1. DEFINITION OF ENGLISH BUSINESS
Business means buying
and selling, and English is the name of our mother tongue. Business English is
obviously such English as is used in mercantile transactions. Our definition is
quickly made.
But it will bear expansion. We must
answer certain questions that inevitably arise. Is some special brand of
English used in business? And how are we to know when we are studying business
and when merely the English of business?
Take the first of these two
questions. There are of course certain words which name business transactions
primarily. Buy, sell, exchange, barter, trade, purchase, shop, customer, hire,
rent, pay, fee, price, retail, wholesale, lease, mortgage, merchandise,
commodity, goods, stock, office, factory, finance, money, funds, capital,
interest, sum, amount, balance, cash, currency, bill, receipt, note, draft,
check, bank, cashier, bookkeeper, stenographer, clerk - hundreds of words like
these will occur to us at random as being mercantile words in a peculiar sense.
To be sure, they are not all limited
to business transactions. Note the word brand. It is primarily mercantile,
naming a particular kind of goods. But in the second paragraph, above, the
phrase "special brand of English" appears. Here the word is used
figuratively. Every business word can be extended in that way to social or
literary use.
2. TYPE OF BUSINESS LETTER
- Letters requesting information
(inquiry)
- Ad sales letter (termed Sales
letter)
- Reply letter requesting
information
- Letter of the terms and
conditions of membership (usually called the Account Terms and Conditions)
- Waiver or confirmation
- Reservation letter also called
an Order placing
- A letter or a lawsuit to
recover damages (claim)
- Reply letter claims
- Letters Cover Letter or better
known is a job application letter
3. PART OF BUSINESS LETTER
- The
Heading (The Retern Address) or Letterhead - Companies usually use
printed paper where heading or letterhead is specially designed at the top
of the sheet. It bears all the necessary information about the
organisation’s identity.
- Date -
Date of writing. The month should be fully spelled out and the year
written with all four digits October 12, 2005
(12 October 2005 - UK style). The date is aligned with the return address. The number of the date is pronounced as an ordinal figure, though the endings st, nd, rd, th, are often omitted in writing. The article before the number of the day is pronounced but not written. In the body of the letter, however, the article is written when the name of the month is not mentioned with the day.
- The Inside
Address - In
a business or formal letter you should give the address of the recipient
after your own address. Include the recipient's name, company, address and
postal code. Add job title if appropriate. Separate the recipient's name
and title with a comma. Double check that you have the correct spelling of
the recipient 's name.
The Inside Address is always on the left margin. If an 8 1/2" x 11" paper is folded in thirds to fit in a standard 9" business envelope, the inside address can appear through the window in the envelope.
- The
Greeting -
Also called the salutation. The type of salutation depends on your
relationship with the recipient. It normally begins with the word
"Dear" and always includes the person's last name. Use
every resource possible to address your letter to an actual person. If
you do not know the name or the sex of of your reciever address it to Dear
Madam/Sir (or Dear Sales Manager or Dear Human Resources Director). As
a general rule the greeting in a business letter ends in a colon (US style).
It is also acceptable to use a comma (UK style).
- The
Subject Line (optional) - Its inclusion can help the recipient in
dealing successfully with the aims of your letter. Normally the subject
sentence is preceded with the word Subject: or Re: Subject
line may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font, or all captial
letters. It is usually placed one line below the greeting but
alternatively can be located directly after the "inside
address," before the "greeting."
- The Body
Paragraphs - The body is where you explain why you’re
writing. It’s the main part of the business letter. Make sure the receiver
knows who you are and why you are writing but try to avoid starting with
"I". Use a new paragraph when you wish to introduce a new idea
or element into your letter. Depending on the letter style you choose,
paragraphs may be indented. Regardless of format, skip a line between
paragraphs.
- The
Complimentary Close - This short, polite closing ends always with
a comma. It is either at the left margin or its left edge is in the
center, depending on the Business Letter Style that you use. It begins at
the same column the heading does. The traditional rule of
etiquette in Britain is that a formal letter starting "Dear Sir or
Madam" must end "Yours faithfully", while a letter starting
"Dear " must end "Yours sincerely". (Note: the
second word of the closing is NOT capitalized)
- Signature
and Writer’s identification - The signature is the last part of the
letter. You should sign your first and last names. The signature line may
include a second line for a title, if appropriate. The signature should
start directly above the first letter of the signature line in the space
between the close and the signature line. Use blue or black ink.
- Initials,
Enclosures, Copies - Initials are to be included if someone other
than the writer types the letter. If you include other material in the
letter, put 'Enclosure', 'Enc.', or ' Encs. ', as appropriate, two lines
below the last entry. cc means a copy or copies are sent to someone
else.
4. STYLES OF BUSINESS LETTER
Six letter styles have been established for use in business
offices. The two most commonly used of these are the block and semi
block styles.
- Full block
All lines of typing begin on the left
hand margin. There are no paragraph indentions. Letters that are typed in the
full block style are always single spaced
- Block
All lines of
typing begin on the left hand margin except the date, the
complementary close, and the signature line.
- Semi
block
The first line
of each paragraph is indented. Otherwise, the semi block style is exactly like
the block style.
- AMS
Simplified letter
All typing in
the Administrative Management Society Simplified Letter begins on the left
margin, as in the full block style. This form omits the
salutation and the complimentary close.
- Hanging Indented (Inverted)
The hanging indented style is identical the semi block format except
that the first line of each paragraph is typed flush with the left margin and
all lines following are indented five spaces. This style is usually seen only
in advertising letter, where it’s unique paragraphing catches
the eye.
- Official (Formal or Personal)
The official letter style is usually prepared in either the block or the
semi block format. The inside address, however, is located two to five lines
below the typed signature line, not at the top of the page. The official letter
is used only when writing to highly placed official or to extend congratulation,
appreciation, or sympathy.
source: http://www.testden.com/business-english/Chapter-I-Definition-Of-Business-English.html (definition)
