目 录
Unit 1 Fundamentals of Business Letter Writing1
Lead-in1
Specimen letter 1 The Semi-indented Style12
Specimen letter 2 The Blocked Style13
Exercises17
Unit 2 Establishment of Business Relations18
Lead-in18
Specimen Letter 1 Asking for Establishing Business Relations19
Specimen Letter 2 Asking for Establishing Business Relations21
Specimen Letter 3 Asking for Establishing Business Relations23
Specimen Letter 4 Reply to a Letter of Establishing Business Relations24
Specimen Letter 5 Reply to a Letter of Establishing Business Relations26
Specimen Letter 6 Asking to Provide Sales Agency Service26
Specimen Letter 7 Try to Resume the Old Business Relations28
Useful Sentences29
Letter-writing Guide31
Exercises32
Unit 3 Inquiries and Replies35
Lead-in35
Specimen Letter 1 Make an Inquiry after Reading an Advertisement36
Specimen Letter 2 Customers Interested in the Displayed Products38
Specimen Letter 3 Asking for the Catalogue and Price List40
Specimen Letter 4 Sending Catalogues and Price Lists41
Specimen Letter 5 Asking for Quotations43
Specimen Letter 6 Reply to the Inquiry45
Useful Sentences47
Letter-writing Guide48
Exercises49
Unit 4 Offers and Counter-offers52
Lead-in52
Specimen Letter 1 Make an Offer Based on Enquiry: A Firm Offer53
Specimen Letter 2 Make an often Based on Enquiry: A Non-firm Offer56
Specimen Letter 3 Counter-offer: Ask for a Price Cut57
Specimen Letter 4 Counter-offer: Ask for a Smaller Quantity59
Specimen Letter 5 Counter-offer: Ask for Alternation of Terms of Payment61
Specimen Letter 6 Reject the Price Reduction62
Specimen Letter 7 Make a Concession63
Specimen Letter 8 Accept the Counter-offer65
Useful Sentences66
Letter-writing Guide67
Exercise68
Unit 5 Orders and Fulfillment of Orders71
Lead-in71
Specimen Letter 1 Making a Trial Order71
Specimen Letter 2 Enclosing an Order Form73
Specimen Letter 3 Place an Order76
Specimen Letter 4 Decline an Order77
Specimen Letter 5 Confirm an Order79
Specimen Letter 6 Confirm a Repeat Order81
Specimen Letter 7 Recommendation of a Substitute83
Useful Sentences85
Letter-writing Guide85
Exercises88
Unit 6 Sales Promotion90
Lead-in90
Specimen Letter 1 Introducing Commodities91
Specimen Letter 2 Offering a Discount92
Specimen Letter 3 Sales Promotion Correspondence94
Specimen Letter 4 Comparison of Goods97
Specimen Letter 5 Recommendation of a Substitute98
Specimen Letter 6 Promotion to a Former Client101
Useful Sentences102
Letter-writing Guide103
Exercises104
Unit 7 Terms of Payment106
Lead-in106
Specimen Letter 1 Asking to Establish LC as the Terms of Payment108
Specimen Letter 2 Advice of Establishment of LC109
Specimen Letter 3 Asking for Amendment to LC110
Specimen Letter 4 Ask for Extension of LC111
Specimen Letter 5 Reply to the Letter of Asking for Extension of LC113
Specimen Letter 6 Reply to Urging to Establish LC114
Specimen Letter 7 Request for DA Payment115
Specimen Letter 8 Urging Establishment of LC116
Useful Sentences117
Letter-writing Guide119
Exercises121
Unit 8 Packing123
Lead-in123
Specimen Letter 1 Buyer’s Requirement for Packing and Shipping Marks124
Specimen Letter 2 Negotiation on Packing and Marking127
Specimen Letter 3 Reply to the Packing Instruction128
Specimen Letter 4 Packing Requirement129
Specimen Letter 5 Exporter’s Advice of Packing, Shipping Marks and Shipment130
Specimen Letter 6 Claim for Improper Packing131
Useful Sentences132
Letter-writing Guide134
Exercises135
Unit 9 Insurance137
Lead-in137
Specimen Letter 1 Asking for the Premium Rate138
Specimen Letter 2 Reply to an Enquiry of Insurance139
Specimen Letter 3 A Request for Insurance142
Specimen Letter 4 Reply to a Request for Insurance142
Specimen Letter 5 Importer Asks Exporter to Arrange Insurance144
Specimen Letter 6 Insurance Policy145
Useful Sentences146
Letter-writing Guide147
Exercises149
Unit 10 Shipment151
Lead-in151
Specimen Letter 1 Asking for Amendment to the Terms of Shipment152
Specimen Letter 2 Giving Shipping Instructions to the Seller153
Specimen Letter 3 Urging an Immediate or Punctual Shipment154
Specimen Letter 4 Sending a Shipping Advice Reply to Letter 3155
Specimen Letter 5 Apologizing for the Delay of Shipment Reply to Letter 3157
Specimen Letter 6 Notifying the Goods Received157
Specimen Letter 7 Enquiry for Freight and Time of Voyage158
Specimen Letter 8 Reply to Letter 7159
Specimen Letter 9 Enquiry for the Container Service159
Specimen Letter 10 Reply to Letter 9160
Useful Sentences161
Letter-writing Guide162
Exercises163
Unit 11 Complaints, Claims and Adjustments166
Lead-in166
Specimen Letter 1 Complaining about the Inferior Materials167
Specimen Letter 2 Adjustment for the Wrong Materials Reply to Letter 1168
Specimen Letter 3 Claim on the Damaged or Blemished Goods169
Specimen Letter 4 Adjustment for the Damaged or Blemished Goods Reply to Letter 3170
Specimen Letter 5 Complaining about the Wrong Invoice171
Specimen Letter 6 Apologizing for the Wrong Invoice Reply to Letter 5172
Specimen Letter 7 Refusal to Claim on Replacement173
Specimen Letter 8 Refusal to Request for Compensating for the Damaged Material174
Useful Sentences175
Letter-writing Guide176
Exercises178
Unit 12 Agency182
Lead-in182
Specimen Letter 1 Offering to Act as the Sole Agent184
Specimen Letter 2 Favorable Reply to Offering to Act as Sole Agent185
Specimen Letter 3 Declining a Request for Sole Agency187
Specimen Letter 4 Expecting a Personal Negotiation for an Agency Agreement189
Specimen Letter 5 Stating the Main Points for an Agency Agreement190
Specimen Letter 6 Sole Agency Agreement192
Useful Sentences194
Letter-writing Guide196
Exercises198
Unit 13 Social Letters200
Lead-in200
Specimen Letter 1 Letter of Thanks201
Specimen Letter 2 Letter of Congratulations202
Specimen Letter 3 Letter of Apology204
Specimen Letter 4 Letter of Invitation205
Specimen Letter 5 Letter of Appointment206
Specimen Letter 6 Letter of Complaint208
Exercises209
Unit 14 Business Contract211
Lead-in211
Specimen 1 Sales Confirmation213
Specimen 2 Sales Contract218
Specimen 3 Purchase Confirmation221
Specimen 4 Purchase Contract225
Specimen 5 Sole Agency Agreement228
Specimen 6 Sales Agency Agreement232
Exercises237
第一单元 商务信函写作的基本知识240
导读240
样函1 混合式247
样函2 齐头式248
第二单元 建立业务关系的信函249
导读249
样函1 请求建立业务关系250
样函2 请求建立业务关系250
样函3 请求建立业务关系251
样函4 某建立业务关系请求的回复函251
样函5 某建立业务关系请求的回复函252
样函6 主动要求提供销售代理服务252
样函7 尝试恢复中断的业务关系252
第三单元 询盘和回复254
导读254
样函1 读到广告后进行的询盘255
样函2 客户对展示的产品感兴趣255
样函3 请求索要产品目录和价目表255
样函4 寄送产品目录和价目表256
样函5 索要报价单256
样函6 对询函的回复257
第四单元 发盘和还盘258
导读258
样函1 根据询盘报盘：实盘259
样函2 根据询盘报盘：虚盘259
样函3 还盘：要求减价260
样函4 还盘：要求降低数量260
样函5 还盘：要求改变付款方式260
样函6 拒绝减价261
样函7 做出让步261
样函8 接受还盘262
第五单元 订单和订单的履行263
导读263
样函1 试订货263
样函2 随函附寄订货单264
样函3 订购货物264
样函4 拒绝订购265
样函5 确认订单265
样函6 确认重复订单266
样函7 推荐替代品266
第六单元 促销信268
导读268
样函1 介绍商品268
样函2 提供折扣269
样函3 促销信269
样函4 比较商品函270
样函5 推荐替代产品270
样函6 给老顾客的促销信271
第七单元 付款条件272
导读272
样函1 要求使用信用证付款273
样函2 通知开立信用证273
样函3 请求修改信用证274
样函4 请求延期信用证274
样函5 信用证请求延期回复函275
样函6 催开信用证回复函275
样函7 要求承兑交单的付款方式276
样函8 催开信用证276
第八单元 包装277
导读277
样函1 买方对于包装和运输标志的要求278
样函2 洽谈包装和标志278
样函3 对包装要求的回复278
样函4 包装要求279
样函5 出口商通知包装、唛头和装运情况279
样函6 关于包装不当的索赔280
第九单元 保险281
导读281
样函1 询问保险费率282
样函2 回复关于保险的询问282
样函3 要求保险282
样函4 答复保险要求283
样函5 进口商请出口商代办保险283
样函6 保险单证明284
第十单元 运输285
导读285
样函1 要求修改装运条款函285
样函2 买方给卖方的装运指示函286
样函3 催促尽快或按时装运函286
样函4 发装运通知对样函3的回复287
样函5 道歉延迟装运对样函3的回复288
样函6 买方通知货已收到288
样函7 询问船期及运费率288
样函8 对样函7的回复289
样函9 询问集装箱服务情况289
样函10 对样函9的回复289
第十一单元 投诉、索赔和调解290
导读290
样函1 投诉货物质量低劣290
样函2 对送错货物的投诉信的回复对样函1的回复291
样函3 货物受损或有瑕疵的索赔291
样函4 对货物受损或有瑕疵的投诉信的 回复对样函3的回复292
样函5 单据有误的投诉292
样函6 对单据有误的投诉信的回复对样函5的回复293
样函7 拒绝更换的拒绝函293
样函8 拒绝赔偿损坏材料的要求293
第十二单元 代理295
导读295
样函1 请求做独家代理函296
样函2 同意做独家代理的请求296
样函3 拒绝独家代理请求296
样函4 请求就代理协议进行面谈297
样函5 阐述代理协议的要点297
样函6 独家代理协议298
第十三单元 社交信函300
导读300
样函1 感谢信300
样函2 祝贺信300
样函3 道歉信301
样函4 邀请函301
样函5 约见函301
样函6 投诉函302
第十四单元 贸易合同303
导读303
范例1 购货合同304
范例2 独家代理协议307
试卷一309
试卷二313
Key to Exercises317
內容試閱：
Unit 1 Fundamentals of Business
Letter Writing
【学习要点和目标】
通过本单元的学习，了解商务信函写作的基本知识，掌握商务信函写作的原则、格式、结构和方法。
Lead-in
In the business community today, the importance of good communication skills is even more stressed, as it is essential that employees can use the tools of the evolving information technology to communicate clearly, accurately and effectively. Business communication is concerned with the successful exchange of messages that support the goal of buying and selling goods or other services. Business communication can be used in inquiring, ordering, negotiation, selling, marketing, complaining, etc.. In international trade, most of the negotiation and contracts are signed through business letters. A Business letter is legal. It is very important for both the form and the content.
So it is of very importance for students of business communication to master the skills of reading and writing a good business letter that presents ideas interestingly and clearly to enable readers to understand with least possible effort.
1. Principles of Business Letter Writing
A good business letter can play an important role in trade, increase friendship and obtain complete understanding between the parties involved. Business letter writing is one of the necessary business activities. Broadly speaking, the functions of a business letter may be said to be 1 to ask for or to convey information, 2 to make or to accept an offer, 3 to deal with matters concerning negotiation of business. In addition, there are letters with no other purpose than to remind the recipient of the sender’s existence.
Letter-writing does not differ from any other form of creative writing. Good English is one of the important bases of good business letters. What you write should be free from grammatical blemishes, and also free from the slightest possibility of being misunderstood. There are certain essential qualities of business letters, which can be summed up in the Six Cs, as 1 Clearness, 2 Conciseness, 3 Courtesy, 4 Consideration, 5 Correctness, 6 Completeness.
1Clearness
First of all, make sure that your letter is so clear that it cannot be misunderstood. An ambiguous point in a letter will cause trouble to both sides, and further exchange of letters for explanation will become inevitable and time-wasting. Next, when you are sure about what you want to say, say it in plain, simple words. Good, straightforward, simple English is necessary for business letters.
2 Conciseness
Clearness and conciseness often go hand-in-hand and the elimination of wordy business jargon can help to make a letter clearer and at the same time more concise.
A concise letter is not necessarily a short one. Sometimes, a letter dealing perhaps with a multiplicity of matters cannot avoid being long. If conciseness conflicts with courtesy, make a little sacrifice of conciseness. Generally speaking, you will gain clearness and conciseness by writing short sentences rather than long ones.
A letter can be made clearer, easier to read and more attractive to look at by careful paragraphing. A paragraph for each point is a good rule.
3 Courtesy
It should hardly be necessary to stress the importance of courtesy in your correspondence. One of the most important things is promptness, which will please your customer who dislikes waiting for days before he gets a reply to his letter.
It is nearly always wrong to doubt a statement made in good faith by the other side and even worse to contradict it. Differences are bound to occur in business, but with diplomacy and tact they can be overcome and settled without ill will on either side.
4 Consideration
Consideration is an important rule of good business writing. The letters you send out must create a good impression. Try to put yourself in his place to give consideration to his varied wishes, demands, interests and difficulties. Emphasize the “You” attitude rather than the “I” or “We” attitude. In your letter you should always keep in mind the person you are writing to, see things from his point of view, visualize him in his surroundings, and see his problems and difficulties and express your idea in terms of his experience. Find the best way to express your better understanding and present the message.
Compare the following pairs of sentences:
a You-attitude
Congratulations to you on your success.
You earn a 2% discount for cash payment.
b We-attitude
We’d like to send our congratulations to you.
We allow you a 2% discount for cash payment.
5 Correctness
Correctness means not only proper expression with correct grammar, punctuation and spelling, but also appropriate tone, which is helpful to achieve the purpose. It is likely to convey the real message in a way that will not cause offense even if it is a complaint or an answer to such a letter. Business letters must have factual information, accurate figures and exact terms in particular, because they involve the rights, the duties and the interests of both sides, often as the base of all kinds of documents. Therefore, we should not understate nor overstate as understatement might lead to less confidence and hold up the trade development while overstatement would throw you in an awkward position.
6 Completeness
A business letter is successful and functions well only when it contains all the necessary information. An outline helps for the letter to be full and complete. See to it that all the matters are discussed, and all questions are answered. Incompleteness is not only impolite but also leads to the recipient’s unfavorable impression towards your firm.
He may give up the deal if other firms can provide him with all the information needed, or if he would not take the trouble inquiring once again.
As you work hard for completeness, keep the following guidelines in mind: Why do you write the letter? What are the facts supporting the reasons? Have you answered the questions asked?
2. Layout of a Business Letter
It has long been customary to set it out in the semi-indented style Specimen Letter 1. Many people regard this as the most attractive one of all letter styles. The blocked inside name and address is liked because it is compact and tidy. This style appeals to most readers. They like the indented paragraphing and claim that it makes for easy reading. Others dislike the indentations because, they claim, they waste the typist’s time. So the blocked style Specimen Letter 2 has now come to be much more widely used than before.
