《商務(wù)英語寫作》電子教案

PartThreeTheory&PracticeonBusinessLetter

Writing

Unit1

StructuralPartsandStylesofBusinessLetters

1.StructuralPartsofBusinessLetters

Abusinessletterhaseightstructuralparts:(a)theheading

(letter-head),(b)thedate,(c)theinsideaddress,(d)thesalutation,

(e)thebodyoftheletter,(f)thecomplimentaryclose,(g)the

signature(handwrittenandthentyped),and(h)anyaddednotations.

1.1.Heading(信頭)

Theheadingtellswherethewriterwrotetheletter.Sincemost

companiesusestationary(文具)withprintedletterhead:thecompany

name,address,telephone,telexorfaxnumbers,andlogo(the

companysymbol,標(biāo)識，商標(biāo)).

Sample:

GoldenTradingCompanyLtd.

34NorthernAvenue,NewYork,U.S,A.

Tel:1234567Telex:2345667GBCFax:4455666

1.2.Date

Thedatetellswhenthewriterwrotetheletter.Undertheprinted

letterhead,youcantypethedateinfull,inthelogicalorderofday,

month,year.Thepositionofthedatedependsonthestyleyouuse.

Whenwritingonblankpaper,typethenameofyourfirm,itsaddress,

andthedateattherightorleftmargin,dependingonthestyleyou

choose.

Therearedifferentwaysofwritingthedate.Thefollowingtwoare

recommended.

September15,1994

15September1994(NotetheOmissionofthecomma)

InBritishcorrespondence,thedateisontherightandcouldbeafter

theinsideaddress.

Thereisagrowingtendencytoomitthe-th,-rd,-ndand-stthat

followtheday.

Donotabbreviateorusefiguresforthemonth.Note:

Wrong:

Sept.15,1994

9/151994or15/9,1994

Sample:

SKYVIEWENTERPRISES

7111TerrazoPlaceSarasota,Fl33031(813)598-1026

January20,1995

1.3.TheInsideAddress(封內(nèi)地址)

Theinsideaddresscontainsthenameandtheaddressofthe

addressee(收信人)，thepersonorcompanyyouarewritingto.Itison

thelefttwospacesbelowthedateline.Ifyouknowthenameandtitle

oftheperson,youshouldincludethem.Inaddressinganindividualin

acompany,theinsideaddresscontainsboththeindividual'sname

andthatofthecompany.Theaddressshouldbethesameastheone

ontheenvelope.

Courtesytitlesareusedinbusinessletters."Mr.""Ms.""Mrs."ora

substituteformshouldneverbeomittedfromtheinsideaddress.

Whenwritingtoawomanalwaysaddressherasshesignsherself.It

isconsideredcorrecttoaddressawoman"Ms."unlessshehassigned

herself"Mrs."

EsquireorEsq.maybeusedinaddressingprominentattorneys(律師,

商務(wù)或法律代理人)orotherhighrankingprofessionalmenwhodonot

haveothertitles."Esq."alwaysfollowsthename,seperatedfromitby

acomma."Mr."doesnotprecedethenamewhenEsquireorEsq.is

used.e.g.

Stone,Esq.

"Mr."or"Esq."isusedinEnglandforaddressingasingleman.

Othercommontitlesinclude"Prof","Dr","Rev(reverend)","Hon

(honorable)"(usedforsenators,congressmen,ambassadors,

governors,judges,mayors,andheadsofgovernmentdepartments),

etc.

"Messrs"(PluralformofMr.)maybeusedinaddressingafirmofmen,

ormenandwomen,whenthenameincludesapersonalelement,e.g.

MessrsMarvin,TobinandSmart.

Examplesoftheinsideaddress:

(1)Toanindividualinacompany

Mr.GeorgeF.Moore

AdvertisingManager

Price&Patterson

234SeventhAvenue

NewYork5,NewYork

U.S.A.

