the person you are writing to, write it as the first line of the address. Include either the person's initial/s or his or her first given name, e.g. Mr J. E. Smith or Mr John Smith, not

Mr Smith. Courtesy titles used in addresses are as follows:

— Mr (pronounced /'mistə/) is the usual courtesy title for a man. The unabbreviated form Mister should not be used.

— Mrs (pronounced /'misiz/, no unabbreviated form) is used for a married woman.

— Miss (pronounced/'mis/, not an abbreviation) is used for an unmarried woman.

— Ms (pronounced /miz/ or /məs/, no unabbreviated form) is used for both married and unmarried women. It is advisable to use this form of address when you are unsure whether the woman you are writing to is married or not, or do not know which title she prefers.

— Messrs (pronounced /'mesəz/, abbreviation for French 'Messieurs', which is never used) is used occasionally for two or more men, e.g. Messrs P. Jones and B.L Parker, but more commonly forms part of the name of a company, e.g. Messrs Collier, Clark & Co. It is rather old-fashioned.

Other courtesy titles include academic or medical titles, e.g. Doctor {Dr), Professor {Prof.); military titles, e.g. Captain {Capt), Major (Ma).), Colonel (Col), General (Gen.); and aristocratic titles, e.g. Sir, Dame, Lord, Lady. Sir means that the addressee is a knight, and is always followed by a first name, e.g. Sir John Brown, never Sir J. Brown or Sir Brown. It should not be confused with the salutation Dear Sir.

Note that a full stop is often used at the end of the abbreviation if it takes the form of the first few letters of the word, e.g. Prof. (Professor), but is not necessary if it takes the form of the first and last letter of the word, e.g. Dr (Doctor). However, some people prefer to write, e.g. Mr., Mrs., with a full stop. Again, whatever you choose to do, you should be consistent throughout your correspondence.

If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, but know their job title, you can use that, e.g. The Sales Manager, The Finance Director, in the inside address. Alternatively, you can address your letter to a particular department of the company, e.g. The Sales Department, The Accounts Department.

Finally, if you know nothing about the company and do not know which person or department your letter should go to. you can simply address the letter to the company itself. e.g. Compuvision Ltd, Messrs Coitier, Clark & Co.

Order of inside address After the name of the person and / or company receiving the letter, the recommended order and style of addresses in the UK is as follows:

Industrial House - Name of house or building

34-41 Craig Road - Number of building and name of s road, avenue, etc.

Bolton BL4 8TF - Name of town or city and postcode

UK - Name of country

In other European countries, the number of the building may be placed after the name of the street. It is also common to substitute the name of the country with an initial before the district code number.

It is simplest to follow the above order and style, though variations are possible for example the name of the county, e.g. Lancashire, may, if known, be included on the line below the name of the town or city; the postcode may be written on a separate line; the name of the town, as well as the country may be in capital letters

Attention line An alternative to including the recipient's name or job title in the address is to use an attention line. The attention line is used when a letter is addressed to a company but directed to a specific individual or department for processing. The attention line, part of the inside address, is typed at the left margin a double space below the inside address and a double space before the salutation. If typed in capital or lowcase letters, the word "Attention" is followed by a colon; if it is typed all in capitals, no colon is used:

Cosolidated Chemical Corporation Pacific Southwest Radio Corp.

24605 Bundy Drive West 5107 Avenue of the Stars

Suite 1401 Los Angeles, CA 90067

Albuquerque, NM 87101 ATTENTION Accounting Dept.

Attention: Mrs. Sara Hawkins

Salutation Dear Sir opens a letter written to a man whose name you do not know. Dear Sirs is used to address a company. (In American English a letter to a company usually opens with Gentlemen.) Dear Madam is used to address a woman, whether single or married, whose name you do not know. Dear Sir or Madam (or Dear Sir / Madam) is used to address a person when you do not know their name or sex.

