III. Reading assignments.

Ex 1. Skim through the text and answer the questions.

1. What image do you want your reader to have of you?

2. What kind of business letters would you like to receive?

3. What kind of business letters does nobody like?

4. What is meant by 'you attitude' style?

5. What four guidelines will help you make good impression on your reader?

6. Why is it important to remember that your reader is a real person?

7. What is the essence of 'you attitude' approach?

8. What is the underlying goal of nearly any business letter you write and why?

9. What two strategies often lead inexperienced letter writers into trouble?

Ex 2. Read the extract that follows.

«В письме стояло: «Многоуважаемый господин! Как вам известно, вы приняты на службу к владельцу Замка. Вашим непосредственным начальником является сельский староста, который сообщит вам все ближайшие подробности о вашей работе и об условиях оплаты, перед ним же вы должны будете отчитываться. Вместе с тем и я постараюсь не терять вас из виду. Податель сего письма, Варнава, будет время от времени справляться о ваших пожеланиях и докладывать об этом мне. Вы встретите с моей стороны постоянную готовность по возможности идти вам навстречу. Я заинтересован, чтобы мои работники были довольны.» Дальше шла неразборчивая подпись, но рядом печатными буквами стояло: «Начальник Н-ской канцелярии.»

Ф.Кафка «Замок»

1. Discuss the style of the letter with your group-mates.

2. Analyse the letter in accordance with the guidelines in the Reading. Give your reasons.

3. Complete the table below with the phrases from the letter that correspond to the headings of the table.

PERSONAL ATTITUDE

POSITIVE
CONDESCENDING
BOASTFUL
DISCOURTEOUS

Before reading the author's analysis of the letter given in the end of the Unit summarise your general impression of the letter in writing.

Ex3. Match the English words and phrases in column A with the corresponding equivalents in column B.

A

1. communication

2. message

3. to be considerate of somebody’s needs and requests

4. ‘you attitude’

5. accept our apologies

6. to verify

7. order

8. to interrupt

9. payment

10. to be dissatisfied with the conditions of the product

11. to experience a difficulty

12. to implement something

13. a delinquent account

14. a warranty agreement

15. we would appreciate receiving a more detailed explanation

B

1. мы были бы признательны за более подробные разъяснения

2. «чувство партнера»

3. быть неудовлетворенным состоянием товара

4. связь, сообщение

5. испытывать трудность

6. прерывать

7. примите наши извинения

8. сообщение

9. заказ, заявка

10. быть внимательным к потребностям и просьбам кого-либо

11. злостный неплательщик

12. выполнить что-либо

13. платеж, выплата

14. договор-гарантия

15. подтвердить, удостоверить

Ex 4. Rewrite the following sentences to make them more personal

1. It becomes incumbent upon this office to cancel order # 2394.

___________________________________________________________________________

2. Management has suggested the curtailment of parking privileges.

___________________________________________________________________________

3. ALL USERS OF HYDROPLEX: Desist from ordering replacement valves during the period of Dec. 19-29.

___________________________________________________________________________

4. The request for a new catalogue has been honoured; it will be shipped to same address soon.

___________________________________________________________________________

5. Perseverance and attention to detail has made this writer important to company in-house work.

___________________________________________________________________________

6. The Director of Nurses hereby notifies staff that a general meeting will be held Monday afternoon at 3:00 PM sharp.

___________________________________________________________________________

7. Attendance is mandatory.

___________________________________________________________________________

8. Reports will be filed by appropriate personnel no later than the scheduled plans allow.

___________________________________________________________________________

Ex5. The following sentences are discourteous, boastful, excessively humble, vague, or do not reflect the 'you attitude'. Rewrite them to correct these mistakes.

1. Something is obviously wrong in your head office. They have once more sent me the wrong model number. Can they ever get things straight?

___________________________________________________________________________

2. My instructor wants me to do a term paper on safety regulations at a small factory. Since you are the manager of a small factory, send me all the information I need at once. My grade depends heavily on all this.

___________________________________________________________________________

3. It is apparent that you are in business to rip off the public.

___________________________________________________________________________

4. I was wondering if you could possibly see your way into sending me the local president's name and address, if you have the time.

___________________________________________________________________________

5. I have waited for my confirmation for two weeks now. Do you expect me to wait forever or can I get some action?

___________________________________________________________________________

6. Although I have never attempted to catalogue books before, and really do not know the way around the library, I would very much like to be considered at some later date convenient to you for a part-time afternoon position.

___________________________________________________________________________

7. It goes without saying that we cannot honor your request.

___________________________________________________________________________

8. May I take just a moment of your valuable time to point out that our hours for the next three weeks will change and we trust and pray that no one in your agency will be terribly inconvenienced by this.

___________________________________________________________________________

9. Your application has been received and will be kept on file for six months. If we are interested in you, we will notify you. If you do not hear from us, please do not write us again. The soaring costs of correspondence and the large number of applicants make the burden of answering pointless letters extremely heavy.

___________________________________________________________________________

10. My past performance as a medical technologist has left nothing to be desired.

___________________________________________________________________________

11. Credit means a lot to some people. But obviously you do not care about yours. If you did, you would have sent us the $49.95 you rightfully owe us three months ago. What's wrong with you?

___________________________________________________________________________

Ex6. Compare the two letters below and see if you recognise the features that make the second letter more 'you oriented'.

Dear Ms. Biggs:

Having conducted our standard credit investigation, we have concluded that it would be unwise for us to grant you credit at this time.

We believe that the extent of your current obligations makes you a bad credit risk. As you can understand, it is in our best interest to grant charge accounts only to those customers with proven ability to pay.

Please accept our sincere regrets and feel free to continue to shop at Allen's on a cash basis.

Sincerely yours,

Dear Ms. Biggs:

I am sorry to inform you that your application for an Allen's charge account has been turned down.

Our credit department believes that, because of your current obligations, additional credit might be difficult for you to handle at this time. Your credit reputation is too valuable to be placed in jeopardy.

We will be delighted, of course, to reconsider your application in the future, should your financial responsibilities be reduced. Until then, we hope you will continue to shop at Allen's where EVERY customer is our prime concern.

Sincerely yours,

Ex7. Compare the two letters below and determine what makes the second one more ‘you-oriented’.

I think that our rug shampooer is the best on the market. Our firm has invested a lot of time and money to insure that it is the most economical and efficient shampooer available today. We have found that our customers are very satisfied with the results of our machine. We have sold thousands of these shampooers, and we are proud of our accomplishment. We hope that we can sell you one of our fantastic machines.

Our rug shampooer would make cleaning your Happy Rest Motel rooms easier for you. It is equipped with a heavy-duty motor that will handle your 200 rooms with ease.

Moreover, that motor will give frequently used areas, such as the lobby or hallways, a fresh and clean look you can be proud of.