1.Letterhead

The printed Letterhead is usually centered at the top of the page.

It includes the name

Address

Telephone number of the sender

Telefax

Telex

It may also contain the company’s trademark,

Its telegraphic address,

Its branches and

the description of the business.

Look at the examples of the names of companies:

1. Smith & Co.¹, Limited²

1. Robinson & Sons

Bennet Bros.³

The American Mining Corporation

James Smith and Company, Incorporated⁴

Vneshnetorgovoye OBJEDINENIJE “Machino-export”⁵

__________________________

¹ Знак &- так называемый ampersand- часто употребляется в названиях фирм вместо and- & Co. – и читается: and Company.

² Слово Limited (сокращенно Ltd.) представляет собой сокращение выражения Limited Liability company “компания с ограниченной ответственностью”, означающее, что ответственность членов компании ограничивается номинальной стоимостью приобретенных ими акций.

³ Bros. является сокращением от слова Brothers “братья”. Benner Bros. – “братья Беннет”.

⁴ Corporation означает “соединение лиц”, “корпорация”. В названиях американских фирм, банков и т.д. это слово чаще употребляется вместо stock corporation “акционерная корпорация” Incorporated (Inc.) означает “зарегистрированный как корпорация”.

⁵ Названия белорусских и российских внешнеторговых объединений не переводятся на английский язык. При их передаче на английском языке используется прием транслитерации, т.е. русские слова пишутся буквами латинского шрифта.

2. Reference line

It is usually below the Letterhead, very often in the top-hand part of the sheet. The addressee’s reference- if it is known- is typed first. It may be the number of the letter or some abbreviation. The sender asks the addressee to refer to that number or abbreviation in the answer.

The Reference Line contains the initials of the sender and the addressee.

Have a look at the sample letter on page 6 and find the Reference Line. Notice that the letters DA stand for D. Ashen. Mr. D. Ashen has signed the letter and his initials in capital letters come first in the Reference Line. They are followed by the initials- not necessarily in capital letters- of his secretary or typist.

Now let’s decipher the Reference Line:

Your Ref: DA/st

Your Reference David Ashen Susan Thompson

3. Date

The Date, like the Reference Line, is placed bellow the Letterhead. It is often very important to know when the letter was written- important both to the reader and the writer.

There are four commonly used dateline styles, for example:

BE: AE:

2 March, 2011 March 2, 2011

2^nd March, 2011 March 2^nd, 2011

The following style may be confusing: *2/03/2011. It is either the second of March or the third of February. Try to avoid confusion.

At present people do not usually write- th, -rd, -st, -nd after the day. Sometimes the months (they are written with capital letters) are abbreviated, but not all of them.

January - Jan. September - Sept.

February - Feb. October - Oct.

April - Apr. November - Nov.

August - Aug. December - Dec.