When you know the name of the person you are writing to, but do not know them well, the salutation takes the form of Dear followed by a courtesy title and the persons surname. Initials or first names are not used with courtesy titles, e g Dear Mr Smith NOT Dear Mr J Smith or Dear Mr John Smith. Business associates who you know well can be addressed using just their first name, e.g. Dear John. A comma after the salutation is optional, i.e. Dear Mr Smith, or Dear Mr Smith. (In American English a colon is usually used after the salutation, e.g. Dear Mr Smith:, Gentlemen:).

Body of the letter The blocked style is the one most often used for the body of the letter. It is usual to leave a line space between paragraphs. American office workers prefer to arrange the elements of a letter in so called FULL BLOCK STYLE. Here is an example:

Sender's address:

[Company Name]

[Street Address]

[City, State/Province Zip/Postal Code]

Date: August 26,2005

Inside address:

[Recipient Name]

[Address]

[City, State/Province Zip/Postal Code]

Opening salutation:

Dear [Recipient]:

Body of the letter:

[Type the body of your letter here]

Closing salutation:

Yours faithfully Signature:

[Your name]

[Your position]

[Typist's initials]

Enclosure: [Number]

cc: [Name]

Complimentary close If the letter begins Dear Sir, Dear Sirs, Dear Madam, or Dear Sir or Madam, the complimentary close should be Yours faithfully. If the letter begins with a personal name, e.g. Dear Mr James,

Dear Mrs Robinson, or Dear Ms Jasmin, it should be Yours sincerely.

A letter to someone you know well may close with the more informal Best wishes. Note that Americans tend to close even formal letters with Yours truly or Truly yours, which is unusual in the UK in commercial correspondence. A comma after the complimentary close is optional.The complimentary close is usually placed on the left, aligned under the rest of the letter.

TITLE	STATUS	COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE
Mr	married or unmarried male	Yours sincerely
Mrs	married female	Yours sincerely
Miss	unmarried female	Yours sincerely
Ms	married or unmarried female	Yours sincerely
Sir	male - name not known	Yours faithfully
Madam	female - name not known	Yours faithfully
Sir/Madam	when unsure whether you are addressing male or female	Yours faithfully
medical/academiс military e.g. Dr/ Professor/ General	these titles do not change whether addressing a male or female	Yours sincerely

Signature Always type your name and, if relevant, your job title, below your handwritten signature. This is known as the signature Block. Even though you may think your handwriting is easy to read, letters such as a, e, o, r, and v can easily be confused. It is, to some extent, a matter of choice whether you sign with your initial/s, e.g. D. Jenkins, or your full given name, e.g. David Jenkins, and whether you include your courtesy title in your signature block. But if you include neither your given name nor your title, your correspondent will not be able to identify your sex and may give you the wrong title when he or she replies.

References are often quoted to indicate what the letter refers to (Your ref.) and the correspondence to refer to when replying (Our ref.). References may either appear in figures, e.g. 661/ 17, where 661 may refer to the number of the letter and 17 to the number of the department.

A subject title at the beginning of a letter, directly after the salutation, provides a further reference, saves introducing the subject in the first paragraph, immediately draws attention to the topic of the letter, and allows the writer to refer to it throughout. The subject line is typed a double space below the salutation and a double space before the body. Depending on the style it may be centered on the page or typed at the left margin. Including an account number or case title the subject line helps the reader focus on the main subject. SUBJECT or Re (Regarding) may be typed before the subject and followed by a colon:

Dear Mrs. La Croix:

SUBJECT: Account No 14701-K

1.1 Restore the correct order of these elements of a business letter and match them to their names:

1) Compuvision Ltd 4)Yours faithfully

Warwick House 5) 6 May 2008

Warwick Street 6) B. Kaasen (Ms) B. Kaasen

Forest Hill 7) Dear Sir or Madam

London SE23 1JF 8) For the attention of Sales Manager

UK

2) Please would you send me details of your DVD video systems.

I am particularly interested in the Omega range.

3) Bredgate 51

DK 1260

Copenhagen K

DENMARK

a) Sender’s address b) Inside address c) Signature

d) Complimentary close e) Salutation f) Date

g) Body of the letter h) Attention line

1.2 Match the abbreviations used in business letters with their definitions:

1) Re. 2) P.p. 3) Encl.

4) Cc: 5) FAO 6) P.s.

a) the names of the people who receive a copy are included in the letter

b) regarding

c) when you sign the letter for another person

d) documents are enclosed with the letter

e) to say who the letter is for

f) to add something at the end of the letter, after the signature

1.3 Choose the best answers to complete the quiz about business letters.

1 Experts recommend that letters should use short sentences.

More than ….. words in a sentence reduces clarity.

a) 10 b) 15 c) 25

2 Whenever possible, letters should fit on to ….. side(s) of a standard sheet of paper.
a) 3 b) 2 c) 1

3 It is not a good idea to include: colloquial expressions, ….. or jargon.
a) contractions b) grammar c) punctuation

4 If you start the letter with a contact name (e.g. Dear Ms Wells), then the closing expression used is Yours sincerely. If you do not use a contact name (e.g. Dear Sir or Madam) the letter ends with:
a) Yours truly b) Kind regards c) Yours faithfully

1.4 If you deal with a problem on the telephone, it is sometimes necessary to confirm the call in writing. Match the functions 1-5 to the parts a-e of the letter below.

1 Offer further assistance

2 Apologize for the problem

3 Say when you spoke on the telephone

4 Confirm important information agreed in the call

5 Say why you are writing

Dear Mr Cheng

a Further to our telephone conversation on Friday 4 October,

b I am writing concerning the recent problem that you experienced

when trying to reserve tickets on our automated booking service.

c As agreed on the telephone, I have now arranged for the tickets

to be sent to you by special delivery.

d We are sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused.

e If you require any further help, please let me know.

Yours sincerely

Victoria Saunders

Victoria Saunders,

Customer Services Manager

Replace the underlined words or phrases in the letter with the most appropriate alternative below.

a 1 After 2 In addition 3 With reference

b 1 subject 2 regarding 3 apropos

c 1 discussed 2 settled 3 acknowledged

d 1 regret 2 apologize 3 forgive

e 1 like 2 wish 3 need

1.5 Translate into Russian:

1) In reply to your letter dated March 10, I wish to inform you that our Council is willing to discuss your proposal.

2) Thank you for the letter of December 19 and for the materials you enclosed with it.

3) On behalf of our Institute I wish to acknowledge with sincere thanks the receipt of your letter of May 12.

4) We are in possession of your letter of June 1 and of the telegram of the same date and beg to advise you that s.s."Manchester" left London for Saint-Petersburg on the 31st ult.

5) Moscow, August 16, 20..

Dear Sirs:

M.V. "Neva"

We acknowledge with thanks receipt of your telegram of

today's date informing us of the sailing of the m.v. "Neva".

Yours faithfully

6) Moscow, December 10, 20...

Dear Sirs:

We are obliged for your letter of December 5. We are contacting

the plant producing VAZ cars on the question raised by you and

will write to you immediately upon receipt of their reply.

Yours faithfully

1.6 Translate into English:

1) Мы получили Ваше письмо, датированное 28 февраля.

2) Подтверждаем получение Вашего письма от 15 мая, за
которое мы Вас благодарим.

3) Подтверждаем с благодарностью получение Вашего письма от 20 января, посланного Вами в ответ на наше письмо, датированное 15 января.

4) В ответ на Ваше письмо от 26 сентября, посланное авиа­
почтой, мы рады сообщить Вам, что теплоход "Нева" вышел в
море из Санкт-Петербурга 27 сентября и прибудет в Лондон
5 октября.

5) С настоящим письмом посылаем Вам доклад профессора
Е. Е. Маслова для публикации в сборнике докладов симпозиу­ма.

6) Подтверждаем с благодарностью получение Вашего письма от 15 ноября с.г. с приложенной к нему копией проек­та.

7) Благодарю Вас за письмо от 10 июня с приложенным к
нему оттиском Ваших статей.

8) В ответ на Ваше письмо от 10 июня посылаю Вам нaши последние данные и таблицы, которые, надеюсь, помогут Вам в Вашей работе.

9) Мы напишем Вам немедленно по получении ответа от
завода, изготавливающего эти машины.

1.7 Insert the necessary prepositions and translate into Russian:

1) We have received your letter... the 16th... October.

2) Our letter dated... the 5th May was sent... air-mail.

3) We acknowledge receipt... your letter... the 15th... which we

thank you.

4) The m.v. "Neva" will arrive … Odessa... the 23d..December.

5) The s.s. "Erevan" arrived... Poti yesterday.

6) Please inform us... your decision immediately.

7) We will write... you... this question... a few days.

8) We are obliged... your letter... yesterday's date... which you sent us your catalogue... Compressors.

9) We will write... you again... receipt... your Catalogue.

10) Our letter... the 15th May was sent... reply... your telegram... the same date.

1.8 Translate from English into Russian:

1) London, July 15, 20...

Machimport Ltd.

Moscow

Dear Sirs:

We refer to the recent discussions we had with Mr. Stepanov on the possibility of our supplying "Machimport Ltd." with machines manufactured by our company and distributing Russian machine-tools in Great Britain.To examine this matter in detail our Managing Director Mr. James Robinson is prepared to travel to Moscow at the beginning of August, 20... and have personal discussions with members of "Machimport Ltd.".At the suggestion of Mr. Stepanov we enclose a list of points which we would like to be discussed in Moscow.

We look forward with interest to your reply.

Yours faithfully

Enclosure

2) Dear Sirs:

We would like to inform you that Mr. Brown is arriving in Moscow on February 14 to begin talks with you.

Please make the necessary hotel reservations for him and let us know the name of the hotel.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Yours faithfully

1.9 Translate from Russian into English:

1) По предложению господина А. Брауна посылаем Вам ка­талог автомобилей, экспортируемых фирмой «Авто-ВАЗ».

2) Мы готовы обсудить с Вами вопрос о возможности экс­порта этих автомобилей в Англию.

3) Наш председатель господин М. Н. Иванов готов поехать
в Англию, чтобы подробно обсудить с Вами этот вопрос.

4) Ожидаем с нетерпением встречи с господином Брауном в Москве.

5) Мы можем поставить Вашей компании станки согласно
прилагаемому списку в обмен на машины, которые производит
Ваша компания.

6) Мы ссылаемся на состоявшиеся на прошлой неделе переговоры с председателем Вашей компаний мистером А. Брауном.

7) Мы ожидаем с интересом Вашего ответа на наше письмо от 10 мая.

8) Я с удовольствием получил Ваше письмо от 16 мая с
приложенной к нему копией письма «Машимпорт Лтд» от 14 мая. Я также получил из Москвы копию Вашего письма от 12 мая, адресованного «Машимпорт Лтд».

Я буду очень рад встретиться с господином А. Харрисом и господином К. Грином. Сожалею, однако, что 20 мая меня не будет в Лондоне. Я возвращусь в Лондон 21 мая утром и буду рад встретиться с ними в тот же день в 2 часа дня, если, разу­меется, это удобно для Вас.

Д. В. Петров,

коммерческий директор «Машимпорт Лтд».

9) Благодарим Вас за Ваше письмо от 17 мая. Господин Грин и нижеподписавшийся будут рады посетить Вас 21 мая в 2 часа дня, и мы искренне надеемся установить деловые отно­шения с «Машимпорт Лтд».

С нетерпением ожидаем встречи с Вами в Лондоне.

Харрис энд Грин Лтд.

