Structure and Style of Business Writing

1. Structure and Style of Business Writing The first impression a business letter makes often determines whether the letter will be read and the reader’s reaction to the letter, so business letter writers must, in addition to composing well-written sentences and paragraphs, communicate their thoughts in efficient, appropriate letter form.

2. Letter Structures and Placement 1.Letterhead（信头） 2. Date（日期） 3. Inside Address（信内地址） 4. Attention Line（指明收信人） 5. Salutation（称呼） 6. Subject Line（事由） 7. Body（正文） 8. Complimentary Close（结尾敬词） 9. Signature（签名） 10. Reference Initials（打字员姓名缩写） 11. Enclosure（附件） 12. Copy Notation（抄送） • Broadly speaking, business letters are usually composed of the following twelve elements:

3. Sample Analysis TECHNICAL 1606 Fifth Avenue ESICNS, Seattle WA 99454- NC. 201626-3150 July 30, 2005 Pacific Resources, Inc. 1160 Bishop Street Honolulu, HI99813 Attention Ms. Alicia Chavez, Ladies and Gentlemen SUBJECT: OFFICE LETTER STYLE Letterhead Date Inside Address Attention line Salutation Subject Line

4. Our office prefers the block letter style, as shown in this letter… Sincerely yours TECHNICAL DESIGNS, INC. Eric Mann Eric Mann, Consultant Community Services Department EM: mef Enc. Intra-company stationery and memorandum forms CC: Ms. Laura Shulte Mr. Andrew Farmer Body Complimentary Close Organization Name Signature Author Title Department Reference Initials Enclosure Copy Notation

5. Among these twelve elements, letterhead, date, inside address, salutation, the body, the complementary close and thesignature are necessary for a business letter, while the others are optional. 1. Letterhead • The name of the firm • Its address and postal codes • Telephone number • Fax number • Internet address • E-mail address • Telegraphic and telex address • A trademark or a brief slogan, etc.

6. For example: The name of the firm address and postal codes Telephone number EASTERN TEXTILES IMP. & EXP. CO., LTD. 12389 Changchun Road, Dalian, China Tel: 0411-86606811 Fax: 0411-86507631 Http://will.nease.ne E-mail: bcxbcx@411cn.com Fax number Internet address E-mail address

7. If a second page is needed for the body of the letter, a second-page heading is necessary. It may be written in the following five formats: EASTERN TEXTILES IMP. & EXP. CO., LTD. -2-April l6,2005 Mr. Rose April 16, 2005, Page 2 Mr. Rose April 16, 2005 Page 2 -Page 2- EASTERN TEXTILES IMP. & EXP. CO., LTD., April 16, 2005 EASTERN TEXTILES IMP. & EXP. CO., LTD. -2- April 16, 2005

8. 2. Date The common formats are typical American one: Month/Day/Year British one : Day/Month/Year For Example April 1, 2006 1st. April, 2006

9. 3. Inside Address It is the address of the organization receiving the letter. For Example Oregon Institute of Legal Studies 18002 South Molalia Avenue Oregon City, OR 97045

10. 4. Attention Line If you send your message officially to an organization, an attention line allows you to send it directly to a specific individual, officer, or department. However, if you know an individual's complete name, it is always better to use it as the first line of the inside address and avoid an attention line. For Example Attention Ms. Alice Smith

11. 5. Salutation

12. 6. Subject Line A subject line helps identify the subject of the letter. For example SUBJECT: OFFICE LETTER STYLE

13. 7. Body This is the actual message of a letter. Most business letters are single-spaced with double line spacing between paragraphs. Very short messages may be double-spaced with indented paragraphs. 8. Complimentary Close Very truly yours Sincerely yours Cordially yours

14. 9. Signature 1) Organization Name:If an organization name is used after the complimentary close, the name should be typed entirely in capitals two lines below the complimentary close. 2) Author, Title, and Department:The author of the letter needs space to sign his or her name; therefore, three blank lines should be left above the typed name of the author. If short, the author's title or department may appear on the same line as the author's name. If long, it should be typed immediately below the author's name.

