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The Style Features of Business English
Letters
Introduction
With
the
rapid
development
of
economy,
our
country
takes
part
in
the
international
trade
frequently.
When
doing
international
business,
although
the
telephone,
telegraph,
and
telex
are
very
useful,
business
letters
are
still
the
most
important communication tool in
business. A polite letter with appropriate
language
can bring business to a
company. On the contrary, a poor letter with wrong
tone may
bring the company negative
impact. Therefore, it
’
s
necessary for us to learn how to
write
business
letters
appropriately,
to
learn
their
language
and
its
style
features,
which will be introduced to you.
Analysis
①
The Structure
of a Business English Letter
The first
impression that a business letter makes depends on
its appearance. Any
business
letter
should
be
clear,
brief
and
businesslike.
It
should
be
written
on
good
paper
of
the
right
size
and
kind,
often
on
white
paper
of
good
quality
in
standard size (usually A4).
Don
’
t write confused,
overlong or letters and try to be
polite, friendly and informal to write
concise and purposeful letters
A
business
English
usually
consists
of
seven
principal
parts
:
letterhead,
date,
inside name
and
address, salutation,
body of the text,
complimentary
close and
signature.
However,
depending
on
different
purpose
and
options,
a
business
English
letter
will
also
contain
some
other
elements,
such
as:
reference
No.,
subject line, identification marks,
enclosure and carbon copy.
a)
Letterhead
When
writing
business
letters,
you
usually
use
the
company
’
s
stationery
with
artistically designed and printed
letterhead which tells the reader where the letter
comes from and gives
readers
’
impression of your
company. A letterhead usually
contains
the following information:
?
The icon of the company
?
The name of the
company
?
The
full address including postcode
?
Telephone
number
?
Fax
number
?
Email
address and internet website
b)
Reference
Number
The
reference
number
is
sometimes
used
in
a
business
letter
as
a
useful
indication for filing. It is often
placed two lines below the letterhead at the left
margin.
It may include
a file number, departmental code or the initials
of the signer of the
letter to be
followed by the typist
’
s
initials in the following examples:
In
an incoming letter: Our ref: 234 JS/mf
In
the reply to the incoming letter: Your ref: 234
JS/mf
Our ref: 123 CT
c)
Dateline
The
dateline
is
used
to
indicate
the
date
when
the
letter
is
written.
Write
the
month in English instead
of Arabic numbers to avoid possible
misunderstanding
or
confusion
caused
by
different
British
and
American
conventions
in
date
writing.
May 25(
th
),
2010
—
American form
25(
th
) May,
2010
—
British form
The
dateline
is
typed
two
lines
below
the
letterhead
or
the
reference
number
either
at
the
left
or
across
the
center
slightly
to
the
right
depending
on
the
different
letter styles.
d)
Inside Name
and Address
The inside address is the
recipient
’
s address. No
matter which format is using, it
should
be typed flush with
the left
margin
at
least
two lines below the date.
It
appears exactly the same way as on the
envelope.
It is always best to write to
a specific individual in the company to which you
are
writing. The
person
’
s name should be
preceded by the courtesy
title
—
Mr., Mrs.,
Miss or Ms.
e)
Salutation
The salutation is the polite greeting
with which the writer begins his letter. The
particular form used depends upon the
writer
’
s relationship with
the receiver.
Whatever letter form is
used, the salutation always appears on a line by
itself at
left margin, conventionally
three line-spacing below the inside name and
address,
and two line-spacing ahead of
the next element of a letter, either subject or
body
of the text.
f)
Subject Line
A
subject
line
identifies
the
subject
of
the
letter
and
tells
the
reader
what
the
letter is about. It is
also useful as a guide for filing. It comes two
lines below the
salutation,
either
beginning
at
the
left
margin
or
in
the
centre,
depending
on
which
style
you
are
using.
The
subject
line
can
begin
with
or
without
the
introductory word, such as
“
Re
”
,
“
Subject
”
< br>, which is usually followed by a colon.
e.g.
Re: L/C
MODIFICATION
Re: Our Contract No. 123
Subject: Order No. 678 of Shirts
Orientation Training Arrangement
g)
Body of the Text
This part
is the core of a letter. It conveys the actual
message of a letter. It should
begin
two lines below the subject or two lines below the
salutation if there is no
subject line.
For full block and modified block formats, each
paragraph begins at
the left margin and
one blank line is left between paragraphs. For
semi-block, the
first line of each
paragraph is indented five spaces and one blank
line between
paragraphs is optional.
h)
Complimentary Close
The
complimentary close is
a polite way of
ending a letter.
It
is
placed two to
four lines
below the last line of the body of the text. No
matter it is placed at the
left
or
at
the
right
depending
on
the
different
styles,
it
should
be
lined
up
vertically
with
the
dateline.
The
most
commonly
used
sets
of
salutation
and
complimentary close are show as
follows:
Salutation
Complimentary Close
Comment
Dear Sir(s):
Yours
faithfully,
Formal
Dear
Madam:
Faithfully yours,
(British way)
Dear Mesdames:
Dear Sir(s):
Yours truly,
Formal
Dear Madam:
Truly yours,
(American way)
Dear Mesdames:
Dear Mr.
Smith:
Yours sincerely,
Informal
Dear John:
Sincerely yours,
(Generally
used when
Dear John Smith:
person
’
s name is
used)
i)
Signature
The signature
block contains handwritten name and typed name.
All letters must
be
signed.
Unsigned
letters
have
no
authority.
It
is
customary
to
leave
enough
space-at least three blank lines-
between the complimentary close and the typed
name for signing by hand and in ink
after the letter printed out.
j)
Identification
Marks
Identification marks are used for
administrative purpose in the office where the
letter originated. They are made up of
the initials of the signer and those of the
secretary or typist. They are typed two
lines below the typed signature and flush
with the left margin. e.g.
JS/mf
JS: mf
Do not use the identification marks if
the signer or the writer typed the letter by
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