外贸函电__Unit_1_layout_of_Business_Letter

1、1 山东财经大学国际经贸学院山东财经大学国际经贸学院戚建梅戚建梅 Email：qi_2Unit 1 Layout of Business Letter书信格式书信格式nThe Structure of a Business English LetternThe Layout of a Business English LetternWriting Principles of business Letters 7 “Cs”3The Structure of a Business English Letter （英文书信的结构）（英文书信的结构） 1、 Letterhead (信头信头) 2、 R

2、eference and Date (日期日期) 3、 Inside Name and Address(封内地址封内地址/收信人地址收信人地址 ) 4、 Attention Line （经由经由.） 5、Salutation (称呼称呼) 6、Subject line（事由）（事由） 7、Body of letter (正文正文) 8、The complimentary Close (客套的结束语客套的结束语 ) 9、 The signature (签名签名) 10、Enclosure Notation (附件说明附件说明 ) 11、Carbon copy notation (抄送抄送) 12

3、、Postscript (附言附言)4（一）（一）Letterhead (信头信头)1、 Contents of letterhead Companys name; address; postcode; telephone number; telex number; fax number; e-mail address website; Possibly the name of the chief executive, slogan of a company2、Two functions of letterhead：1）to identify where the letter comes fr

4、om2）to form ones impression of the writers company53、Specimen letterheadthe printed letterhead is printed in the center or the left margin at the top of the page.nThe Eastern seaboard Corporation 324 Park Avenue New York Tel:225-7820 Telex: 222711nThe Eastern seaboard Corporation 324 Park Avenue New

5、 York Tel:225-7820 Telex: 2227116（二）（二） Reference and Date (日期日期) 1、 Functions of date：To record when the letter was written and serve as important reference2 、Ways of writing date August 3, 2012-American form 3rd August,2012-British formIt is unwise to abbreviate the name of the month or show the d

6、ate in figure like 3/8/20123、Position of dateThe date is usually placed two lines below the last line of the letterhead ，at left margin for full block style or ending with the right margin for indented style. 7Reference:The reference is generally used as a useful indication for filing.It is often pl

7、aced two lines below the letterhead.Your ref: Our ref:8（三）（三） Inside Name and Address(封内地址封内地址/收信收信人地址人地址 ) 1、Contents of inside Name and address Name; address; zip code2、Types of Inside Name and Address1)The receiver is a company: The Acme Shoe Co.Ltd. 369 Piccadilly London UK92)The receiver is an

8、individual in a company: Mr. Sarah Davis Sales Manager The Acme Shoe Co.Ltd. 369 Piccadilly London UKMr.先生 Mrs.夫人 miss 小姐 Ms.女士10（四）（四） Attention Line （经由）（经由） An “attention line” is considered a part of the inside name and address and it leads to the letter to a particular person or department when

9、 the letter is addressed to a company.n Richard Thomas & Baldwins Ltd., 151 Gower Street London,SC7 6DY,England Attention Mr.Cave or Attention of Purchasing Manager 11（五）（五） The Salutation1）The salutation is the polite greeting with which the writer begins or opens his letter.2）Dear sir , Dear M

10、adam, Dear sirs,Dear Mesdames, Gentlemen(不能用单数),Dear Mr.xxxnIf the letter is addressed to an individual, It is usual to use: Dear sir , Dear Madam, Dear Mr. Smith, Dear Ms. John, Dear Prof. Hobart, Dear Dr. Walter.nWhen addressing a letter to a firm, Dear Sirs, Ladies and gentlemen , Gentlemen (Amer

11、ican English ) would be used.nThe trend is towards Ms. as the courtesy title for all women regardless of their marital status.12（六）（六） Subject Line（事由）（事由）1、Function of Subject Line ：To help the reader to obtain the gist of the letter quickly2、Position of Subject Line ：It comes two lines below the s

12、alutation, either beginning at the left margin or in the centre, depending on which style you are using.3、Content of Subject Line Name of commodity; quantity; number of L/C ; Number of S/C（1）Re：Sewing Machines（2）Subject：Our contract No.2345. Your L/C No.345 （3） Sewing Machines13（七）（七） Body of the Le

13、tter1、Position of body of the letter The body of the letter should begin two lines below the subject line, if there is one, at least two lines below the salutation if there is no subject line.2、Contents of body of the letter P171）the opening sentence -the first paragraph2）the actual message of the l

14、etter-paragraph two, three3）the closing sentence-the last paragraph14The opening sentence Thank you for your letter 25 GW/gp of September 19Your letter of the 10th, August has been received with thanks.In reply to your letter of July 2.With great delight I learn that.I have the pleasure to tell you

15、thatThe closing sentenceWe look forward to hearing from you soon.Please do not hesitate to contract us if you require any further information.We would be grateful if you could send us this information as soon as possible.15（八）（八） Complimentary Close客套的结束语客套的结束语The Complimentary Close is merely a pol

16、ite way of ending a letter.eg:Yours faithfully,or Faithfully yours,Truly yours,or Yours truly,Yours sincerely or Sincerely yours (informal)16（九）（九） The Signature1、All letters must be signed. Unsigned letter has no authority.2、a letter should be signed by hand , and in ink, and followed by the person

17、s name typed.neg:nYours faithfully, The Overseas Co.Ltd. (signature) W.Black President (job title or position)17（十）（十） Enclosure(附件说明附件说明 )If any documents, catalogues, price list, etc. are sent with a letter, it is necessary to add “enclosure” or its abbreviation “Enc”.eg:Enc: 2 InvoicesEncls: 1 B/

18、L 1 Photo 1 Certificate 18（十一）（十一） The Carbon Copy Notation(抄送抄送)When copies of letters are sent to others, type CC to xxx” or “CC xxx” below any enclosure at the left margin.（十二）（十二） Postscript（附言）（附言）A postscript is used as a device to draw the readers attention to a point which the writer wants t

19、o emphasize.Dont use a postscript if you forget to mention a point in the body of the letter.eg:P.S. I am going to see you at the Chinese Export Corporation. 19The layout of a Business Letter书信格式书信格式1、Basic format of a business letter 1） Letterhead (信头) 2）Reference (参考号) Date (参考号和日期) 3）Inside Name

20、and Address (收信人的地址/封内地址 ) 4）Salutation (称呼) 5）Subject line（事由） 6) Body (正文) 7） Complimentary Close (客套的结束语 ) 8） Signature (签名) 10）Enclosure Notation (附件说明 ) 11) Carbon copy notation (抄送) 12) Postscript (附言)202. Letter styles 书信格式书信格式1）Full Block style完全平头式完全平头式 Every line in the full block style be

21、gins at the left margin, and the open style of punctuation has been adopted.nIt is the most popular practice of displaying business letters.Its remarkable feature is that all typing lines, including those for the date, Inside name and address, salutation, subject heading, each message paragraph and

22、complimentary close, begin at the left-hand margin.nBusiness letters with the full block form, along with open punctuation . The end of the date line, the inside address lines, the salutation, the complimentary close and the signature lines are unpunctuated, but a comma is necessary between the day

23、and year in the date line and the full stop is retained after the abbreviation such as company, Inc. and Ltd.21nCHINA NATIONAL IMP. & EXP CORP nAdd: 6, JIANGGUAODAJIE, BEIJING , CHINATel: (86-10) 67483650Fax: (86-10) 67483651nRef. GEC 9667n4 February 1998nResunic Trade LinksRegd Office Thriuvamk

24、ulam Cochin 678201Kerata India nDear sirs nWe now have pleasure in receiving your letter dated 23th .nYours sincerelynJ. K. DRAWProject ManagernEncl. As stated222）Indented style 缩行式缩行式 Indented style is the traditional British practice.The main feature in this style is that each line of the “inside

25、name and address”, should be indented 2-3 spaces, and the first line of each paragraph should be 38 spaces.23 China National Light Industrial Products Import & Export Corporation 82 Tung An Men Street Beijing,China January 30,2000 The Pakistan Trading Company15 Broad Street Karachi,Pakistan Dear

26、 Sirs, We thank you for your letter of January 10 and shall be glad to enter into business relations with your firm. As you know,it is our policy to trade with the people of all countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. Your early reply will be highly appreciated. Yours faithfully Marlo

27、neManager Director(Signature) Encl. 243.Addressing the envelope信封写法nLi Mingxin （sender）nDept. of English stampnBeijing Foreign Studies Univ.nBeijing,100081nChina Prof. Richard Miller（receiver） 502 North Olive Avenue West Palm Beach, Florida 33402 U.S.A.2526 Writing Principles of business Letters 7 “

28、Cs” 1)Courtesy 礼貌礼貌 Courtesy means to show tactfully in your letters the honest friendship, thoughtful appreciation, sincere politeness, considerate understanding and heartfelt respect.Answer letters in good time and write to explain why if you fail to do it promptly.eg:A : We are sorry that you mis

29、understood us.B : We are sorry that we didnt make ourselves clear.27Please change tone of sentences:(1)Tell me more detailed information on your requirements.nWill you tell us more detailed information on your requirements?nWould you tell us more detailed information on your requirements?(2) We cann

30、ot deliver the goods all at one time. Im afraid We cannot deliver the goods all at one time.（3）You ought to have accepted the offer.It seems to us that you ought to have accepted the offer.28 2) Consideration 体谅体谅 Try to put yourself in his or her place to give consideration to his or her wishes , d

31、emands, interests and difficulties.neg： (1)Sometimes it is a help to use you-attitude instead of I-attituden A : We allow 2 percent discount for cash payment. We wont be able to send you the brochure this month.”nB : “You earn 2 percent discount when you pay cash. We will send you the brochure next

32、month. ”29(2)Try to discuss problems in a positive way and avoid discussing problems in a negative way.nA : We close at 5 p.m.nB : We are open till 5 p.m.nA : We have received your complaint about the late arrival of .nB : Thank you for calling our attention to the late arrival of .30 3) Completenes

33、s 完整完整nA successful business letter must contains all the necessary information to the readers and answers all the questions and requirements put forward by the readers.nIncompleteness will lead to the counterparts unfavorable impression toward your firm.nIn order to verify the completeness of what

34、you write, five “Ws” and one “h” should be used. Who what when where why how 314) Clarity/Clearness 清楚清楚Clarity is to make sure that what you write is so clear that it cant be misunderstood.(1)Pay more attention to choosing the concise and accessible expressions and trying to avoid the words and sen

35、tences equivocal meaning.eg:As to the steamers sailing from Hong Kong to San Francisco, we have bimonthly direct services.1.We have two direct sailings every month from Hong Kong to San Francisco.2.We have direct sailing every two months from Hong Kong to San Francisco.32（2） Pay more attention to th

36、e position of the modifier.the same modifier will lead to different implication and function when it is put in different position of the sentence.eg:We shall be able to supply 10 cases of the item only. Only modify the item We shall be able to supply only 10 cases of the item. Only modify 10 cases （

37、3）pay more attention to the logicality of the full text.eg：1.We sent you 5 samples yesterday of the goods which you requested in your letter of May 20 by air.2.We sent you, by air, 5 samples of the goods which you requested in your letter of May 20.335)Conciseness 简洁简洁Conciseness means complete mess

38、age but briefest expression with no sacrificing clarity or courtesy.A good business letter should be precise and to the point.(1)Avoid Wordiness Enclosed herewith-enclosedat this time-nowdue to the fact that-becausea draft in the amount of $1000-a draft for $1000 in the event that - if in the matter

39、 of - about 34(2)Avoid unusual words and out-of-date commercial jargon and try to express your idea in modern Englishdeem -think take into consideration - consider ult. -last month utilize -usethis is to inform you of. -we are pleased to tell you (3)Avoid unnecessary repeateg:We have begun to export our machines to the foreign countries.We have begun to export our machines.(4) Control the number of the words, and build effective sentences and paragraphs.Generally speaking, the average length for sentences should be 10 to