CC unit 1, letter layout TC

Commercial Correspondence


COURSE INTRODUCTION
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Instructor: Nguyễn Mai Hương, M.A.
Faculty of English for Specific Purposes, FTU
Handphone: 0912 726 217
Email:
Duration: 13 Jan – 14 March 2012
Workload: 3 classes/week
Exam date: 16 March 2012


CoURSE INTRODUCTION
Materials
The Language of Business
Correspondence in English
Nguyễn Trọng Đàn
Oxford Handbook of Commercial
Correspondence – A. Ashley


COURSE INTRODUCTION

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Areas covered
Letter layout, content and style
Enquiries and replies to enquiries
Quotations /Offers
Orders
Complaints and adjustments


Commercial Correspondence
Unit 1
Letter Layout, Content and Style


Letter Layout
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Sender’s address
References
Date
Inside address

Attention line
Salutation

Subject title
8. Body of the letter
9. Complimentary close
10. Sender’s identification
11. Enclosures
12. Copies
7.

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1 Sender’s
address

Bredgade 51
DK 1260
Copenhagen K
DENMARK

Usually: top righthand corner
Less common : top
left-hand corner
No punctuation


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1 Sender’s
address

In company’s
letterhead


Compuvision Ltd

Warwick House
Warwick Street
Forest Hill
London SE23 1JF
Telephone +44 (0) 20 8566 1861
Facsimile +44 (0) 20 8566 1385
Email
www.comvis.co.uk

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2 References

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At least one blank
line below the

sender’s address or
letterhead
Right-hand side or
left-hand side of
the page

Bredgade 51
DK 1260
Copenhagen K
DENMARK
Your ref. 6 May 20__
Our ref. DS/MR

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2 References

Can show:
• Initials of writer
and PA/secretary
DS/MR or DS/mr
• Number of the
letter or dept.
134/17 or DR 306
• The date or the
order number


ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES LTD

29-31 Broad Street
Birmingham B1 2HE
Tel. 0121-542 6614
DS/MR

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3 Date



At least one blank
line below the
sender’s address or
reference

Bredgade 51
DK 1260
Copenhagen K
DENMARK
Your ref. 6 May 20__
Our ref. DS/MR
Date 11 May 20__

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3 Date

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Right-hand side or
left-hand side
Always be shown in
full:
14 August 20__; or
August 14, 20__

ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES LTD
29-31 Broad Street
Birmingham B1 2HE
Tel. 0121-542 6614
DS/MR
12 November 20__

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4 Inside
address
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

One to ten blank
lines below the
date and always

on the left-hand
side
Should be on
separate lines as it
would appear on
the envelope

ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES LTD
29-31 Broad Street
Birmingham B1 2HE
Tel. 0121-542 6614
DS/MR
12 November 20__
Mr Gordon Wood
G Wood & Sons
36 Castle Street
Bristol BS1 2BQ

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4 Inside address
Surname known
 Write it as first line of the inside address
 Include:
•
•

Courtesy title: Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Dr, Prof.
The person’s full name (or with initials for

given names):
Mr John Smith or Mr J.E. Smith
NOT: Mr Smith (without initials or first name)
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4 Inside address
Name not known
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If you only know the person’s job title, you
can use that in the inside address, e.g.
The Sales Manager, or The Finance Director
Alternatively, you can address to a particular
department: The Accounts Department
Or you can address to the company itself:
Compuvision Ltd, or Messrs Collier
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5 Attention line
 Alternative to the recipient’s name or job title

in the inside address.
 Should be underlined or printed in bold or
CAPITALS, e.g.

For the attention of the Sales Manager
ATTENTION: MS TERRY ROBERTS
 A blank line below the inside address.
 Left-hand side or in the middle of the page.

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6 Salutation

Addressing people you do not know their names:
Dear Sir
Dear Madam
Dear Sir or Madam (or Dear Sir / Madam)
Dear Sirs
(to address a company, not a specific person)

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6 Salutation
Addressing people you know their names:
 but do not know them well, use title & surname,
do not include initials or first names:
Dear Mr Smith / Dear Miss Brown
NOT Dear Mr J. Smith or Dear Mr John Smith
 and you know them well, use just first name:
Dear John / Dear Mary
Note: A comma after the salutation is optional.
In American English, a colon is used instead.

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7 Subject title
 A blank line below the salutation.
 Left-hand side or in the middle
 Can begin with or without “Re:” or “Subject:”
 Should be underlined or printed in bold or

CAPITALS
Dear Mrs Marshall

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE – 24 AUGUST 2011
or Re: ORDER NO. 8901/6
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8 Body of the Letter
 The actual message of your letter
 Leave a line space between paragraphs

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9 Complimentary close
Two most common closes:
 Yours faithfully



Yours sincerely

Note: A comma after the
complimentary close is
optional.

when letter begins:
Dear
Dear
Dear
Dear

Sir
Sirs
Madam
Sir or Madam

Dear
Dear
Dear
Dear

Mr Smith
Mrs Bolan
Caroline
Sam
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10 Sender’s identification

 Type name and job title below handwritten

signature.
 Can give either your initials or full name
DAVID JENKINS
Chairman

D. Jenkins
General Manager

 Add a title for a female in brackets before

or after her name
Lesley Bolan (Mrs)
Sales Manager

(Ms) B. Kaasen
Director
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10 Sender’s identification
 Job title or department directly beneath name
 When signing a letter on behalf of the sender,

write “pp” or “p.p.” or “for” in front of the
sender’s printed name, e.g.
Yours faithfully

Shirley Johnson

pp Edward Nathan
Chairman
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11 Enclosures
 A line space below the sender’s identification
 Consisting of the word: “Enc.” or “Encl.”

followed by a list of the enclosed items, e.g.
Enc. Bill of Lading (3 copies)
Insurance certificate (1 copy)

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12 Copies
 At least a blank line below the sender’s

identification or the Enclosures
 Consisting of the word: “C.C.” or “Copy”
followed by the name/s and designation/s of
the copy recipient/s, e.g.
C.C. Ravi Gopal, General Manager
Candice Reeves, Accountant
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