商务信件写作格式及方法BusinessLetterWriting

1、Business Letter WritingBusiness Letter layoutI. Basic Layout: Note the position of1. Letterhead2. The dateline3. The opening (inside address)4. The salutation5. The body6. The Closing7. The signature and name8. P.S. (Postscript)There are two styles of composing letters. One is indented style, and th

2、e other is block style. Nowadays, block style is more popular especially in business world. For indented style, you should indented 4 letters at the beginning of each paragraph, and you need not leave space between paragraphs. While for the block style, you need to leave space between paragraphs, bu

3、t you need not indented 4 letters at the beginning. Just write along side.1. LetterheadThe letterhead is also called return address, which is the full address of the writer. It is typed in the upper right- hand corner of the first page. In business world, letterhead is normally printed on the top of

4、 the letter paper in the middle. Thus you need not to write it again. Just write the date. For personal letter, you also need not to write the letterhead.Notes for letterhead:1) You should be aware of the order you write letterhead is just reversed from that in Chinese ,i.e., from the smallest unit

5、to the biggest unit. For example, the number of the room, number of the building, number of the street, city, province and then the country.2. DatesBe careful!In China the 14th April 2003 is written 2003/04/14In England the 14th April 2003 is written 14/4/2003 or 14/04/2003In America the 14th April

6、2003 is written 4/14/2003 or 04/14/2003It is probably safest to write 14th April, 2003 or April 14, 2003 !3. The openingThe opening is also called the inside address, which is the address exactly the same as that on envelope. The opening goes above the salutation on the left, which is always omitted

7、 in pers on al letters. The order of the in side address is the same as the order of letterhead. While in bus in ess world, if you know the receivers n ame and positi on, you should write them before the compa ny n ame and address.4. The salutationThe salutati on is the greeti ng, which goes one or

8、two spaces below the ope ning at the left-hand margin. Usually it is best to say “Dear” you know the name of the receiver, or just“ Dear Sir/Madam ” if you do not know the receiver' s name. Theshould use a comma (,) or nothing. We Chin ese no rmally use a colon (:)After the salutation, while, in

9、 English letter, colon should not be used. It is not correct.In salutation, you still should pay much attention to the title, Mr. for male, Mrs., Miss, Ms. For female. They should be followed by surname, family name. For example, Mr. Brown, Mrs. Brown (husband' s surname), Ms. Smith, Miss White

10、etc.Note: In China, people always address the title of one' position, such as manager, director, and teacher etc. In En glish, however, these are not the address in g. It is not correctly used that you write“ Dear Teacher Zhang ” ,“ Dear Manager Yang ” , andon and so forth.5. The bodyIt is the m

11、ost important part of the letter the content of the letter. It is one or two spacesbellow the salutation. The length of the line should be adjusted to the len gth of the paper. Leave marg ins on either side. The paragraph should be blocked or inden ted, accord ing to the style chose n. Usually it is

12、 sin glespaced for a bus in ess letter. It usually consists of at least two paragraphs even if the second paragraph is nothing more tha n “Tha nks and best wishes to you, ”or someth in g. It contains in troducti on, purpose and con clusi on in the body of the letters.6. The closingIt is the way of s

13、ay ing goodbye. In bus in ess writ ing, it is always the complime ntary clos ing. There are various of words to choose in En glish clos in g. It should match the tone established by the salutatio n and carried through the body of the letter. It is usually two spaces bellow the body of the letter, to

14、gether with the sig nature group.How a letter is closed depends on how it is opened. The closing should match the ope nin g. If you use a comma (,) after the salutati on, you should use a comma after the clos in g. If you use nothing after the salutatio n, you also should use nothing after the clos

15、ing.Dear Sir or Dear MadamDear Sir/MadamYours faithfullyDear Mr. Smith,Yours sin cerely,Dear Mrs. Wan g,Dear Ms. Lee,Yours truly,*Dear RoseDear JackBest wishesWith kind regardsYoursLove (in formal, close frie nds)Cordially yours,7. The signature and nameThe sig nature is the last part of a letter. S

16、kip a line after the clos ing and sig n your n ame in line with the first word of the clos ing. In bus in ess letters, you should sig n your full n ame. Your n ame should be typed also in ano ther line. In order to make the people know how to addressyou when reply, lady writers should list Mrs. Ms.,

17、 Or Miss in pare nthesis after your n ame. However, i n pers on al letters, you can sig n your full n ame, first n ame or nick n ame accord ing to the relati on ship with the receivers.& P. S. (postscript)This should be located at the bottom of the paper. If you are not on purse forget to mentio

18、n something in your letter, you can write P. S. and then just add what you forget.There are some phrases for polite expressi on:I would like to would you like , Would you please I will be grateful if,I am afraid that , Thank you for It was kind of you to have I won der if it is possible that You wer

19、e most thoughtful to Please accept my apology for the delay in sen din Certainly, you have every right to expect better service, and1. InvitationI would very much like to in vite you forWould you please atte ndthe annual conference heldWe will hold a party this weeke nd. We would like to in vite you