А. Харрис,

Председатель

1.10 Write the text of a letter in Russian using the information given below. Translate the letter into English:

Дата: 20.11.1993

Адрес: Англия, Манчестер, Поплар Роуд, д. 16, Блэк энд Грин Лтд.

Содержание:

— сообщите о получении письма от 24.10.1993 и выразите свою благодарность за него;

— сообщите, что по просьбе компании вы высылаете от­дельным пакетом каталог станков, производимых вашим пред­приятием, а также прилагаете к нему прейскурант;

— выразите надежду на получение скорого ответа.
Подпись: М. Н. Иванов, председатель «АВС-импорт»

1.11 Edit the following letters using appropriate register, layout, grammar and vocabulary.

1) Hello

I saw your ad in our local paper last week, so I want to apply for the job of Communications Assistant. I know I am the person you are looking for. All of my friends say they love chatting with me.

So write soon, and tell me when you want me to come for an interview.

Regards

Jim Brown

2) Whilst I accept your reasons for the delay in submitting your report on the advertising campaign, and not withstanding the fact the next meeting on the advertising will not now be held until October, I must insist that you should complete it as quickly as possible, preferably before the end of the week, but not later than the beginning of September.

Note: It is recommended to use the following English equivalents for Russian terms indicating the legal status of a company:

(производственное) объединение — industrial (production)

association;

общество:

акционерное ~ — stock corporation (company), joint stock company (JSC);

с ограниченной ответственностью ~ (ООО) — limited liability company;

закрытое акционерное ~ (ЗАО) — close corporation;

кооперативное ~ — cooperative society;

публичное акционерное ~ — public company;

смешанное ~ — mixed joint stock company;

страховое ~ —i nsurance company;

торговое ~ — trading (trade) company (enterprise);

предприятие:

внешнеторговое ~ — foreign trade company;

головное ~ — leading enterprise;

государственное ~ — state (-owned) enterprise;

коммерческое ~ — commercial enterprise;

малое ~ — small company (business, enterprise);

совместное ~ — joint venture;

товарищество — partnership;

~ на вере (командитное) — limited partnership;

кредитное кооперативное ~ (общество взаимного кре­дита) — mutual loan partnership;

полное ~ — general (ordinary, unlimited) partnership;

партнер (совладелец товарищества) — partner;

главный ~ — general partner;

командитный ~ — limited partner

Note: In everyday business it is frequently required to write and send, besides simple commercial letters, such letters as invitations and replies to them, congratulations and condolences. Below you will findexamples of such letters.

A formal invitation

(Name), the Managing Director of... requests the pleasure of your company at (function) to be held at (place) on (date) 20... at... o'clock. Type of dress... (No signature).

Accepting a formal invitation

(Name) thanks the Managing Director of... for his kind invitation to (function) to be held at (place) on (date) 19... at... o'clock and has much pleasure in accepting it. (No signature)

Refusing a formal invitation

(Name) thanks the Managing Director of... for his kind invitation to (function) to be held at (place) on (date) 20... and regrets that he has a prior engagement on that day and is therefore unable to accept.

(No signature)

Congratulations

1) Gentlemen:

We have learned from the press that you have opened a new branch office in... We wish you success and good luck. We also want to express the hope that our business relationship will continue to develop in the same pleasant and trusting manner.

Sincerely yours

2) Dear Mr....,

I am delighted to hear of your new appointment to the Board. The many years you have worked with the Company have been rewarded, and my partner and I are sending you our very best wishes for the future.

Yours sincerely

Expressions used in letters of condolence:

1) Please accept our most sincere sympathy on the death of Mr....

2) We were deeply saddened to learn yesterday of the death of Mr....

3) It was a great shock for us to hear of the sudden death of Mr....

4) The extremely sad news of Mr....'s death is something that we can hardly believe.

5) We want to express our deepest grief on the death of Mr....

6) Please convey our sympathy to his family.

7) I was grieved to hear of the death of (name), and wish to
express my heartfelt sympathy to you and to other members of your
firm.

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