3.тема Structure of the Business Letter

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3.тема

Structure of the Business Letter

I. letter of request	письмо-просьба
memo (a memorandum)—	письмо с напоминанием (о чём-л.); памятная записка
letter of advice—	уведомительное письмо
letter of credit, L/C —	аккредитив
invitation letter —	письмо-приглашение
congratulation letter —	поздравительное письмо
letter of thanks (gratitude) —	благодарствен­ное письмо
letter of apology—	письмо с извинением
letter of confirmation—	письмо-подтверж­дение
enquiry (inquiry) letter—	письмо-запрос
letter of acknowledgement —	письмо, под­тверждающее
letter of guarantee—	гарантийное письмо
letter of complaint —	письмо-жалоба
letter of claim ['kleim] —	письмо-рекламация
order letter ['o:da] —	письмо-заказ
letterhead n	шапка на фирменном бланке
3.salutation n —	обращение
4.indented style [in'dentid] —	стиль с отступом
blocked style —	блочный стиль
refer v — reference n —	ссылаться ссылка
6.sign v —	подписывать(ся)
signature n	подпись
7.closure n — complimentary closure —	заключительная формула (письма) заключительная формула вежливости (письма)
8.enclose- enclosure п —	прилагать,вкладывать(в.письмо) приложение
9. limited liability -	ограниченная ответственность (членов товарищества/компании)
partnership n —	товарищество, компания
11.customer] n —	клиент, заказчик, покупатель
12.keep in touch with smb.	клиент, заказчик, покупатель
mean v —	значить; подразуме­вать
means [n — by means of —	средство, способ; ресурсы посредством
14.matter n v —	вопрос, дело; иметь значение
capital (letter)	прописная буква
suit v —	годиться, соответствовать, подходить
match v —	подходить, соответствовать
18.spell v — misspell (misspelt) v —	писать или произносить слово по буквам произносить неправильно
19.оrder п — in order to —	порядок, последовательность; при­каз, распоряжение; заказ для того, чтобы
20.illegibleadj —	нечеткий, неразборчивый (о почерке)
21.enable v —	давать возможность или право (что-л. сделать), создавать возможность

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STRUCTURE OF THE BUSINESS LETTER

A business letter is the principal means used by a business firm to keep in touch with its customers. According to the purpose of the letter there may be different kinds, e.g. a letter of request, a memo (a memorandum), a letter of advice, an invitation letter,a congratulation letter, a letter of thanks (gratitude), a letter of apology, a letter of confirmation, an enquiry letter, a letter of acknowledgement, a letter of guarantee, a letter of complaint, a letter of claim, an order letter, etc.

Customers form their impression of the firm from the tone and quality of the letters it sends out. Good-quality paper and an attractive letterhead play their part in this, but they are less important than the message they carry. Business does not call for the elegant language of the poet, but it does require us to express ourselves accurately in plain language that is clear and readily understood.

The business letter has long been customary to set it out in the indented style (Fig. 1), but now the blocked style (Fig. 2) has come to be much more widely used than before because it saves typing time.

Addressing an envelope properly helps get your letter to the correct destination on time (Fig. 3).

1.The letterhead helps to form one's impression of the writer's firm. Because of this, many firms engage experts to design attractive headings. Styles vary considerably, but they all give similar information and besides the name and address of the firm include telephone numbers, telegraphic addresses, the telegraphic codes

used, if any, and state the kind of business carried on if this is not clear from the firm's name. For companies registered in the United Kingdom with limited liability the word Limited (or a recognized abbreviation of it — Ltd) must form part of the name. Companies formed with limited liability in the United States use the abbreviation Inc — Incorporated.

Always type the date in full, in the logical order of day, month, year, thus: 10th November 20.. . To give the date in figures (e.g. 10/11/20..) is not only in bad taste, but it may easily be confusing in correspondence with the United States, where it is the practice to give dates in the order of month, day and year.

The usual practice is to set out the name and address of one's correspondent at the head of the letter. Where the appropriate head of department is known, address the letter to him by his official title, thus:

The Sales Manager

The Hercules Engineering Co Ltd

Brazennose Street

MANCHESTER

M60 8AS

When addressing a correspondent personally by name, take care to spell his name correctly. Also address him exactly as he signs himself. The courtesy titles used in correspondence are Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms and Messrs (abbreviation of Messieurs). When your correspondent holds a special title, such as Doctor, Professor, Colonel and Sir, he is addressed by his title and Mr must not be used. We write, Dr J. Brown, Prof. L. Carter, Col. W. Johnson, Sir Arnold Plant. Where it is not known whether a woman addressed is married or single Ms has recently crept into use as an alternative for both Mrs and Miss. Messrs is used only for partnerships whose firm name includes a personal element, as in Messrs Macdonald & Evans.

The salutation is the greeting with which every letter begins. The customary greeting in a business letter is Dear Sir, but others are used as follows: Dear Madam (for both single and married women); Dear Sirs (when a partnership is addressed). When your correspondent is unknown to you and may be either a man or a woman, always use the form Dear Sir.

Addressing an envelope properly helps get your letter to the correct destination on time (Fig. 4.). To address an envelope, print the return address (also called the from address) neatly in the upper left-hand corner of the envelope. Begin by writing the sender's name and/or the company's name on the first line of the address. Add the sender's street address (include Ave., St. or Blvd., as well as apartment, office or suite number) or post office (P.O.) box number on the second line. Print the city name followed by a space, the two-letter capitalized state abbreviation (for the USA address) or the county (for the UK address) and the ZIP code on the third line. Include the country name, if necessary, in capital letters on the fourth line of the address. Print the mailing address (the to address or the destination address) in the center of the envelope or package, putting each element of the address in the same order as outlined above. Attach a proper postage stamp to the upper right-hand corner of the envelope.

questions with your groupmates or teacher.

1. What is a business letter?

2. What types of business letters do you know?

1. Why is the language style very important for business letter writing?

2. What is the difference between an indented letter style and a blocked one?

3. What parts does a business letter consist of?

f)How is an envelope addressed?