The open style of punctuation in the inside name and address is often used with the modern letter style, but is not essential to it. Closed punctuation can also be used if preferred.
3. The Main Parts of a Business Letter
The business letter consists of seven principle parts: 1 the letter-head, 2 the date, 3 the inside name and address, 4 the salutation, 5 the message, 6 the complimentary close, 7 the writer’s signature and official position.
1 The Letter-head
The letter-head expresses a firm’s personality. It helps to form one’s impression of the writer’s firm. Styles vary considerably, but they all give similar information and besides the name and address of the firm may include telephone numbers, telegraphic addresses, the telegraphic codes used, telex numbers, and the kind of business carried on.
2 The Date
Always type the date in full, in the logical order of day, month, year. For example: 12th October, 20×× or 12 October 20××
For the day, either cardinal numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. or ordinal numbers lst, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. can be used, for example:
1st March 20×× or 1 March 20××
3rd April 20×× or 3 April 20××
29th October 20×× or 29 October 20××
The day can also be written after the month, for example:
March 1st, 20××
October 29, 20××
In this way, a comma must be used between the day and the year.
To give the day in figures e.g., 121020×× is in bad taste, and it may easily cause confusion because in Britain this date would mean 12th October 20××, but in the United States and some other countries it would mean 10th December 20××.
3 Inside Name and Address
The usual practice is to set out the name and address of one’s correspondent at the head of the letter, as in Example 1 and 2. However, in official i.e., Government correspondence, it is sometimes placed at the foot, in the bottom left-hand corner.
Where the appropriate head of department is known, address the letter to him by his official title, for example::
The Sales Manager
The Hercules Engineering Co. , Ltd.
Brazennose Street
Manchester M60 8AS
England
When addressing a correspondent personally by name, take care to spell the name correctly.
English addresses may have the following partsnot all addresses have all the parts:
a Name of house.
b Number of house and name of street.
c Name of city or town.
d County or state and its postcode.
e Name of country.
In order to avoid ambiguity, when you write letters to other countries, always include the name of the country, even if the city mentioned is the country’s capital. Here is an example:
The Vice President
The Eagle Press Inc.
24 South Bank
Birmingham
Alabama
U.S.A.
In your correspondence, the use of Mr. and Messrs. as the courtesy titles is common. However, Messrs. abbreviated from the French Messieurs as the plural form of Mr. is used only for companies or firms, the names of which include a personal element, for example:
Messrs. J. Harvey Co.
Messrs. MacDonald Evans
4 The Salutation
The salutation is the greeting with which every letter begins. The customary greeting in a business letter is “Dear Sir” or “Dear Sirs” when a partnership is addressed. But the Americans usually use “Gentlemen” instead of “Dear Sirs”. Note that you cannot use “Sirs” alone and that “Gentlemen” cannot be used in the singular. In American letters a colon is always placed after the salutation, for example:
Dear Mr. White:
Quite often now companies are owned andor managed by women, and it is more and more customary to use the greeting: “Dear Madam” or “Sir”, if the writer is not sure whether the letter will be read by a man or a woman.
5 The Message
This forms the body of the letter and is the part that really matters. Before you begin to write, you must first of all consider the following two points:
a What is your aim of writing this letter?
bWhat is the best way to go about it?
Since the main purpose of the letter is to convey a message, the letter should be written in language that is easily understood. The following serves as reminders:
a Write simply, clearly, courteously, grammatically, and to the point.
b Paragraph correctly, confining each paragraph to one topic.
c Avoid stereotyped phrases and commercial jargon.
6 The Complimentary Close
The complimentary close, like the salutation, is purely a matter of custom and a polite way of bringing a letter to a close. The expression used must suit the occasion. It must also match the salutation. The following salutations, with their matching closes, are the ones most commonly used in the modern business letters.
Salutation
Formal
Less Formal
Informal
Dear Sir or Madam,
Dear Mr. Smith,
Dear Smith,
Dear Sirs,
Dear Ms. Smith,
Dear Mary,
Gentlemen:
Dear Mr. Green,
Dear Tom,
Complimentary
Yours faithfully,
Yours sincerely,
Sincerely,
Faithfully yours,
Sincerely yours,
Cordially,
Truly yours,
Cordially yours,
Best regards,
7 The Signature
The signature area mainly consists of the addresser’s signature, the typed name of him immediately below the complimentary close. It is written in ink immediately below the comp- limentary close. To “sign” with a rubber stamp is a form of discourtesy. For example:
Yours truly,
Frank W. Weston
Frank W. Weston
General Manager
Grand Resources Import Export Co.
4. Miscellaneous Matters
1 Attention Line
An “attention line” leads the letter to a particular person or department when the letter is addressed to a company. It is usually typed two lines above the salutation, or underlined, and centered over the body of the letter, as shown below:
Western Utilities, Inc.
817 West Main Street
Denver, Colorado 80061
Attention: Import Dept.
Dear Mr. Green,
…
Or
Western Utilities, Inc.
817 West Main Street
Denver, Colorado 80061
For the attention of Import Dept.
Dear Mr. Green:
2 Subject Heading
The subject heading is regarded as a part of the body of a business letter. Usually it is in the upper case or initial capitals underlined. It is centered over the body of the letter except with the fully-blocked letter-style, and placed two lines below the salutation to call attention to what content the letter is about.
Dear Sir,
Subject: Your Order No. 1234
Or
Dear Sir,
SUBJECT: YOUR ORDER NO. 1234
Or
Dear Sir,
Subject: Your Orde No. 1234
3 References
Reference numbers and letters enable replies to be linked with earlier correspondence and ensure that they reach the right person or department without delay. Many letter headings provide space for references. It may include a file number, departmental code or the initials of the signer of the letter to be followed by the typist initials. When giving the reference of a previous letter, to which the present letter is a reply, one should give the date of the earlier letter. Typical references might therefore be:
Your ref. 23 TMRAW26 May 2014
Our ref. 23HWCONTRACT
4 Enclosure
An enclosure notation should be added to the business letter, when such documents as brochures, catalogues, price lists, sales terms and conditions, etc. are attached to the letter. The enclosure notation follows two lines after the signature block. Type the word “Enclosure”, or its abbreviation written as “Enc.” or “Encl.” with the number of enclosures or with a reference of their nature. Thus, a typical enclosure might be:
Enclosures 2
1. Price List
2. Sales Confirmation
5 Carbon Copy Notation
Carbon copy notation is used when copies of the letter are sent to others. Type “CC” or “cc” with the names of the persons who will receive the copies of the letter, usually positioned two lines below the signature block at the left margin. For example:
a C.C.: The Bank of China
b Copies to: Directors
c CC to: CEO
d Copy to: Sales Manager
6 Postscript
When you find something forgotten to be included in the letter body before the envelope is to be sealed up, you may state it in a postscript with a simple signature again. The adding of a P.S. should, however, be avoided as far as possible, since it may suggest you failed to plan your letter well before you wrote or dictated it. Sometimes it is not you really forget something, just you want to give the attention of the reader. If you forget to mention something important in the body of the letter, rewrite the letter instead of using the afterthought.
If unavoidable, write the P.S. two lines below any other notations, and flush with the left margin. For example:
P.S. The catalogue will be sent to you tomorrow.
5. How to Address an Envelope
Envelope addressing calls for accuracy, legibility and good appearance. The envelope paper used should be the same in quality as the paper for letter and memo sheets. Stationery, format and forms adopted in business correspondence reflect the personality of a firm. Letterheads and envelopes should be imprinted with the same address and logo.
The address on the envelope and the inside address on the letter should be in the same style. It can be written in the indented style or blocked style. Block layout is mainly used in superscription. It is required in typing the envelopes together with open punctuation. Business stationery usually has the return address already printed in the upper left space of the envelope. The receiver’s name and address should be typed on the envelope half way down leaving enough room for the stamp and postmark, and one third or one half in from the left of the envelope. Remarks of the post notation like “By Airmail” or something like this should be placed in the bottom left-hand space.
Items below can be written on the envelope:
1It can be written on the left bottom of the envelope to give the remarks of the post notation.
aVia Air Mail Par Avion.
bVia Air Mail Registered.
cRegistered.
dExpress.
eParcel Post.
fPrinted Matter.
gSample Post.
2Private or Confidential letters can be remarked on the left bottom of the envelope.
aPrivate.
bPersonal.
cConfidential.
3The following meaning should be noticed.
a “Attention”, “Attention of” or “For the attention of” is used to express to whom the job should be done. For instance, “Attention ATTN: Hardware Dept.”.
b co, means “Care of?”.
c “Kind of …”, “Per Kindness of …”, “By Kindness of …” or “Through the Courtesy of…” means the person who transfers the letter. To give a letter by somebody, there’s no necessary to write the address. It only states the name of the person who transfers the letter. For example:
Mr. Charles Wood
Kindness of Mr. Wang Ming
means Mr. Wang Ming transfers the letter to Mr. Charles Wood.
Specimen letter 1 The Semi-indented Style
China National Import Export Corporation
Cable address: CNIEC
Telephone No.: 123456
China National Import Export Corp.
Shanghai
China
Our Ref.: BG1569
Your Ref.: CT-W
January 24, 2014
United Textiles Ltd.
York House
Lawton Street
Liverpool, ML3 2LL
England
Dear SirsMadams,
We are very pleased to receive your enquiry of 15th January and enclose our illustrated catalogue and price list giving the details you ask for. Also by separate post we are sending you some samples and feel confident that when you have examined them you will agree that the goods are both excellent in quality and reasonable in price.
On regular purchases in quantities of not less than 100 dozen of individual items we would allow you a discount of 2%. Payment is to be made by irrevocable LC at sight.
Because of their softness and durability, our all cotton bed-sheets and pillowcases are rapidly becoming popular and after studying our prices you will learn that we are finding it difficult to meet the demand. But if you place your order not later than the end of this month, we would ensure prompt shipment.
We invite your attention to our other products such as table-cloth and table napkins, details of which you will find in the catalogue, and look forward to receiving your first order.
Yours sincerely,
China National Import Export Corp.
Zhang Hong
Manager: Zhang Hong
Enclosures 2
Illustrated Catalogue
Price List
Specimen Letter 2 The Blocked Style
Brownson, Clarke Co.
Leadenhall Street
London E. C. 4
England
Date: 26th June, 2014
China National Import Export Corp.
Qingdao
China
Dear SirsMadams:
LC No. 3179
In reply to your letter of 18th June, we wish to inform you that we have instructed our bank, the Midland Bank, to amend the above LC by inserting the following clause:
“Invoice in quintuplicate to be certified by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade” to replace “Invoice in quintuplicate to be certified by British Consul at your end” as originally stipulated in the subject LC.
As the amendment was made by cable, you must have received it prior to the arrival of this letter.
We trust that everything is now in order and you will be able to ship the goods in the first half of next month.
Should your goods prove to be satisfactory upon arrival, we are confident that further large orders will be placed.
We are looking forward to hearing from you about the shipment of the goods.
Yours Sincerely,
Brownson, Clarke Company
Manager
Notes
1. communication n. exchange of ideas or information通讯；message通信
communicate v. transmit information 沟通；联系；交流；表达
This communication is confidential．这是机密信件。
All communications with foreign countries had been stopped for 2 hours．与国外的联系已中断两个小时。
The manager communicates with his sales representative in Paris every day．这个经理每天都要与驻巴黎的销售代表通信。
2. clearness n. clarity 明晰；清楚
3. courtesy n. polite action or expression; a courteous or respectful or considerate remark 礼貌
Courtesy of 经由……提供；蒙……好意
by courtesy 礼貌起见
by courtesy of 蒙……的好意；由于……的作用
By extending the courtesy of a phone call to my clients, I was building a personal relationship with them. 通过给客户打电话这种有礼貌的行为，我渐渐地和他们建立起了私交。
4. ambiguous adj. of unclear meaning；able to be understood in more than one way 含义不清；模棱两可
5. layout n. the way in which the different parts of something are arranged；a plan or design of something that is laid out 格式，布局，设计，安排
layout design布局设计
general layout 总体设计
page layout 页面布局
He tried to recall the layout of the farmhouse. 他想回忆那农舍的布局。
6.indent
1 v. to start a line further into the page; set in from the margin 缩行；cut or tear along an irregular line so that the parts can later be matched for authentication切割或撕扯成锯齿状以备将来做吻合验证
2 n. 缩进；凹痕；契约
Indent the second line. 第二行行首留空格。
Obviously, being able to perform operations on blocks is useful, whether it is indentoutdent, cutcopypaste, or template. 很显然，分块执行操作会很有用，无论是缩排突出、剪切复制粘贴，还是使用模板。
7. block v. to start all lines at the left margin 齐头
blocked style 齐头格式
indented style 缩进格式
semi-indented style 混合格式
8. salutation n. expression of greeting at the beginning of a letter 称呼
9. complimentary adj. expressing admiration, praise问候的，称赞的；given free免费赠送的；out of courtesy or kindness祝贺的
10. cardinal number 基数
ordinal number 序数
11. reference
1 n. a remark that calls attention to something or someone; a short note recognizing a source of information of a quoted passage; a book to which you can refer for authoritative facts; 参考；参照，涉及，提及；参考书目；证明人
2v. refer to 参考；引用
for reference 以供参考；备案
The firm offered to give her a reference. 公司提出给她开一封推荐信。
The official at the American embassy asked me for two references. 美国大使馆的官员要我提供两名证明人。
with reference to=in reference to关于
Please keep this sheet in a safe place for reference. 请把这张纸放在稳妥的地方以备查阅。
12. brochure n. booklet 宣传手册
13. catalogue n. a list of places, names, goods etc.; put in a special order so that they can be found easily 目录；一览表
14. copy to 抄至……
15. postscript n. a short addition to a letter below the signature 附言
16. enclose v. to put esp. sth. sent with a letter inside 把……封入，把……附在信中
We enclose herewith a price list and the latest catalog. 随信附上价格单和最新的产品 目录。
17. order v. n. BrE a written order for goods订单; a request for something to be brought, made, or obtained for you in return for money订购
The city is going to place an order for a hundred and eighty-eight buses. 这个城市将下单订购188辆公交车。
18. superscription n. words written at the top of or outside sth., e.g. the address on the envelop of the letter. 书写在某物外面的文字，如信封上的地址。
19. cocare of used when addressing letters to mean “at the address of?” 由……转交
20. Esq. Esquire n. title of politeness used after the full name of a man 先生
Exercises
Ⅰ. Answer the following questions.
1. How many principal parts is a business letter composed of?? What are they?
2.What are the principles of writing business letters?
3. What are the two layouts of a business letter?
4. What is the position of the receiver’s address on an envelope?
5. What is the position of the writer’s address on an envelope?
6. What is the P.S.?
Ⅱ. Write a letter using the items given below, inserting the necessary capitals and punctuation.
1. Heilongjiang Textiles Import Export Company, No.54, Youyi Road, Harbin, China
2. The New Century Trading Co., Ltd., P.O. Box No. 323, Lagos, Nigeria
3. September 5, 2014
4. Dear Sirs
5. Your ref.: WC3232014
6. Our ref.: FH32014
7. Yours faithfully
8. Manager, Li Hong
Ⅲ. Address an envelope in blocked style using the following names and addresses.
1. The sender: Mr. Zhang Guang, China National Chemical Corporation, No.62 West Beisihuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China
2. The receiver: Mr. Albert Woodrow, Managing Director, Horizon Stationery Corporation, Melbourne, Australia
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