Write a business letter

In today’s highly developed and competitive society ,communication between individuals and groups is becoming frequent and important .It serves to pass on information ,to express ideas or to exchange feelings.

Generally speaking ,the function of a business letter is to get or to convey business information ,to make or to accept an offer ,to deal with various businesses .The business letter is the principal means used by a business firm to keep in touch with its customers ;customers from their impression of the firm from the tone and quality of the letters it sends out.

When we write a letter ,we enter into personal relationship with our readers.

Business letters can be classified into two categories :one is the personal business letters ,and the other one is official business letter .The personal business letter includes public relation communication such as ceremonial speeches ,congratulation letter ,letter of thanks ,and invitation like notices ,schedules ,memorandums ,corporate profiles .The official business letter can be inpuires ,offer ,order and so on.

There are some tip of writing important information in the business letters should be remembered first.

1.number:

⑴When we use the number from 0 to 9,we should not just write the number ,but let the word instead.

⑵When the number is above 10,it is usually changed into number.

⑶However ,when it comes to the time ,there is no limit .The same thing happen when we try to introduce date ,contract number ,file number, cheque number and so on.

⑷In the beginning of a sentence ,we should use word but not number.

⑸If there are two or above number in one sentence ,keep the same structre.

⑹If the number is approximate number ,use word ,not number ,for example :Hundreds of people visited our stand during the exhibition .

⑺The whole number and decimal number must be written in the same way .

2.date:

⑴The date written on the letter can not be the day we write the letter ,we can use the day we think

the letter will be sent off.

⑵We used to write the date behind the name in Chinese ,but in English ,especially in business letter ,the date should be put before our name .

⑶The year must like the example 2011 ,but not the 11 for short ,this can be thought very informal. ⑷So as the month ,if we want to show our formal , please use January instead of Jan or 1 in the place of the name of month.

⑸When there is month above , we can use 24th ,or the number should be 24.

⑹In fact ,there are many kinds of ways to show when we want to have a time of several days .For example ,The exhibition will be held 18-25 April ,we can also say :April 18 to 25 ;18 to 25 of April; April 18-April 25.

⑺In America and England ,there can be some small difference .In England ,we say 19 May 2004;however ,Americans usually write May 29 2004.When we decide which way to use ,the manner of the person must be clean.

3.time:

⑴Nowadays ,most people used to read 24 hours time .But if we can not write this ,please add a.m or p.m behind the time to let more people understand .

⑵We use o’clock behind a number to show a point of time .For example :The meeting was appointed for 9:00 o’clock of Monday morning .However , sentence like Filght CZ111 to Shanghai starts boarding on 10:00 hours sometimes appears in the radio.

4.currency:

There are some currency of different country :

US dollar , Canadian dollar ,Australian dollar ,New Zealand dollar ,Singapore dollar ,Yen or Japanese dollar ,Won ,renminbi RMB .

5.address

The address includes two parts ,one is on the envelope ,the other should be written on the head of the letter .When we write the address , must pay attention to the difference of Chinese and English manners ,make sure that the order is correct .

Then ,let we come to the letter itself .

The requirements of writing English business letters can be finished into five points :

1.good command of English

2.konwledge of business theory and practice

3.knowledge of technical terms

4.knowledge of pstchology

5.skills in salesmanship

And writing business letters should keep these guidelines in mind .

1.carity :

the words must be simple ,straight-forward ,

2.conciseness :

try to express in as few words as possible

3.correctness :

there are two meanings :⑴grammar ,punctuation ,spelling should be checked to make sure no wrongs in the letters ;⑵to be honest ,the thing we say in the letter must be checked and make sure that every thing we write is correct .

4.concretness

5.courtesy :

for example ：

Unfortunately we cannot fill your order because you failed to send you check .

We shall be glad to fill your order as soon as we receive your check.

6.Apparently our instructions are not clear ,with the result that the wrong article was shipped.

7.completeness

The layout of a business letter :

There are several acceptable styles for business letter writing

The most popular forms are full block ,indented block ,modified block ,semi-block style with indented paragraphs.

Full block style :every line in the full block begins at the left margin ,and the open style of punctuation has been adopted.

Indented block :the main feature of this style is that each line of the “inside name and address ”should be indented 2-3 spaces ,and the first line of each paragraph should be indented 3-8 spaces.

Modified block :in this style ,paragraphs are not indented .The date and closing are aligned slightly past the center of the page .

