A business letter

Mr. A. Green,

Manager,

Co. British Telecom,

109 Kingsway sty, London,

126783 UK.

4 February 2002

Dear Mr. Green,

We would like to inform you that Mr. Petrov is arriving in Little Rock on the 14^th February to begin talks with you.

Please make the necessary hotel reservation for him and let us know the name of hotel.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Yours faithfully, Mr. Ivanov.

A REPLY

Mr. Ivanov,

Manager,

Co. Mobile Tele Systems

14 Peace st, Moscow,

456321 Russia,

5 February 2002

Dear Mr. Ivanov,

We regret to inform you that we cannot reserve the hotel accommodation for Mr. Petrov for the week of the 14^th February. Our three hotels are completely booked up for the week. They have no rooms available because the National Word Processors Association will be holding their convention in Little Rock during the week of the 14^th February. As you will surely understand they have to reserve as many rooms as possible for the members of the Association.

We propose to postpone your visit for a week. We can safely book a room for Mr. Petrov for the 21^st February. We hope this will suit you and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully, Mr. Green.

Business letters concern us in our daily living, especially those of us who live abroad and deal with foreigners.

People write business letters in many situations: concluding contracts, booking a seat in an airplane, reserving hotel accommodation, booking theatre tickets, writing order - letters, letters of inquiry and claim letters (letters of complaint) covering letters, letters of confirmation, letters of guarantee. A business letter, like a friendly or social letter, should make a favorable impression. In order that a letter may create this impression, it should be neatly written or typed, properly spaced on the page and correctly folded in the envelope.

The parts of a business letter. The basic outline for a business letter is that of any letter: the heading, the inside address, the salutation, the body of the letter, the complimentary close and the signature. If you forget something you mean to say in the letter, put it in a PS at the bottom of the page.

Topical Vocabulary

developmenl of industry - paзвитие промышленности volume - объем

a great volume of business - большой объем дел

to speed - ускорять

to speed transactions -ускорять дело

to run up expenses - увеличивать расходы

to a great extent -в значительной степени

to concern -касаться

letter - письмо, буква

order-letter -письмо-заказ inquiry letter -письмо-запрос claim letter -письмо-жалоба covering letter -сопроводительное письмо letter of confirmation -письмо подтверждение

letter of guarantee -гарантийное письмо to type -печатать на машине to space -размещать to fold – сгибать

envelope - конверт

heating - заголовок

inside -адрес получателя

salutation -приветствие

Answer the questions:

1. What are the rules of writing letters?

2. What is the letter begin with?

3. What is he address end with?

4. What words is the letter end by?

5. What kinds of letters do you know?

8 Etiquette

We live in the society and have to deal with other people all the time. That is why it is neces­sary to remember about it every day. Not every person is easy to get along because each of us has his own interests and manners. To make every­body comfortable there exist special rules of be­haviour for every person. These rules are called etiquette.

The idea of such rules goes back to the times when people began to live in groups and under­stood that it was better to get along with one an­other than to quarrel or fight. The first rules for proper social behaviour were developed in an­cient Greece and Rome. Much of today's formal etiquette is originated in the French royal courts in the late seventeenth century. For example shaking hands is one of earliest forms of etiquette. Giving somebody his hand a warrior wanted to show that he didn't have any weapons and came in peace.

Today many of us worry about etiquette: we need to know what to say and how to behave in a particular situation. Our language and our manners must be appropriate to the situation.

Each culture has its own system of etiquette and they are sometimes very different. Behaviour that is proper in one culture may be improper in another one.

The basic rules of introducing people in Eng­lish-speaking countries are:

• a man is introduced to a woman;

• a young person is introduced to an older per­son;

- a less important person is introduced to a more important person.

The purpose of greeting in all languages is the same: to establish a contact with another person and show friendliness. It is very important to use the correct form of greeting. "Hello" is the univer­sal form and is acceptable in any situation except a very formal introduction.

When British people talk to each other for the first time it is usually considered impolite to ask personal questions such as "How old are you?" or" Are you married?". It is not polite to ask people how much they earn or how much their flat, house or clothes cost. It is better to wait for the person to tell you about it.

Very often it is difficult to stop a conversation and leave a party. Usually people do not stop talking to say good-bye and leave unexpectedly. It is quite normal to say some time before you leave that you are going to do so. If you want to leave a large party early, you should find your host and say good-bye without attracting more attention to your going away.

Speaking about table manners we must say that they are not very strict in Britain, but it is con­sidered rude to eat or to drink noisily. At formal meals the cutlery is placed in the order in which it will be used. The dessert fork or the spoon is laid at the top of your place setting. After each course the knife and the fork should be laid side by side in the middle of the plate. This shows that you have finished and the plate can be removed.

If you want to behave mannerly at table you should follow some simple rules. Here they are:

• Keep your mouth closed when you eat.

• Use a knife and a fork. Hold them correctly.

• Don't take bread with a fork.

• Don't read at the table when you eat.

• Keep your elbows off the table.

• Don't say you don^’t like food.

It is considered impolite to smoke between courses unless your host says otherwise. It is polite to ask for the permission before you smoke in other people's homes. Today in Britain smoking is forbidden in many public places: on the under­ground, on stations, in shops and in cinemas.

It is important and necessary to learn to be a good speaker and an attentive listener because if a person speaks well and listens well, he can explain the facts in a simple way. A good listener under­stands the people better, makes friends and mixes with the surrounding people easily. People under­stand a good speaker better and more willingly be­come friendly. So the majority of people want to learn to be a good speaker and an attentive listener. There are some rules for them to follow and we must always keep them when we talk or listen.

1. Look at the people whom you are talking to.

2. Don't play with the pencils, erasers or other things when you speak. Keep your hands down. Stand naturally and still.

3. Speak correctly, clearly, distinctly and loud enough. Don't talk too loud.

4. Speak in a pleasant, calm, quiet, polite voice; make your voice friendly and cheerful.

5. Talk about the things that will interest every­ one.

6. Don't speak too long or too much, or all the time. Take turns.

7 Don't interrupt the people when they are talking. Say "Excuse me", "Pardon me", I’m sorry".

8 Be polite. Don't say anything that can hurt the feelings of someone present.

9 Keep to the topic. Tell the things in the right order. Speak about the things that happened first, then about the things that happened next.

10 Be attentive when you listen to a speaker and follow his or her story.

11 Show your interest in what other people say,

12 Remember that you listen not only with your ears but with your mind.

Topical Vocabulary

to get along - ладить, находиться в хороших отношениях

to quarrel -ссориться

behaviour – поведение

to quarrel or fight – ссориться или драться

to originate – возникать

shaking hands – пожатие рук

warrior - воин

to come in peace - приходить с миром

to be appropriate to the situation – соответствовать ситуации

strict - строгий

acceptable - приемлемый

table manners - правила поведения за столом

side by side - рядом

^{to keep elbows off the table - не класть локти на стол}

unless – если не

otherwise – по другому, иначе

smoking is forbidden – курение запрещено

to explain in a simple way - объяснить просто (доступно)

to mix with people - сходиться с людьми

to take turns - соблюдать очередность

to hurt the feelings - оскорблять чувства

to keep to the topic-придерживаться темы.

Answer the questions:

1. Where were the first rules for proper social behaviour developed?

2. What are the basic rules of introducing people in Eng­lish-speaking countries?

3. What is the univer­sal form of greeting?

4. What are the basic rules of communication?

5. Are you a good speaker or a good listener?