Unit 1.
Types of Business Correspondence.
Lead in
1. Work in pairs and discuss the following questions:
1) What types of business correspondence do you know?
2) Is business correspondence different from personal?
3) What are the differences in?
Reading
2. Read the text below and find all types of business correspondence mentioned. Which is familiar to you?
As trade barriers break down and international trade increases, more and more companies want to buy and sell goods abroad. All the importers and experts require an efficient means of dealing with the documentation..
There is a great variety of documents to precede, to record and to perform a transaction.
Here are names of the main transaction documents:
- letters of application;
- letters of enquiry;
- offers;
- orders;
- complaints;
- contracts;
- transportation documents;
- insurance documents;
- invoices.
3. Read the rules for business letter writing. Memorize them.
The same principles of good business letter writing apply to all types of business letters. A good business letter should be well-structured. It should have a clear layout and a clear theme. Use a good vocabulary when writing and avoid repetitions. Do not use abbreviations like don’t or it’s. In business letters sentences are quite long and passive forms are often used. The tone of the letter should be polite and official. To compose a good business letter you should know standard phrases or clichés. They will help you in writing.
The main parts of a business letter are:
- the heading,
- the reference,
- the date,
-the inside address,
- the salutation,
- the body,
- the complimentary close,
- the signature.
Business letters are usually typed on paper bearing the heading which provides the essential information about the organization sending it. Normally the heading includes the company’s name and address, telephone numbers, the type of business and names of directors. It is common for companies to print an emblem or a trade mark on their stationary.
The reference is typed on the same line as the date but on the left and consist of the initials of the person who signs the letter and those of the typist.
The date can be written in several ways but you should not forget about the differences in reading the date in America (05.02 in American w ill be read as the second of May). The most common way of writing the date is 5 May 2010.
The inside address shows the name and the address of the recipient – that is the person or firm to whom the letter is written. Usually the inside address is written in three lines. The number of the house is always written before the street.
The salutation is typed two lines below the inside address. The most common salutation combines the person’s last name and the title: dear Mr Dobson or Dear Dr Davis. Use Dear Sir or Dear Madam if the recipient’s name is unknown or you are writing to a company. Put a colon or nothing after the salutation.
The body contains the writer’s actual message. It begins two lines below the salutation. All paragraphs within the body should be separated by a space of one extra line.
The complimentary close should be consistent with the salutation in their degree of formality. If the letter opens with Dear Mr Dobson, the complimentary close could be Yours sincerely. If you open the letter with Dear Sir/Madam, the complimentary close could be Yours faithfully. The complimentary close should be placed two lines below the body of the letter and should end with a comma.
The signature is the writer’s name. It should be handwritten below the complimentary close. In typewritten letters, the writer’s name should be typed four or five lines below the complimentary close with handwritten signature placed between the closing and the typewritten signature. The writer may add his title, his position in the company or the name of the company he represents.
If there is an enclosure to the letter this fact is indicated both in the text itself and by the word Enclosure(Encl or Enc) typed below the signature.
4. Read the letter and try to identify it. What part of the letter is omitted? Why?
45 Charlotte Street
Bristol
BS2 6ZX
16 June 2006
Mr Michael Crossley
Human Resources Manager
Bristol Zoo
PO Box 100
BS99 1PB
Dear Mr Crossley
I have seen your advertisement in the May issue of City Life magazine, and I would like to apply for the part-time position of Zoo Guide.
I am 18 years old, and have recently completed my A-levels in French, Biology and Social Studies. I hope to study zoology at Reading University from September, and I am currently looking for a summer job before my course starts. I would be able to start work from 17 July and will be available until the end of August.
I have gained valuable experience of working with animals at my parents’ farm in Gloucestershire, where I grew up, and in my last two years I have been studying Biology quite extensively in preparation for my A-level examinations. I also enjoy working with people, and I had the responsibility of dealing with customers in my part-time job last summer as a Box Office Assistant at the Natural History Museum in London. I have a good command of French, both in writing and speaking, and I also speak some Spanish. I am enclosing my CV with details of my previous education and work experience.
I believe I would be a useful member of your team at the Bristol Zoo, and I hope you will consider my application for the position.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
ClHarris
Claire Harris
5. Learn the following clichés and use them in your letter of application.
I am writing in response to/with regard to your advertisement which appeared in the … issue of…
I would like to apply for the position/the post of…
I would be grateful if you would consider my application.
I hope you will be able to consider me for the position of…
6. Analyze the following advertisement and write a proper letter of application.
CURTIS PUBLISHING
Curtis Publishing is recruiting enthusiastic salespeople to promote its range of beautifully produced reference books, CD-ROMs, video cassettes, and DVDs. These are flexible part-time posts. Working from home, you will be expected to generate new business contacts, visit schools, and organize events where people can inspect our publications. In return, you will receive excellent sales training and support, good commission, and a generous car allowance.
Write to Julia Summers, enclosing a CV, at: Curtis Publishing, Rowan House, Harland Road, Bristol B45 7FL
7. In the texts below you can find information about 3 types of business letters: enquiry, offer and complaint. Read it attentively, learn the clichés given to each type.
A company sends an enquiry when it is necessary:- to get detailed information about goods;
- to learn if the goods are available;
- to clarify delivery dates;
- to get information about terms, discounts and transportation ;
- to learn about prices of goods:
- to get catalogues and samples of goods.
Cliches for an enquiry:
We read your advertisement in …
With regard to your advertisement…
We have heard of your products from…
We are interested in…
Please inform us (let us know) as soon as possible…
We would ask you to let us know…
We would like to have further details about…
We would like to get in touch with…
We look forward to your early reply…
Your prompt answer will be appreciated…
With the help of an offer the Supplier usually answers an enquiry. He thanks for the shown interest and offers price-lists, catalogues or a typical contract. In his letter he answers all the questions of a potential Buyer and gives full description of the goods with photos, pictures or samples. Sometimes an offer is sent without a previous enquiry if the Supplier is eager to attract attention of a client or to find new partners.
Cliches for an offer:
We were pleased to learn your interest in…
We are glad to say that we can reserve you …
As to your enquiry of … we are informing you that…
We enclose our catalogues and the latest price-list…
Our proposal is valid till…
We can give you a 5% discount…
We ask you to discuss our proposal once more and inform us…
We would appreciate if we get the order from you as soon as possible…
We are looking forward to hearing from you soon.
The most common reasons for writing a letter of complaint are: short delivery of goods, delivery of substandard or wrong goods, delays in delivery, misdirection, damages of goods,
manufacturing defects.
In spite of the irritation caused by the problems, it is important to describe the facts as clearly as possible, and offer the right way to solve them.
Cliches for a letter of complaint:
We are writing to complain about…
We want to express our strong dissatisfaction with …
We are disappointed to find that the quality of the equipment (goods) you supplied does not meet the requirements of…
We demand a full refund.
We expect to send us a replacement.
8. Read the letters below and identify the type of each.
A
We thank you for your letter of March 23rd from which we gather that you are interested in our biscuit products.
We have pleasure, therefore, in enclosing our up-to-date price-list for this line. The prices are quoted net, no discounts being granted. You will receive three catalogues under separate cover.
B
We have seen your advertisement in “German Export” and should be glad to receive your bicycle catalogues with price-lists.the prices should be given CIF St.Petersburg. If they are competitive we may be able to place larger orders subsequently.
C
Dear Sirs
Thank you for your delivery of men’s silk shirts, which we ordered on 21th March, 2010. At the same time we would like to draw your attention to the following.
After examination of the shirts we discovered some manufacturing defects: there are oil stains on 12 shirts.
We are returning defective shirts by separate mail, and would ask you to replace them.
Writing
9. Use the proper clichés and compose your own letter of any type.
Unit 2.