Semi-block style with indented paragraphs :this style is similar to the modified block style with one exception :the first sentence of each paragraph is indented 3-6 spaces.

In a business letter ,there can be many parts.

letter head :

The first part is the letterhead or the heading .This part appears in the head of a letter ,including the writer’s name ,address ,telephone number and so on.

Every letter should be dated-never send out a letter without a date ,so the date must be correct . It is unwise to abbreviate the name of the month nor show the date in figures like 10/8/2007 as this may cause some confusion .

The reference number is generally used as a useful indication for filing , so it must be easily seen .It is often placed two lines below the letterhead .

The name and address of the receiver is typed at the left-hand margin at least two lines below the date .It appears exactly the same way as on the envelop ,in single spacing ,with the town in capital letters .When the receiver is a company ,the inside name and address should be written as the following :

The Space Engineering Co.Ltd

32 Rose Street

LONDON

England

When the receiver is an individual in the company ,the person’s name should be preceded by the courtesy title Mr .Miss .Ms .His or her position is given in addition to the company’s address .If the letter is addressed to the company but directed to the attention of an individual ,the inside address is written thus :

ABC Company

150 Silver Street

LONDON

England

A business letter should always begin with Dear .It should be typed two lines below the address and should match the name on the envelop and the address .Whole name should be typed exactly on the envelop and the address ,however ,the whole name should not written .

The subject line comes two lines below the salutation ,beginning at the left margin ,or in the center depending on the style you are suing .The subject line helps the reader to obtain quickly the gist of the letter ,It can begin with or without “Re ”or Subject .

Then ,we begin the body of the letter .

To begin two lines below the subject lines (at least two lines below the salutation if there is no subject line). Single space ,two spaces should be left between each paragraph .It contains the operating of the letter ,and the closing sentence .

There are some example :

1.when replying a letter

Thank you for your letter

Your letter of the 10th August has been received

Many thanks for your letter about………

2.not replying a letter .

A clear ,straightforward sentence should be used to indicate immediately what the letter is about :for example, I have the pleasure to tell you that we have begun a new system of manufacture which we feel may be of interest to you .

When we finish our telling and try to close the letter ,we also should keep the type of simple all the time .There are also some sentences to learn .

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any further infoumation.

If you need further details ,please let us know .

Any other particulars required I should be pleased to give you .

Should there be anything else we can do for you ,please let us know .

Any early reply would be highly appreciated .

Otherwise ,there are some Attentions :

With exception of sales letters , business letters are usually one page long .

Sometimes it is impossible to write the entire letter on one sheet of paper ,the same quality ,size ,color as the first page .

And typed with a second-page heading to show the number of the sheet ,the name of your correspondent ,the date of the letter .

When it is time to write our name ,it is also unfinished .If the letter is signed by one who can write on his own responsibility ,only the personal name and the title required .If it is signed by one who has authority to sign for the organization or department ,the name of company must be signed .A letter should be signed by hand in link ,and followed by the person’s name typed so that the name is legible to the reader .

Special notations are a important part of the business letter writing .If any documedts ,puices lists are sent with a letter ,it is necessary to add enclosure or its abbreviation .Copies of letters are

sometimes given to relevant people who you may have more than one person dealing with sales to a particular customer .Typed two line below the enclosure .If there is no enclosure ,type it two lines below the signature .A postscript is used only as a device to draw the reader’s attention to a point that the write wants to emphasize .Postscripts is a common feature in personal letters ,but tends not to be used so much in business letters .And N.B is used in the body of a letter immediately after the point has been made .When you realize you have forgotten to include sth ,the whole letter should be retyped .

For block and modified block formats ,single space and left justify each paragraph within the body of the letter .Leave a blank line between each paragraph .When writing a business letters ,be careful to remember that conciseness is very important .

In the first paragraph ,consider a friendly opening and then a statement of the main point .The next paragraph should begin justifying the importance of the main point .In the next few paragraphs ,continue justification with background information and supporting details .The closing paragraph should restate the purpose of the letter and ,in some cases ,request some pype of action .

Now ,let us make a list of how to arrange a letter :

1.sender’s name

2.sender’s address

3.sender’s Telephone number

4.date

5.receive’s name

6.receiver’s address

7.subject

8.massage

All in all ,a business letter is a letter written in formal language ,usually used when writing from on business organization to another or for correspondence between such organizations and their customers ,clients and other external parties .The overall style of letter will depend on the relationship between the parties concerned .