6. How many of the letters have a letterhead? What does it contain?
7. How do you close a letter that begins Dear Sir or Madam?
8. How do you close a letter that begins with the recipient’s name, e.g. Dear Clair, Dear Ms Lanson?
9. When do you use Ms before a woman’s name?
10. What do the following abbreviations mean?
a) encs b) no c) plc d) pp e) Rd f) St
11. Which expression is sometimes used to a business contact before closing?
Letterhead – return address
Task 2. Parts of letters
Standard business letter should include several parts, some of which are obligatory and some of which are optional.
| Vision&Mission V&MWaterAid Inc. 32 Aylston Rd. london NW6 5PR Ms R Lanson Water Club, coordinator 2556 Flower St Westport, Connecticut 06885 -2568 26 April 2015 Dear Ms Lanson, Thank you for your invitation to lead a business seminar for high-school students for the next month. The subject “WaterAid foundation international projects” sounds extremely interesting, and I will be very pleased to help you in any way I can. Unfortunately, I have already made other commitments for those dates. However, in June I will be able to come. If June suits you, please inform me. If not, I also enclose a new book of mine (not printed yet) which contains detailed reports about the latest WaterAid projects. I hope it will help those who will work instead of me. Please let me know how else I might be helpful. Sincerely, Don Lynn Vision&Mission “WaterAid” manager |
1. Letterhead (must be included) – the company’s printed name and address;
2. Date (must be included) – includes month, day, year. Keep in mind several don’ts when you write the date:
- Don’t mix letters and numbers in the date (not Feb. 2nd).
- Don’t just use numbers (such as 11/12/2015).
- Don’t abbreviate the names of months that only have five or fewer letters (Standard abbreviations for Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., or Dec., are OK)
- Don’t use unusual abbreviations.
3. Inside address (of your recipient) (must be included) – the name and address of the person to whom you are writing.
-When you don’t know the reader’s name, use the job title both in the inside address and salutation:
Coordinator, Water Club
2556, Flower St
Westport, Connecticut 06885-2568
Dear Coordinator,
- If the person to whom you are writing has no professional title, simply type the name and the company affiliation:
Ms Lanson
Water Club, …
- The abbreviation Ms. Is the feminine equivalent of Mr. And should be used when addressing women. Do not use Miss or Mrs. Unless your reader has expressed the preference for one of these.
4. Salutation (must be included) – an opening greeting. The salutation should be addressed to the same person whose name appears on the first line of the inside address.
5. Subject Statement (optional) – briefly describes the topic of your letter.
6. Message (Body of your letter).
7. Complimentary close (must be included) – parting phrase (Formal Variant: Sincerely: Informal variants; Cordially, Best wishes, or Warm regards).
8. Signature (must be included).
9. Writer’s identification (must be included) – the signer’s name and title.
10. Reference initials (optional) – the initials of the writer (are all capitals; ME for Mary Elisabeth).
11. Enclosure notation (optional) – a reminder that the letter has an enclosure.
12. In order to express a thought or a request that deserves the reader’s special attention, you may use Postscript. The postscript is marked by the letters P.S and is located below all other matter on the letter.
Task 3. Choose one of the projects and write a business letter, informing sponsors about a new Water Aid project you are going to initiate in Ethiopia. Use the following information.
1. Improving water supply, sanitation, and hygiene. 2. Raising awareness among local people both in rural and urban areas. 3. Establishing a range of projects, run by on-site projects managers. 4. Data collection and surveys.
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Suggested actions:
- Gaining support of the government officials;
- Visiting rural regions and collecting data on water availability;
- Collecting data about the sanitation systems in urban environment;
- Meeting with the representatives of local communities;
- Initiating rainwater harvesting programmes;
- Provide help to local organizations in setting up low-cost, sustainable projects using appropriate technology that can be managed by the community itself.
| Ethiopia factfile Capital: Addis Ababa Population: 68,6 m Population below poverty line 44,2% Life expectancy: 42 years Water supply coverage: 24% Sanitation coverage: 12% |
Module 2