(2)Toananonymousofficialinthecompany

SalesManager

OfficeSystemsPtyLtd

124OakStreet

Chatswood

NSW2067

Australia

(3)Toacompany

Messrs,Kato&Co.,Ltd

2Nichome,GinzaNishi

Chuo—ku,Tokyo

1.4.TheSalutation

Thesalutationisthegreetingtothereader.Itshouldbetypedflush

(exactlyonthesamelevel)withtheleftmargin,thefirstlinetwo

spacesbelowthelastlineoftheinsideaddress.Themostcommon

salutationconsistsof:Dearplustherecipient'sname.

Herearesomewaystowritethesalutation.

DearSirs/Gentlemen——toacompany

DearSirtoamanifyoudonotknowhisname

DearMadamtoawomanifyoudonotknowher

DearMrSmithtoaman

DearMrsSmithtoamarriedwoman

DearMissSmithtoanunmarriedwoman

DearMsSmithtoamarriedorunmarriedwoman

DearJohntoafriendorsomeoneyouknowwell

Astheuseofthefirstnameinsalutationisaninformalpractice,itis

notrecommendedformoreformalcommercialcorrespondence.We

donot,however,useboththefirstandthelastnameinthesalutation.

Itiswrongtoopenaletterwith"DearMrJohn"or"DearMrJohn

Smith".

NotethatGentlemen,istheAmericanandDearSirs,istheBritishway

ofopeningalettertoacompanywhenyouwritetoafirm,nottoa

particularperson.

1.5.TheBody

Thebodyoftheletteristhemessagethatthewriterhastoconveyto

therecipient.Itbeginstwospacesbelowthesalutation.Thebodyof

thelettermayconsistofoneparagraphonly,orofasmany

paragraphsasneeded.

Thereshouldbemarginatleastoneinchonbothsidesofthepaper,at

thetop,andatthebottom.Ifyourletterisveryshort,youshould

makeyourmarginslarger.

Thereissinglespacebetweenlinesunlesstheletterisveryshort.

Doublespacesarebetweenparagraphs.

Whentheindentedstyle,ormodifiedblockstylewithindented

paragraphsisused,indentthefirstlineofeachparagraphfivetoten

spaces.

1.6.TheClosing

Theclosingendstheletter.Thecomplimentarycloseistwospaces

belowthelastlineofthebody.Capitalizeonlythefirstword.Beginit

slightlytotherightofthecenterofthepage,exceptinfullblock（完

全平頭式）andblockstyle（平頭式）.

Therearemanywaystowritethecomplimentaryclose,"Yours

sincerely“ismostcommonlyused."Sincerely"isthemostpopular

complimentarycloseinAmerica."Yoursfaithfully"isBritishusageina

letterwith"DearSir"or"DearSirs"assalutation.

Thewayyouclosealetterdependsonhowyouopenit.Noticethe

followingchart,whichgivestheappropriatecomplimentarycloseto

usewithvarioussalutations.

1.7.Signature

Thesignatureisthesignednameormarkofthepersonwhowrites

theletterorthefirmwhichheorsherepresents.Itiswritteninink

immediatelybelowthecomplimentaryclose.Tosignwitharubber

stampisaformofdiscourtesy.

1.8.Notations（記號，注釋）

Anumberofnotationsmaybeincludedincommercial

correspondence.Theyarespecialpartsofaletterthatsupplydatafor

thebenefitofthewriterorfortheinformationoftheaddressee,orfor

theuseofthemboth.Somenotationsareplacednearthetopofthe

letterandsomenearitsbottom.

1.8.1.ReferenceNumbers（文號）

Referencenumbersenablerepliestobelinkedwithearlier

correspondenceandensurethattheyreachtherightpersonor

departmentwithoutdelay.InBritishstylemanyletterheadsprovide

spacesforreferences.

INTERCITYBANKPlc

58JalanThamrin,Jakarta,Indonesia

Telephone375018Telex6756

Mr.SBasukiYourref:

JakartaFurnishingsOurref:PL/fh/246

7JalanArjuna

Jakarta

12January1987

DearMrBasuki

Officefurniture

WeareexpandingourofficesinJakartaandwewillneedextradesks,

lights,chairsandfilingcabinets.

Pleasesendusyourcataloguewithyourprices,sizesandcolorsfor

theseitems.

Yourssincerely

(Signature)

PP.MrPeterLong

Manager

1.8.2.TheAttentionLine

Theattentionlineisusedwhenthewriteroftheletteraddressedtoa

companywishestogetitdeliveredtotheproperdepartmentora

particularperson.

Theattentionlinealwaysfollowstheinsideaddressandprecedesthe

salutation,whichforsuchaletteris:GentlemenorDearSirs.Itmay

betypedflushwiththeleftmargin,indentedfivespaces,orcentered

onthepage.Itiswritteneitherinallcapitallettersorunderlined.

1.8.3.TheSubjectLine

Thisspecialpartofaletterisusedwhenthewriterwantstomagnify

theimportanceofthesubject.Thesubjectlinealwaysfollowsthe

salutationandprecedesthebodyofaletter.Itmaybetypedflush

withtheleftmarginindentedfivespaces,orcenteredonthepage.

Whenbothanattentionlineandasubjectlineareincludedinaletter,

followthesametypingstyleforeach.Theintroductorywordorphrase

(subjectorre)isalwaysfollowedbyacolon.

Thesearenotationsnearthetopoftheletter.Thefollowingare

notationsnearitsbottom.

1.8.4.IdentificationInitials

Identificationinitialsareincludedonalmostallbusinessletters,

althoughtheyarenotrequired.Theseinitialsidentifythewriterofthe

letterandthepersonwhotypedit.Theyaremainlyforthebenefitof

thewriterandusedforadministrativepurposes.Theinitialsofthe

signercomesfirst,inallcapitalletters,followedbytheinitialsofthe

typist,seperatedeitherbyaslash(/)oracolon.

InAmericanstyle,identificationinitialsaretypedflushwiththeleft

marginandfollowthesignatureblock.

1.8.5.Enclosure

Thetermenclosureisself-descriptive.Itmeansthematerialother

thantheletteritselfisenclosed.Awriterwhoisenclosinganythingin

thelettershouldindicatethisbyusingthewordenclosureorthe

abbreviation"Enc,zor"Enclz,.Itfollowstheidentificationinitials.

1.8.6.CarbonCopy

Copiesofthelettermaybesenttovariouspeople,whoneedtoknow

aboutthemessageeventhoughitdoesn'tpertaintothemdirectly.

Thesemaybecarboncopies,butmostlikelytheywillbe

photocopied.Thenotations(標(biāo)識,標(biāo)記)——Copiesto,C(copy),CC

(carboncopy),PC(photo-copy),orXC(Xeroxcopy)designatethat

othersarereceivingcopies.

1.8.7.''PerPro"Signature

PerProorPPistheabbreviationofperprocurationem,whichisaLatin

phrasedenotingagency.Strictlyspeaking,onlythepartnerisentitled

tosignthenameofhisfirm,butforconvenienceauthoritytosignis

oftengiventoaresponsibleemployeebyadocumentknownasa

powerofattorney,thoughtheauthoritytosignmayalsoarisefrom

custom.

1.8.8.Postscript(附言)

Apostscript(P.S.)isanafterthought,andinformalletteritisusually

asignofpoorplanning.Butasaspecialadvice,ithastwolegitimate

functions.

1/.Someexecutives,toaddapersonaltouchtotheirtypewritten

letter,occasionallyaddapostscriptinpenandink.

2/.Writersofsalesletteroftenwithholdonelastconvincingargument

foremphaticinclusioninapostscript.Example:

P.S.???toseeyouattheAnnualSalesMeetingattheHillsidePlaza

onJanuary10.

P.S.Iunderstandthespecialentertainmentisgreat.

2.FormatsorStylesofBusinessLetters

Thetermformat,orstyle,referstothewayamessageislaidouton

apage,andtheuseofunderliningandcapitallettersforemphasisare

toolsforproducingeffectiveformats.

Thereareseveralformatsofbusinessletters.Thefollowingare

commontoday.

2.1.FullBlockStyle(完全平頭式)

Itzssaidthatthestyleisthemostmodernone,foritzsverypopularin

America,andmoreandmoreEnglishmenandotherEuropeansare

usingthisstyle.

Inthisstyle,allpartsoftheletterareplacedflushwiththeleftmargin

andparagraphsarenotindented.Therearedoublespacesbetween

them.

Fullblockstyleispopularbecauseitisveryeffective.Youcansee

fromtheexamplethatthisstylesavesmanykeystrokes(擊鍵)

becausethetypistcanbeginenteringtheinformationimmediately

afterpressingthereturnkeytogetanewline.

2.2.BlockStyle(平頭式)

Inthisstyle,thedateandreferenceareontherightwhileeverything

elseisplacedflushwiththeleftmargin.Theparagraphsstartatthe

leftmarginandtherearedoublespacesbetweenthem.Itismodem

Britishstyle.

2.3.ModifiedBlockStyle（改良平頭式）

Inthisstyle,thedateandtheclosingareontheright.Allotherparts

areplacedflushwiththeleftmargin,andparagraphsmayormaynot

beindented.

2.4.Semi-indentedStyleorSemi-blockStylewithIndented

Paragraphs（混合式）

Ithaslongbeencustomarytosetaletteroutinthesemi-indented

styleorthesemi-blockstylewithindentedparagraphs.Manypeople

regarditasthemostattractiveofallletterstyles.Theblockedinside

nameandaddressislikedbecauseitiscompactandtidy.Thisstyle

appealstomostreaders.Theyliketheindentedparagraphingand

claimthatitmakesforeasyreading.

Unit2

SkillsforWritingforEstablishing

BusinessRelations

Section1:HowtoWriteLettersforEstablishingBusinessRelations

HowtoFindNewCustomersandEstablishBusinessRelations

Thedevelopmentandexpansionofabusinessdependsoncustomers.

Needlesstosaythatnocustomer,nobusiness.Theestablishmentof

businessrelationsisthefundamentalstepinforeigntradeandin

internationalexchangebecausetransactioncanonlybemadeafterthe

businessconnectionshavebeensetup.

Toseekprospectiveclientsandestablishbusinessrelationsisoneofthe

mostimportantmeasuresforanewlyestablishedfirmoranoldonethat

wishestoexpanditsmarketandenlargeitsbusinessscopeandturnover

（營業(yè)額，銷售額）.Usuallyafirmmayapproachitsnewbusiness

counterparts（對應(yīng)或?qū)Φ鹊娜嘶蛭铮゛broadorobtainnecessaryinformation

throughthefollowingchannels:1.banks;2.attendanceatallkindsof

commoditiesfairs;3.contactattheexhibitionsheldathomeand

abroad;4.mutualvisitsbytradegroupsanddelegations;5.Chambers

ofCommerceinforeigncountries;6.tradedirectories（貿(mào)易商業(yè)目錄，工

商行名錄）；7.ChineseCommercialCounselor'sOfficeinforeigncountries;

8.BusinessHousesofthesametrade（商行，商號）.Ofallthesechannels,

communicationinwritingisthemostcommonlyusedmeansforsetting

upbusinessrelations.Buthowcanyouobtainallthenecessary

informationaboutanewclientwhenyouaregoingtowritealetterto

establishbusinessrelations?Maybeyoucanseekthehelpofmany

sourcessuchasperiodicals,advertisementsinnewspapers,market

investigations,self-introductionbymerchantsthemselves,etc.

TheMainContentoftheLettersforEstablishingBusinessRelations

1)Refertothewaystoobtaintheaddressee'snameandaddress

2)Indicateclearlytheintentionoftheletter

3)Introducethescopeofbusinessbriefly

4)Expressthehopeforfuturebusinessrelations

Sample1:ALetterforEstablishingBusinessRelations

DearSirs,

WehaveyournameandaddressthroughtheintroductionofMr.A.G.

TopWorthofSwanson&Bros.,ofHamburg,whoisoneofouroldclients.

Wewishtoinformyouthatwespecializeinexportingchinawareandshall

bepleasedtoenterintobusinessrelationswithyou.

Ifourabovedesirecoincideswithyours,pleaseletusknowandalso

keepusinformedofyourspecificenquiriessothatwecansendour

illustratedcatalogueandpricelistforyourreferencewithoutdelay.

Inthemeantime,weshallappreciateitverymuchifyouwillfurnishus

withthenameofyourbankpriortotheconclusionofaninitial

transactionbetweenus.

Wearelookingforwardtoreceivingyourfirstenquiry.

Yourssincerely

AnswertheFollowingQuestions

1.Whatdoesthewritersayinthefirstparagraphofthemessage?

2.Whatdoesthewriterasktheaddresseetodo?

WordsandPhrases

1.client:apersonwhopaysforhelporadviceortogetsomeservice

e.g.Theenquiryagencyhasalotofclients.

2.enterinto:startupon,begintotakepartin

e.g.WehaveenteredintoacontractwithafirminAmerica.

3.enquiry:arequestforinformationonthesupplyofcertaingoods

e.g.Wehavereceivedanumberofenquiriesfromourtradeconnections

hereforyournewproducts.

4.catalogue:acompletelistofarticles,usuallyinalphabeticalorderand

oftenwithdescriptionsofthearticles

e.g.Weareenclosingacopyofourcatalogueasrequestedinyourletter

ofJanuary20.

5.transaction:apieceofbusiness

e.g.Wehavefinallyconcludedthetransactionaftersomany

negotiations.

Sample2:AReplytoALetterforAskingtoEstablishBusinessRelations

DearSirs,

WithreferencetoyourletterofJune27,wearegladtolearnthatyou

wishtoenterintotraderelationswithus,whichalsomeetsourinterest.

Togiveyouageneralideaofourproducts,wearesendingyoubyaira

catalogueshowingvariousproductsbeinghandledbythiscorporation

withdetailedspecificationsandmeansofpacking.Quotationsand

sampleswillbesentuponreceiptofyourspecificenquiries.

Aswehavenothadthepleasureofdoingbusinesswithyouinthepast,

wewouldliketoinformyouthatourgoodsforexportaretobeinspected

bytheShanghaiCommodityInspectionBureaubeforeshipment,and

necessarycertificatesinregardtothequalityandquantityofthe

shipmentwillbeprovided.

Wearelookingforwardtoyourearlyreply.

Yoursfaithfully

AnswertheFollowingQuestions

1.Whatdoesthewritersayinthefirstparagraph?

2.Whatdoesthewriterdointhebodyoftheletter?

WordsandExpressions

1.learn:receiveinstructions,becomeinformedof

e.g.WehavelearnedfromouragentinLondonaboutyourrangeof

electrictypewriters.

2.corporation:company

e,g,Herhusbandworksforaverybigcorporation.

3.shipment:aloadofgoodssenttogether

e.g.Theshipmentisready,sopleaseopentherelevantL/Cassoonas

possible.

4.handle:use(goods)inbusiness,esp.forsale

e.g.Wedon'thandlethatsortofbook.

5.quotation:amountstatedascurrentpriceofstocksorcommoditieson

sale

e.g.Yourquotationsforleatherjacketsaretoohightobeacceptable.

Section2:SkillsforWritingforAskingtoEstablishBusinessRelations&

Replies

WriteFriendlyandHelpfulLetters

Yourfirstlettertoopenupamarketorenlargeyourbusinessscopeis

veryimportant,becauseitisknownthatfirstimpressionwillcount

heavily.Lettersforestablishingbusinessrelationsmustbefriendlyand

helpful.Beforeyouwriteyouropening,itisadvisableforyoutoconsider:

l.Whatareyourobjectives?2.Whoisyourreader?3.Whatkindof

presentationshouldyouuse?

Therefore,thefirststepistowritedownyourobjective(s)inasimple

openingsentence,expressingyourdesireorinterestinhavinga

connectiontoopenupbusiness.Thesecondstepistoanalyzeyour

reader.Inyourcorrespondence,youneedtoputyourselfintheshoesof

thepeoplewhowillbereadingyourmessage.Generallyspeaking,use

thelanguagethatyouthinkthereaderunderstandsclearly.Thethird

stepistoselectappropriateplannedpresentation.Youcanaskyourself:

1.Willthereaderwelcomeyourletter?2.Willthebasicmessage

displeaseyourreader?3.Doesyourletterrequestactionthatyour

readerisnotwillingtotake?

WhattoIncludeintheLetters

ThistypeoflettermayalsobecalledaFirstEnquiry.Generallyspeaking,

thistypeofletterbeginsbytellingtheaddresseehowhisnameisknown.

Then,somegeneralinformationshouldbegivenastothelinesof

businessbeinghandled.Thewritershouldstatesimply,clearlyand

conciselywhathecansellorwhatheexpectstobuy.Thefollowing

writingsuggestionsshouldbekeptinmind:

Opening:Whereandfromwhomyougetthenewcustomer.

Body:selfintroduction(scope,conditionandproductorcommodity),

financialpositionandreference

Closing:wish,hopetokeeptherelations

I.ConventionalitiesforWritingforEstablishingBusinessRelations

1)WehaveyournameandaddressfromtheCommercialCounselor's

OfficeofyourEmbassyinBeijingandarenowwritingtoyouforthe

establishmentofbusinessrelations.我們從貴國駐京使館商禽參贊處得悉貴

公司行名和地址，現(xiàn)特致函與貴公司建立業(yè)務(wù)關(guān)系。

2)WehavelearnedbycourtesyofMr.Greenhowthatyouareoneofthe

leadingimportersofChinesechemicalsandpharmaceuticsinyour

country.承蒙格林豪先生介紹，我們得知你們是貴國中國化工產(chǎn)品和藥品的主要

進(jìn)口商之一。

3)YourfirmhasbeenrecommendedtousbyBankofChinainBeijing.在

北京的中國銀行已把貴公司介紹給我們。

4)Wehavethepleasureofintroducingourselvestoyouasa

state-operatedcorporationdealingexclusivelyinlightindustrialgoods.

我們有幸自薦，我們是一家專營輕工產(chǎn)品的國有公司。

5)WearethechiefcigarettepackingmaterialsexporterinAustriaand

arethankfultotheChineseEmbassyinViennaforgivingyourname.我

們是奧地利主要的香煙原輔材料出口商，并感謝駐維也納的中國使館向我們提供了

你們的行名。

6)SpecializingintheexportofChinesearts&craftsgoods,weexpress

ourdesiretotradewithyouinthisline.我們專營中國工藝美術(shù)品出口,愿與

貴方進(jìn)行交易。

7)Wearewillingtoenterintobusinessrelationswithyourcompanyon

thebasisofequalityandmutualbenefit.我們愿在平等互利的基礎(chǔ)上與貴公

司建立業(yè)務(wù)關(guān)系。

8)Beingcloselyconnectedwithreliablesuppliershere,weshallbeable

todoconsiderableexportbusinesswithyou.我公司與本地可靠的供應(yīng)商聯(lián)

系密切，能與貴公司做可觀的出口生意。

9)Itishopedthatbyourjointeffortswecanpromotebusinessaswellas

friendship.希望通過共同努力，我們既可促進(jìn)貿(mào)易又能增進(jìn)友誼。

10)Welookforwardtoyourfavorablereply.等候佳音。

11)Weshallbegratefulifyouwouldreplyatanearlydate.敬請早日答

復(fù)，將不勝感激。

12)Yourearlyreplywillbehighlyappreciated.如蒙早日答復(fù)，將不勝感激。

II.ConventionalitiesforWritingRepliesforEstablishingBusiness

Relations

1)WelearnfromyourletterofApril1thatyouareinterestedin

establishingbusinessrelationswithusforthepurchaseofourtools.我

們從貴方四月一日來函獲悉，貴方欲購我們工具，愿與我們建立業(yè)務(wù)關(guān)系。

2)Yourletterexpressingthehopeofenteringintobusinessconnection

withushasbeenreceivedwiththanks.貴方希望與我方建立業(yè)務(wù)關(guān)系的信函

已經(jīng)收悉，特致謝意。

3)WithreferencetoyourletterofJune27,wearegladtolearnthatyou

wishtoenterintotraderelationswithus,whichalsomeetsourinterest.

關(guān)于貴方六月二十七日來函，我方很高興獲知，貴方欲與我方建立業(yè)務(wù)關(guān)系。此事

也和我意。

4)Wethankyouforyourletterofferingyourservicesandshouldliketo

discussthepossibilityofexpandingtradewithyou.謝謝你方來函表示愿提

供服務(wù)，我方愿與你方就擴大貿(mào)易的可能性進(jìn)行討論。

5)Wearewillingtoenterintobusinessrelationswithyourfirmonthe

basisofequality,mutualbenefitandexchangingwhatonehasforwhat

oneneeds.我們愿在平等互利、互通有無的基礎(chǔ)上與貴公司建立業(yè)務(wù)關(guān)系。

6)Yourdesiretoestablishdirectbusinessrelationswithuscoincideswith

ours.貴方欲與我方建立業(yè)務(wù)關(guān)系的愿望與我方不謀而合。

Unit3

SkillsforWritingStatusInquiriesandReplies

Section1:HowtoWriteStatusInquiries&Replies

HowtoMakeStatusInquiries

Therearevariouswaysofgettinginformationontheotherfirms/

financialposition,credit,reputationandbusinessmethods.Tradersmay

applytoabusinessfriend,banks,chambersofcommerce,orenquiry

agencies.Theinformationobtainedfromabankorfromachamberof

commerceisgenerallymostreliable.Itzsoftenbestfortraderstogetthe

necessaryinformationfromabankthroughyourownbank.

TheMainContentofStatusInquiries&Replies

1)Indicateclearlytheintentionoftheletter

2)Refertoaccessofthefinancialenquiry

3)Expressthanksforthehelp

4)Assuretheaddresseethateverythingwillbekeptinconfidence.

Sample1:StatusInquiries

DearSir,

TheMarylandInc.

Thesubjectcompanyisnowofferingtorepresentusinthesaleofour

SewingMachines,andhasreferredustoyourbankfordetailed

informationaboutitscreditstanding,businesscapacityandcharacter.

Weshallappreciateitifyouwillgiveusyourfrankopiniononthese

pointsregardingthecompany.

Anyinformationyoumaygiveuswillbetreatedstrictlyinconfidence.

Weassureyouofourreciprocatingyourcourtesyatanytime.

Yoursrespectfully,

AnswertheFollowingQuestions

1.Whatdoesthewritersayinthefirstparagraph?

2.Whatpromisesdoesthewritermakeabouttheinformationthe

addresseemightgive?

WordsandExpressions

1.offer:propose

e.g.Sheofferedafewideastoimprovetheplan.

2.represent:actinplaceof...asanagentdoes

e.g.Doyouhaveanybodyrepresentyouinthesaleofthatproductin

Europe?

3.refersbtosbelse:asksbtogotosbelseforinformation

e.g.Iamhappytoreferyoutothefollowingpeoplewhocantellyou

aboutmyworkandcharacter.

4.standing:position,status,reputation

e.g.Thiscompany'sfinancialstandingisknown.

5.credit:trustinone'sintegrityinmoneymattersandone'sabilityto

meetpaymentswhendue

e.g.Theircreditisgood.

Sample2:RepliestoStatusInquiries

Private&Confidential

DearSirs

Uponreceiptofyourletterof30thOctober,wemadeinquiriesrespecting

thefirmyoumentionedandhaveobtainedthefollowinginformation:

"Messrs.Willing&Co.madeanarrangementwiththeircreditorsin

December19...Theirliabilitieswere￡5,000,withassets￡4,000.The

creditorsagreedtoacompositionof60pinthepound.Afirstdividendof

20pwaspaidaftersixmonthsandaseconddividendof20pthreemonth

later,butnothingfurther.Thebusinessissaidtobemakingnoprogress

atthepresenttime,andwewouldadviseyoutoexerciseextreme

cautioninyourdealingswiththisfirm.”

Wehavealsomadeindependentinquiriesrespectingthefirm,andthe

resultwaspracticallyacorroborationofouragent'sreport.

Itwould,therefore,appearinadvisabletoenterintoanycredit

transactionwiththesepeople.

Youarewelcometothisinformationfreeofcharge,andwearepleased

tohavebeen