15. 10. Reference Initials EM: mef1 11. Enclosure (or Attachment) Enclosure/Attachment Enc./At. Enclosure: Copy of Invoice 6309 12. Copy Notation Carbon copy: CC, cc, Cc, Xerox copy:XC Photo copy:PC Copy: C

16. Style of Business Letters You should be familiar with at least four business letter styles: Block, Modified Block, Simplified and Indented. 1. Block Style (齐头式) LETTERHEAD _________________（日期） ————————— （封内地址） ———————— （称呼） ———————— （事由） —————————————————— —————————————— （信文） —————————— （结尾及签名）

17. 2. Modified Block Style（改良齐头式） LETTERHEAD ————（日期） ———————————— （封内地址） ———————————— （称呼） ———————————— （事由） ———————————————————————————————— （信文） （结尾敬词及签名） —————— —————— —————— —————— （附件、付本、付言）

18. 3. Simplified Style（简化式） LETTERHEAD ————（日期） ———————————— （封内地址） ———————————— （事由） ———————————————————————————————— （信文） ——————（签名）

19. 4. Indented Style LETTERHEAD ________（日期） ———————————— ___________________ （封内地址） —————— （称呼） ———————————— （事由） ———————————————————————————————— （信文） （结尾敬词及签名） —————— —————— —————— —————— （附件、付本、付言）

20. Envelop Addressing Envelop addressing calls for accuracy, legibility and good appearance. 1. The Indented Form China National Machinery Import & Export Corp. | 36, Jianshan Road Beijing, 100008 People's Republic of China P & G Company 24 Madison Avenue Columbus, OH 43004 U.S.A. Stamp

21. 2. The Blocked Form China National Machinery Import & Export Corp. | 36, Jianshan Road Beijing, 100008 People's Republic of China P & G Company 24 Madison Avenue Columbus, OH 43004 U.S.A. Stamp

22. Sample 2 Modified block style Mrs. Janet Miller Aimes Advertising Agency 115 North Lakemoru Avenue Winter Park, FL 32792 August 2, 2004 Dear Mrs. Miller: According to the purchase contract dated May 10, 2004 the goods should have been delivered by July 30, 2004 at the latest. Unfortunately, we have not yet received the shipment, nor have we received any notice of shipment. As we need the goods urgently, we will set another 30 days as deadline for delivery. If you do not deliver by this time, we must cancel this order.

23. Mrs. MillerAugust 2, 2004, Page 2 Look forward to your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely yours, (Signature) Gary P. Williams Vice President and Manager mef C Andrew Tilley

24. Sample 3 Simplified style DATATECH International, Inc. 4038 Candlewood Drive Lakewood, California 90711 Telephonic; (213) 9259021 February 12, 2005 Clara J. Smith Office Occupations Department North Seattle Co., Ltd 9600 College Way North Seattle, WA 98103--3599 We enclose our figures of sales in your product during the past three months. You will see that our sales of the special line are quite disappointing. We requested your urgent shipment of this product which you accepted. However, five weeks went by be­fore the goods arrived instead of three weeks and we lost a won­derful opportunity of sales. (Signature) ELIZABETH R. ST. JAMES, MANAGER, CUSTOMER RELATIONS Mef

25. Sample4Indented style China National Light Industrial Products Import & Export Corporation 82 Dongdan Street Beijing, China January 30, 2005 OurRef.No.... YourRef.No.… The Pakistan Trading Company 15 Broad Street Karachi, Pakistan Dear Sirs: Re: Chinese Light Industrial Products

26. China National Light Industrial Products Import & Export Corpora. -2-April l6,2005 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, Marlone Managing Director (Signature) Encl.

27. Exercises • I. Write a letter and address an envelope according to the following information. a. Writer's name: Dove Trading Co. Ltd b. Writer's address: 283 Red House Street, Dalian, 116000, P.R. China c. Date: May 5, 2010 d. Receiver's name: Deep Blue Food Company e. Receiver's address: 23 Swan Lake Road, Liverpool, Britain f. Subject: Golden Fish Sweets g. The message:

28. We thank you for your letter dated April 20, inquiring about the captioned goods. • The enclosed catalogue contains details of the different standards of Golden Fish Sweets and will enable you to make a suitable choice. • We are looking forward to your early reply.

29. 283 Red House Street, Dalian, 116000, P.R. China May 5, 2005 23 Swan Lake Road, Liverpool, Britain Deep Blue Food Company Ladies and Gentleman: SUBJECT: GOLDEN FISH SWEETS We thank you for your letter dated April 20, inquiring about the captioned goods. The enclosed catalogue contains details of the different standards of Golden Fish Sweets and will enable you to make a suitable choice. We are looking forward to your early reply. Sincerely yours Dove Trading Co. Ltd Enc: cc: