Unit 6. Correspondence

Warm up

Exercise 1. As you know letter-writing is an essential part of any business. Do you like to write letters or do you prefer just to call? Do you think the writing of letters still exists or has sending emails replaced letter-writing?

Exercise 2. Match the English words on the left with their Russian equivalents on the right. Learn the words by heart.

1. a commercial business letter	a) обращение (Mr., Mrs., Ms.);
2. business letter style	b) сопроводительные документы;
3. a letterhead	c) приветствие;
4. a personal title	d) печатный заголовок/бланк;
5. a block	e) инициалы машинистки;
6. a closing paragraph	f) клише;
7. a salutation	g) стиль делового письма;
8. enclosures	h) начинать с прописной буквы.
9. typist initials	i) деловое письмо;
10. to capitalize	j) заключительный параграф.

READING

Exercise 3. Read and translate the following text. Use the dictionary when necessary.

Writing Business Letter

A commercial business letter is a letter written in formal language, usually used when writing from one business organization to another, or for correspondence between such organizations and their customers, clients and other external parties. The overall style of a letter will depend on the relationship between the parties concerned. There are many reasons to write a business letter. It could be to request direct information or action from another party, to order supplies from a supplier, to identify a mistake that was committed, to reply directly to a request, to apologize for a wrong or simply to convey goodwill. Even today, the business letter is still very useful because it produces a permanent record, is confidential, formal and delivers persuasive, well-considered messages. A business letter is more formal than a personal letter. There are several parts of a business letter.

The sender’s address is usually included in letterhead. If you are not using letterhead, include the sender’s address at the top of the letter one line above the date. Do not write the sender’s name or title, as it is included in the letter’s closing. Include only the street address, city, and zip code.

The date line is used to indicate the date the letter was written. However, if your letter is completed over a number of days, use the date it was finished in the date line. When writing to companies within the United States, use the American date format (For example: June 11, 2001). Write out the month, day and year two inches from the top of the page.

The inside address is the recipient’s address. It is always best to write to a specific individual at the firm to which you are writing. If you do not have the person’s name, do some research by calling the company or speaking with employees from the company. Include a personal title such as Ms., Mrs., Mr., or Dr. Follow a woman’s preference in being addressed as Miss, Mrs., or Ms. Usually, people will not mind being addressed by a higher title than they actually possess. To write the address, use the U.S. Post Office Format. For international addresses, type the name of the country in all-capital letters on the last line. The inside address begins one line below the sender’s address or one inch below the date. It should be left justified.

Salutation. Use the same name as the inside address, including the personal title. If you know the person and typically address them by their first name, it is acceptable to use only the first name in the salutation (for example: Dear Lucy). In all other cases, however, use the personal title and full name followed by a colon. Leave one line blank after the salutation.

If you don’t know a reader’s gender, use a nonsexist salutation, such as “To Whom It May Concern.” It is also acceptable to use the full name in a salutation if you cannot determine gender. For example, you might write Dear Chris Harmon: if you were unsure of Chris’s gender.

Body. 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 letter, 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 type of action.

The closing begins at the same vertical point as the date and one line after the last body paragraph. Capitalize the first word only (for example: Thank you) and leave four lines between the closing and the sender’s name for a signature.

Enclosures. If you have enclosed any documents along with the letter, such as a resume, you indicate this simply by typing Enclosures one line below the closing. As an option, you may list the name of each document you are including in the envelope.

Typist initials are used to indicate the person who typed the letter. If you typed the letter yourself, omit the typist initials.

Exercise 4. Consult the text and find the English equivalents to the following word combinations.

1. деловой стиль; 2. прямая информация; 3. передать благодарность/выразить признательность; 4. аргументированные сообщения; 5. формат даты; 6. адрес получателя; 7. адрес отправителя; 8. оставить пустую строку; 9. выравнивать текст по левому полю; 10. обосновать/подтвердить важность.

Exercise 5. Decide whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1. It’s not necessary to indicate about enclosed documents along with the letter. 2. It’s not polite to restate the purpose of the letter in the closing paragraph. 3. You can use the full name in a salutation if you don’t know a reader’s gender. 4. You should always use the American date format and write out the month, day and year. 5. If you are not sure of woman’s preference in being addressed, use Ms.

Exercise 6. Answer the following questions. Use the text when necessary.

1. What will the overall style of a letter depend on? 2. What should you do if you aren’t using letterhead? 3. What date should you use in your letter? 4. Who is it best to write at the firm to? 5. How should you type the name of the country for international addresses? 6. Is it possible to write a letter if you don’t know reader’s name and gender? 7. What should you write in the first paragraph? 8. What is used to indicate the person who typed the letter? 9. What is the inside address? 10. What are the reasons to write a business letter?

Exercise 7. Give a short summary of the text.

Exercise 8. Now read and translate the text about Tips and Tricks for Better Letter. Use the dictionary when necessary.