20、 to be out guest.On behalf of ,I am exte nding to you our formal in vitati on to visit I have great pleasure, on behalf ofto invite you to attend theonsponsored by held in( place) on (date)/from to Accept the in vitatio n:I accept with my pleasure your kind in vitatio nI would love to atte nd your p

21、arty.I would like to visit youI would be very pleased toRefuse the in vitati onI would very much love to take part in your party, butI am sorry that I will have ano ther meeti ng on that day.It is so pleased to get your in vitatio n, while I will be on bus in ess trip duri ng that period.Sample lett

22、ersRead the samples in the following parts and write your own letter of the same type.1. Letter of invitationCommerce Chamber46 Woodworth Road Lon don EC3 5FGApril 8, 2004Henry Jones51 Grant Ave nueToron to, Ont. Can adaM4C 4C9Dear Mr JonesWe would like to invite you to join us for the annual sales

23、conference and invite you to give a talk at the conference on June 12 The conference will start at 9:00 am.More tha n 500 compa ny directors are expected to atte nd.We would be very grateful if you could inform us whether you will be available on June 12h and tell us the topic of your speech.Yours s

24、in cerelyExercises 1.4.1-1 :The students union will hold a party on this Saturday at 6:00 at the students club. Write an invitation letter to your English Teacher. Then exchange with your partner to check. After that write a reply to accept or refuse2. ComplaintI must compla in about (that)I am not

25、satisfied withI feel someth ing should be done aboutMay 4, 2002Dear Sir/Madam,Further to my telephone call this morning, I would like to write to you for the tape-recorder I bought last month in you shop.I just used it only for a week when it broke. I took it to a local repair shop, they told us tha

26、t it was factory defect and suggested that I take it to your branch company in our town. I waited for more than two weeks, and your company did not send a replaceme nt.I will be grateful if you could replace the machine for me soon.Yours faithfully, James ChristopherExercises1.4.1-2You bought a walk

27、man at duty free shop at the airport. You foundthe machine does not work when you got back home. Write a letter to compla in.3. ApologyI am terribly sorry, butI am afraid II must apologize forDear Customer,I am writ ing to you to expla in the reas ons for the poor service we have give n over the pas

28、t few mon ths. I apologize for the in complete delivery and no replies to the inquiries. I am extremely sorry for all the inconvenience caused by our poor services.The main reasons lie in our working procedures have not kept pace with the expa nsion of our compa ny. First of all, we do not have eno

29、ugh staffs to deal with the deliveries and inq uiries; sec on dly, our warehouse is not large eno ugh to store our goods; thirdly, our computer systems are also not so moder n as to satisfy the n eed of company' s expansion.I promise that orders will surely be delivered promptly and correctly. S

30、ee to it that we have already taken some actions. Now we have already invited more staffs; and we have already rent a warehouse acquired; moreover, we have already invested enough money to improve the computer systems to cope with the pace of the expansion. Accordingly, the poor services as before w

31、ill not appear anymore.Yours faithfully,HenryHenry, the managerExercises1.4.1-3 :Write a reply to show the apology about the walkman mentionedabove, and give your solution of the problem.4. InformationAsking for informationCould you please tell me thatCould you possibly Would it be possible to I wou

32、ld be grateful if you would.Would you mind doing I wonder if you could I am writi ng to you in the hope of / to inq uire about Offering informationIt is my pleasure to.I would like to tell youWe would like to inform you that.Thank you for your inquiry about 5. SuggestionI 'd like to suggest that

33、 May I suggest that Perhaps we could Could you please Sample letterDear Sir/MadamI am organizing a group of students to pay a visit to the historical exhibition in your town. This visit wil l be part of our school's activities to encourage the students totake part in social surveys. Therefore, I

34、 would be grateful if you would supply me with the following information:First of all, what are the opening and closing dates between which the exhibition will be held, and what are the daily opening hour? Secondly, what is the size of the exhibition, what is its theme and what objects are on displa

35、y? Thirdly, are there any other activities being held in connection with the exhibition?I should let you know that I hope to bring over 100 students to the exhibition. So I would like to inquire if there is any discount available on entrance tickets for students. If so, how much is the discount and

36、what is the minimum number of students necessary to qualify for it?I look forward to your reply.Yours sincerely,George MooreGeorge Moore2)Dear Dr. Evans,Thank you for your letter. I was very pleased to hear you will be visiting Beijing and hope the following information will help you to enjoy your s

37、tay.First of all, Beijing is cosmopolitan city with a long history, which is the center of politics, culture and commerce. There are many international quality hotels and restaurants as well as shopping centers, markets and entertainment places.However, I think you would like to see some places that

38、 are unique to my country. I know you are interested in culture and history, so firstly I suggest you visit the Great Wall, it shows the talent of Chinese people. Secondly, the Palace Museum, for it will show you the lives of the royal family of China. And it has a large collection of art and other

39、cultural items. Other interesting places are the Summer Palace, Heaven Temple and millennium monument etc. They will all show you the traditional Chinese cultures.I hope these suggestions will be helpful. As you only have a short time in Beijing, you probably will not be able to do much more sightse

40、eing. But if I can help in any other way, please let me know.Yours sincerely,AmyAmyExercises1.4.1-4:Write to a foreign university to inquire the courses they offer, and show your intention of study there. Then write a reply on be half of the university to offer the information required.6. Congratula

41、tionsI would like to deliver my con gratulati ons to you.I was pleased to hear that you were promoted to be the Gen eral man ager of your compa ny.I was so happy to know thatCon gratulati ons on yourSample letterDear Holly,I was pleased to hear that you have bee n promoted to Gen eral man ager of AC

42、E compa ny. This n ews came as no surprise to me; I always con sider you as a pers on who was going places! I am very happy to see your abilities recognized - I know you will do an excelle nt job in your new positi on.Please accept my sin cere pers onal con gratulati on s. I am so happy for your goo

43、d future.Si ncerely,MaryExercises1.4.1-6Your colleague just give a birth to a baby, write a letter to give your con gratulati ons.7. ThanksThank you for your I appreciate your help Thank you very much for I am grateful forSample letterDear Susa n,Thank you very much for letting me live at your house

44、 while I was in Beijing. I had a great time at the football game.I really enjoyed myself. I hope that you can pay me a visit whe n you come to Guan gzhou soon.Yours,JamesJamesExercises1.4.1-5:O ne of your frie nd bought a book you n eed for you from abroad, write a letter to thank him.8. Application

45、 and repliesFor a jobI am a senior in Beijing University and will be graduated in JulyI am in terested in the job you offeredI learned from the newspaper advertisement that there is a vacancy forI would like to apply . in your company.I should like to apply for the post of which you advertised in ye

46、sterday's China Daily I am an experie n(ed .Thank you for your time and consideration.I look forward to hearing from you and I do hope I shall have the opportunity of an interview.I can come for an interview at any time convenient to you.Reply:I received yourand I am pleased to inform you We wou

47、ld like to offer you the positi on of We were very much interested in your letter applying for Can you come in for an in terview on While we are very much interested in your qualifications, we are afraid that you do not quite meet our current needs.We shall keep your offer on file/in mind when there

48、 is a vacancy /should there be any openings.For entry to a collegeI am writing to ask whether you could send me some information about your college and for the application forms.I am writing to you in the hope that I may obtain an opportunity to do graduate study in your university.I wish to study f

49、or an MBA degree in your school.ReplyThank you for your enquiry aboutWe should be very pleased to welcome you here Sample letterDear Sir/Madam;I learned from the newspaper advertisement that there is a vacancy for an accountant in your company. I wish to be considered as an applicant for the positio

50、n, and beg to state my qualifications as follows:I am 28. I graduated from Beijing University, and my major was finance. I had been working part time in some companies when I was in the university. I am an experienced accountant who has been working as an accountant at IBM company for more than 3 ye

51、ars. My boss there is an America, accordingly, I must communicate with him in English. Therefore, I have very good proficiency and knowledge of English, and I passed CET band 6 when I was in the University.Please check my references. They will tell you I am conscientious and that I have an agreeable

52、 personality and good appearance and that I get along exceedingly well with people. I know that Your company is a large company with good reputation. If I am successful in my application, I shall discharge my duties to the best of my ability.As for the salary, I would like to get $2000 per month in

53、your company.I am looking forward to your earliest reply.Yours faithfully, Chen Xin Chen XinExercises1.4.1-7:Star Company needs a secretary, female, up to 25 with good English and computer knowledge. Write a letter to apply the position.More samples:£1338E. 44th St. Apt.11A New York, NY10017 U.

54、S.A.May 16, 2008 Professor Wang YimingDepartment of English Beijing foreign Studies UniversityBeijing, 100089 People's Republic of ChinaDear Professor Wang,I am interested in teaching English in China. I am qualified to teaching reading, writing and literature. An acquaintance of mine, Mr. Liu Y

55、ongli of your University suggested that I should write to you.Presently, I work as a teaching assistant in X college in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. My background is strong in the liberal arts, especially in the English language. I have a ph. D. degree in linguistics from University of Michigan.E

56、nclosed you will find a copy of resume. Basically, I am interested in position as a foreign language expert or as a teacher.If you have any position available, please allow me to interview with you. Thank you for your time and consideration.Respectfully yours, (Signature) Christine SteinReply:June14

57、, 2008 Dear Ms. Stein,Thank you for your letter of May 16. I must apologize for taking so long in answering, a situation caused by a number of recent conferences.We appreciate your desire to offer your service to our University. From the information you supplied about yourself, there would be no que

58、stion about your qualifications. However, we have only a small quota for foreign teachers, and all our positions for this year and the coming academic year have already been filled.We shall keep your offer on file and inform you, should there be any openings. In the meantime, you might try other colleges here in Beijing or other cities.Thank you once again for your o