Practice of Writing Business Letters. Учебное пособие

Preliminary Task 1

1.Join the two halves of these sentences so that they make good sense.

2.Rewrite sentences using the words below. The first sentence is an example.

1.First we will check our inventory and then let you know our delivery date.

After After we have checked our inventory we will let you know our delivery date

2.Please send us another copy of your check and we will pay it at once.

If ---------------------------------------------------------------------

3.Your letter was delayed in the post and we have not been able to process your order yet.

Because -------------------------------------------------------------------

4.Please inform us of your telex number and we will be able to reply to your queries at once.

So that --------------------------------------------------------------------

The opening salutation is never followed by an exclamation mark. In Great Britain the opening salutation is followed by a comma.

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(Dear Sir,) in the USA it is followed by a colon (Dear Sir: ). If you know your correspondent well, you must begin with “Dear Mr. Black” or “Dear Miss Well” and end with complimentary close as “Yours sincerely”. If you do not know your correspondent well, you must begin with “Dear Sir”, “Dear Madam” and end with “yours faithfully”. If you write to a partnership, the correct form of salutation will be “Dear Sirs” and complimentary close should be “yours faithfully”. “Dear Madam” refers to the case when the writer of the letter is not sure, if the lady is married or unmarried. “Dear Mrs. Black” refers to married woman. Thus the complimentary close should match the opening salutation. See the table, which is shown below.

Preliminary Task 2

Choose the correct answer

1.The closing phrases in letters addressed to friends and relatives

1.Yours faithfully

2.Yours sincerely

3.Yours truly

2.The closing phrases in letters addressed to colleagues

1.Yours respectfully

2.Very truly yours

3.Yours sincerely

3.The closing phrases in letters addressed to the institutions, firms etc

1.Yours sincerely

2.Yours faithfully

3.Yours affectionately

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4.A partnership can be addressed:

1.the secretary

2.Messrs.

3.Partners

5.“Best wishes” is the right way to make a complimentary close to a letter beginning with a salutation.

1.Dear Sir

2.Dear Madam

3.Dear Marlene

4.Dear Mr. Williams

Preliminary Task 3

Look at the letters and decide what is wrong with each one; underline any mistakes after reading “golden rules”.

We have seen your advertisement in the latest journal and would be grateful if you could kindly send us samples of your materials. Please quote us your best prices. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully.

Rewrite the correct letter.

There are number of queries that I would like to raise about your products and I would be grateful if you could ask a representative to get in touch with me with a view to discussing these queries and hopefully placing an order if the queries are satisfactorily answered.

Decide what is wrong with the letter and write the correct one.

Thank you very much for your letter of 15th January, which we have received today. In reply to your enquiry we have pleasure in enclosing the necessary information concerning the latest model of equipment as well as the current price-list. If you would like

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any further information, do please contact me by phone or in writing and I will be pleased to help. I hope that our services will be of interest to you and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely.

What is incorrect? Write the correct variant.

Thank you very much for your letter of 15th January, which we have received today.

In reply to your enquiry we have pleasure in enclosing the necessary information concerning the latest model of equipment as well as the current price list.

If you would like any further information, do please contact me by phone or in writing and I will be pleased to help.

I hope that our services will be of interest to you and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely.

There are different expressions, which are used to confirm receipt of letters, references to dates are given in the letter itself.

Preliminary Task 4

Choose expressions corresponding to two groups of them respectfully.

It is desirable that you should learn and remember some Russian word-combinations such as:

От сегодняшнего числа – of today’s date

От вчерашнего числа – of yesterday’s date От того же числа – of the same date

See examples:

Our telegram of today’s date… Our letter of yesterday’s date … Our cable of the same date.

Preliminary Task 5

Insert the appropriate prepositions if necessary.

1.We have received your letter … the 16th. … October.

2.Our letter dated … the 5th May was sent by airmail.

3.We acknowledge receipt … your letter … the 15th … June …, which we thank you.

4.Please inform us … your decision immediately.

5.We will write … you… this matter … a few days.

6.We are obliged … your letter … yesterday’s date … which you sent us your catalogue … compressors.

7.We will inform … you … receipt … your catalogue.

8.Our letter … the 15th … May was sent … reply … your cable … the same date.

1) of 2) - 3) in 4) at 5) to 6) on 7) about 8) for 9) upon

Translate the above sentences into Russian.

Translate the following sentences from Russian into English.

1.Мы получили Ваше письмо, датированное 28 февраля.

2.Подтверждаем получение Вашего письма от 15 мая, за которое мы Вас благодарим.

3.МыполучилиВашеписьмоот22 мая, телеграммуот21 мая.

4.Подтверждаем с благодарностью получение Вашего письма от 20 января, посланного Вами в ответ на наше письмо, датированное 15 января.

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Preliminary Task 6

There are various types of commercial letters. They are as follows:

a)letter of introduction, invitation, congratulation

b)letter-enquiry

c)letter-order

d)letter-offer

e)letter-contract

f)letter-claim

g)letter-agency agreement

h)letter-advertising

You see some examples of letters. Read and define the type of the letters.

1.

Gentlemen:

We are now commencing our preparations for Ceramitec exhibition.

We are writing to you early to invite you to take part in this exhibition.

Yours faithfully, Mr. Ramsden.

2.

Dear Sirs,

We thank you for your enquiry of 14th November concerning spare parts.

We can offer you the required number of spare parts at the price of … per unit c.i.f. Alexandria port.

Shipment can be made in 4 lots of 150 units each at regular intervals within 3 months.

Yours faithfully, Mr. Blake.

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3.

Dear Sirs,

We have received your reply to our offer and were sorry to see that our price seems to you unreasonable high.

We have to state that we consider our price quite competitive as we quoted it on the basis of the cost price and quality of the goods.

However, we are ready to meet you halfway, as you are our reliable and regular partners.

We are ready to give you a discount and reduce the price by 10% if you increase your order by not less than 500 t.

We are looking forward to your early reply. Yours faithfully,

Promexport.

4.

Dear Sirs,

In reply to your enquiry we regret to inform you that we cannot offer you instruments of the model you are interested in, as they are no longer produced.

We can make you a firm offer for similar instruments of a new model. Their price is somewhat higher, but they are already in great demand.

We can deliver the goods within 3 months of the date of receipt of your order.

We are looking forward to your positive reply. Yours faithfully,

Mr. Duke.

5.

Dear Sirs,

We wish to express our respect to you and invite your representatives to the exhibition, where you can see the products exhibited by us.

Our stand is in Pavilion No 3 of the exhibition are at Krasnaya Presnya.

We are enclosing 5 invitation cards with the letter. Yours faithfully,

Smith and Sons. 6.

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Dear Sirs,

Re: agency agreement No…

In reply to your letter dated … we are pleased to inform you that the conditions stipulated by you in Clause of the Agreement seem quite acceptable to us.

However, speaking about the right “Intertrade” to sell goods directly to third parties, we suggest that it should be additionally stated that except for the cases stated in Clause I, the firm has the right to receive commission, the amount of which will be fixed in each separate case by special agreement between the parties.

The amount of commission, however, should not exceed 5% of the value of the goods sold to third parties.

We consider it necessary to include this amendment into the Agreement.

We are looking forward to your earliest reply. Yours faithfully,

“Intertrade”.

Read and translate the above letters.

Name the type of the letter to what the above wordcombinations correspond

Task 1

Write an enquiry using phrases given above.

Preliminary Task 8

Find the corresponding Russian word-combinations:

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Name the type of the word-combinations to what they correspond:

1.a letter of condolence

2.an enquiry

3.an offer

4.a claim

Task 2

Write an offer using the above phrases.

Preliminary Task 9

Find the corresponding Russian word-combinations: