Example 2 (letter):
Dear Alan Pickering,
Re: Training Course Booking
Thank you for your enquiry of 16 April regarding Business Excellence training course. We are able to offer the following day seminars for the week commencing 14 May:
Training: Business Excellence Level 3
Duration: 1 day, 9: 30 a. m. -- 5 p. m.
Venue: Synergy Training Center
Delegates: Six
Included: Training pack and seminar notes
Cost per head: $549(Inc1. VAT)
Available Dates: 14, 15, 16, 17 or 18 May
P1ease find enclosed a copy of the seminar schedule. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01254374973 ext. 204
Yours sincerely
Rebecca Brooks
(Signature)
Seminar Sales
Fig.2 An analysis table of two different business English correspondences
Form Informal Formal
Subject E- mail Letter
Salutation Alan Dear Alan Pickering
Language Regard Thanks for your call yesterday Thank you for your enquiry of
Contraction Here’s; I’ve /
Expression of time 9:30–16:00 16 April, am, pm
Choice of wording Informal(wanted; give me a call, place; etc) Formal (enquiry; venue; regarding; duration; delegates, etc)
Brevity hope you can open it OK; No. of people /
Sign & /
Number 6 Six
Signature Dave Rebecca Brooks
Title / Seminar Sales
Closing Best wishes Your sincerely
The table above compares and analyses the business English used in two different business correspondence forms, and the differences of those two are not difficult to tell.
3.1 The Salutation:
In the informal correspondences, usually, we use the person’s first name, which sounds very friendly and close. It is a very popular way used by intimate friends and partners. In formal correspondences, we generally use the person’s title, along with either their full name or surname. Of course, sometimes you can use their surname solely. In the formal letters, the salutation does not have any emotional connotations. Most of the time, the aim of using the titles is just to show your respect.
The majority of informal business English correspondences have an informal tone. When the message is addressed to several people, “Hello all/ folks” or “Hello everybody”, or “greetings” is common; “Sirs” is rarely used in e-mail. Do not use outdated or gender-specific forms, such as “Dear Sirs” or “Gentlemen”, from traditional business correspondence as carry-over in electronic correspondence. Cultural awareness in e-mail communication, however, deserves special attention. For example, greeting in Japan or China tend to be more formal and traditional whereas “(Hi/ Hello)/ (+) first name” is a typical way of e-mail greetings reminiscent of memo format actively used in America.
3.2 Subject Line:
Informal business correspondence generally does not have a subject line. But in fact, subject line is an optional element for informal business correspondence. If you are familiar with the recipient, then you do not need to use the subject 毕业论文http://www.751com.cnline, because your recipient already knows your motivation. Oppositely the formal business correspondence always uses the subject line to let the reader know the subject from the letter at first sight. It is a help for them to know whether they should read the entire letter or not, and helps them to skim quickly for relevant information. The function of subject line shows the efficiency of business communication which is also a consideration for reader and characteristic of business English. It saves time that is what the modern business world requires.
3.3 The Choice of Language Style:
Informal business correspondence uses a number of colloquial English words, phrases and expressions. Contraction and brevity are used widely in informal business correspondences as well. Numbers are always written with Arabic numerals, and sometimes punctuation is used to express meanings. Informal business correspondence is focused more on expression than grammar. This kind of casualness lets the reader feel like the writer is talking to him/her face-to-face, which also expresses the close and friendly relationship of the two sides. In the formal business correspondence, the writer chooses formal vocabularies, sentences, business jargon, and the grammatical structure to write the correspondence. They need to make sure everything in the letter is perfect. They spell out numbers, use the Standard English, social phrases, and polite expressions, subjunctive, euphemism to express their kindness, caution and respect to the other side but are less friendly and intimate. It shows the distance between two parties adequately.
3.4 Signature: