- •Introduction
- •1 Business letter writing
- •2The letter heading and the layout
- •2.1. The parts of the letter
- •2.2. Style of american firms
- •3. Structure and presentation
- •1. Read the following statements and decide which are true t and which are false
- •2. Put the verbs in brackets into either the present simple, (e.G. He works), or the present continuous, (e.G. He is working).
- •3. Put the following names and addresses in order.
- •5. Complete the following letter of enquiry with the correct prepositions.
- •Veto Sport ag
- •3.1. Content and Style
- •1. Read this letter from a computer company to a company trainer, and fill in the blanks with the correct verb taken from the list below.
- •2. Put the phrases below in the correct order to form a letter requesting information.
- •3. Rewrite the following request for payment in a more polite form.
- •4. Other methods of communication
- •4.1. Competition
- •Curriculum vitae
- •Interests/hobbies
- •4.2. Forms
- •4.4. Faxes
- •4.5. Notices
- •4.7. Memoranda
- •5 The enquiry
- •Requests for catalogues and price lists
- •General enquiries and replies
- •Enquiries cliches
- •Enquiries
- •1. Fill in the missing words:
- •3. Match these words from Exercise 2 with their definitions
- •4. Rewrite the following questions in a less direct form, beginning with the words given.
- •5. Make words from the jumbled letters and match them with the definitions in the sentences below.
- •6. John Phillips is telling his secretary what to write when she types out the day's letters. Change his instructions into an acceptable form for business correspondence.
- •7. Complete the following letter of enquiry with the correct prepositions.
- •8. Read this reply to a letter of enquiry. Underline the words in the letter which correspond to the words and phrases below.
- •Glaston potteries Ltd
- •Reply to an enquiries (offers)
- •Replies to enquiries cliches
- •Replies and quotations
- •1. Read the following reply to a letter of enquiry. Mr. Fest refers to specific questions asked by Mr Whang. Which of the items below did he request information about?
- •6. Invoices and adjustments
- •Inform the buyer of the amount due.
- •Invoice
- •Invoice
- •Debit and credit notes
- •Varying the terms of payment
- •Useful expressions
- •7. Letters requesting payment tone
- •Late payments
- •Collection letters
- •Second application letters
- •Third application letters
- •Final collection letters
- •Checklist
- •8. Complaints and adjustment
- •Complaints concerning goods
- •Complaints concerning delivery
- •Checklist
- •Useful expressions
- •Complaints and adjustments
- •In the following sentences, the word in italics is not very appropriate for formal correspondence. Choose a more suitable alternative from the list.
- •British Suppliers plc
- •9. Credit and status enquiries
- •Lending restrictions and bad trade
3. Structure and presentation
1. Read the following statements and decide which are true t and which are false
If a letter begins with the receiver's name, e.g. Dear Mr. Ross, it will close with Your faithfully.
The abbreviation c.c. stands for “correct carbons”.
If you were writing a letter to Mr Peter Smith, you would open with Dear Mr Peter Smith.
The head of a company in the UK is known as The President'.
In the USA, it is correct to open a letter with the salutation Gentlemen.
The abbreviation enc or end means there are enclosures with the letter.
If you "were writing to a Knight whose name was Sir Roger Dumont, you would open the letter Dear Sir Dumont.
In the UK, the abbreviated date 2.6.95 on a letter means 6 February 1995.
If a secretary signs her name on a letter and her signature is followed by p.p. (per pro) Daniel Harris, it means she is signing on behalf of Daniel Harris.
A Managing Director in the UK is known as Chief Executive in the USA.
The term PLC after a company's name, e.g. Hathaway PLC, stands for 'Public Limited Corporation
The abbreviation for the term 'limited liability' in the UK is ltd.
If you did not know whether a female correspondent was married or not, it would be correct to use the term Ms, e.g. Ms Tessa Groves, instead of Miss or Mrs.
The following is an example of a blocked style:
Peter Voss
Oberlweinfeldweg 33
5207Therwil
Switzerland
The above address is an example of 'open punctuation’.
The abbreviation in addressing a doctor, e.g. Doctor James Spock, would be Dt. Spock.
Rather than use the UK close of Yours sincerely/faithfully, Americans often choose Yours truly.
The abbreviation for 'company' is Co.
2. Put the verbs in brackets into either the present simple, (e.G. He works), or the present continuous, (e.G. He is working).
ICI (be) a large multinational company that (export) to countries all over the world.
The Managing Director (have) a meeting at the moment, but I will ask him to call you back.
Although the economic climate (improve) slowly, a lot of smaller companies (find) trading conditions difficult at the moment.
Office workers in the UK normally (start) at 9 a.m. and (go) home at 5 p.m.
At the moment the Sales Director is on a two-week tour of Europe, where he (meet) suppliers and (do) some market research.
We now (need) to expand, so we (negotiate) the lease of larger offices outside London.
I (write) to you to enquire about the possibility of setting up an agency in Spain for your products.
I (try) to get in touch with Mr. Peters, but I (not/have) much luck. He still (have) the same phone number?
3. Put the following names and addresses in order.
Example
Search Studios Ltd./Leeds/LS4 8QM/Mr L. Scott/150 Royal Avenue
Mr L Scott
Search Studios Ltd.
150 Royal Avenue
Leeds LS48QM
Warwick House/SoundsonicLtd./LondorVWarwickStreet/SE231JF
Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 254/The Chief Accountant/1-20133/D. Fregoni/Fregoni S.p.A./Milano
Bente Spedition GmbH/Mr Heinz Bente/D-6000 Frankfurt 1/Feldbergstr. 30/The Chairman
Sportique et cie./201 rue Sambin/The Sales Manager/F-21000 Dijon
lntercom/E-41006 Sevilla/351 Avda. Luis de Morales/The Accountant/Mrs. S. Moreno
Miss Maria Nikolakaki/85100 Rhodes, Nikitara 541/Greece
Excel Heights 501/Edogawa-ku 139/7-3-8 Nakakasai/Japan/Tokyo/Mrs Junko Shiratori
Leighton Road/VHF Vehicles Ltd./London NW5 2QE/The Transport Director/ Kentish Town
4. Using either the present simple or present continuous tenses, complete the letter with the appropriate verb from the list below.
build look offer start write
know note supply provide
HALL & CO. LTD
Builders' Merchants
Dear Sir/Madam.
We (1) __________that you have made a planning application and (2) _______________ an extension to your property soon, and I (3) ___________
to inform you of the services which we, as your local Builders' Merchant, (4) ________________ for our customers.
Our range of products (5) _________________ at the foundations with sand, cement, and bricks, and we also (6) __________________ a full range of timber and plasterboard products.
In addition to this, but only for the next two weeks, we (7) ______________ a free estimating service, so that you (8) ________________ exactly how much the materials will cost.
We (9) _________________forward to hearing from you
Yours faithfully
HALL & CO. LTD