The Components of the Business Letter 商贸英语信函的组成部分 The format of business letters u Letterhead u Inside Address u Salutation u Body u Complimentary Close u Signature u Enclosure Letterhead The letterhead refers to the addressers address and the date of writing the letter. They may be positioned at the center or at the left margin of the top of the page, including your address, telephone number, E- mail and date. The date is usually placed two lines below the addressers information. It is usually shown in the order day/month/year (English Practice) or month/day/year (American Practice). Letterhead The date should always be typed in full and should not be abbreviated. It should be in one of the following forms: u 3rd February, 2006 (English Practice) u February 3rd, 2006 (American Practice) u February 3, 2006 (American Practice) Avoid using the following abbreviations because of the difference between American and English styles. 5. 4. 2010 (can either mean “May 4th”, or “April 5th”) 2-6-2010 3/10/2010 Letterhead For example: 299 Xuefu Road Huzhou, 313000 Zhejiang Province May 3, 2008 Inside Address Inside address gives the full name, title and the address of the receiver, typed on the left corner of the letter one or two lines below the writers address and the date, is printed as it will appear on the envelope. For example: Inside Address 299 Xuefu Road Huzhou, 313000 Zhejiang Province May 3, 2008 Zhejiang Sunshine Cashmere Co., Ltd. No.288 Kangtai Road, Zhili town, Huzhou, Zhejiang ProvinceSalutation Letterhead Inside Address Salutation Salutation is placed at the left margin two lines below the inside address and two lines above the body of the letter. Generally speaking, we use Dear + Mr.Miss.Ms. + surname if we know his or her name. Otherwise, we often use Dear Sir/Madam. uDear Madam Liu (incorrect) uDear Miss Liu (correct) Body The body of the letter customarily consists of three paragraphs. The first paragraph acts as an introduction or an acknowledgement of the previous correspondence The middle part usually discusses matters or give information. The last paragraph expresses a hope. Body Dear Sir, We thank you for your letter of 15th May, in which you offered us the Kenya agency for your office furniture. We should be pleased to represent you here, and have pleasure in enclosing a short account of our activities, together with the names of three companies with whom we have had dealings for a number of years. We look forward to receiving the draft agreement setting out the terms and conditions of the above agency. An acknowledgement of the previous correspondence Discussion of matters Hope Salutation Complimentary close The complimentary close is simply a polite way to end a letter. The complimentary close of the letter should be coherent with the salutation. It appears either in the middle of the page or starts at the left-hand margin, two lines below the closing sentence. For examples: Yours faithfully/Faithfully yours (Informal) Yours sincerely/Sincerely yours (Britain) Yours truly /Truly yours (American to write correct, appropriate and effective job application letters. The definition of a job application letter A job application letter is a short and introductory business letter written for the purpose of getting a job. In the letter, the applicant needs to identify the job or position he wants, clarify his qualifications, and requests for an interview. 1. Whats the purpose of writing a job application letter? The purpose of writing a job application letter is to sell yourself to the prospective employer. In other words, it is to impress the reader and get the chance of interview. 2. What is the correct form of a letter? A formal letter should at least included 6 parts, that is, heading, inside address, salutation, body, complimentary close, and signature. Communicative Activity2 3. What should be a job application letters main points? A job application letter should state the writing purpose clearly, show your best qualification and ask for an interview. Its better to mention your understanding of the target company and position. 4. What are the requirements on the language used? Brief, concise, emphatic, polite and appropriate etc. 5. Are there any requirement on the length and font? Yes. It is best to limit the job application letter to one typed page. Communicative Activity2 Task Qiu Xiaoyun, a student of Hunan University of Science and Technology, has just come back from the job market. There are several job advertisements which arouse her interest. After considering, she decides to write a job application letter according to the advertisement below which offers a position of business assistant to General Manager in Zhejiang Sunshine Cashmere Co., Ltd. Suppose you are Qiu Xiaoyun, write a letter of application according to your own qualifications. A Job Adver