Write Your Way to Success:

Enhance Your Business English Writing Skills

Timothy Hogan

Educational Maxim
The best way to learn more about a topic
is _________________.
C. go to a cram school
D. hire a private tutor
E. read a book about it
F. Google it on the nternet

Educational Maxim
To improve your ability to do something! you
must __________.

learn "rom the e#perience o" others

learn "rom your own mistakes

"ollow a proven method

"igure it out "or yoursel"

do all o" the above

Common problems

$n"amiliarity with common e#pressions

Translating "rom Chinese to English

naccurate use o" grammar

%
&erb tenses! prepositions! articles! clauses

'ack o" appropriate vocabulary

nade(uate amount o" detail

$se o" inappropriate style or tone

The Challenge

)ake a good "irst impression.

'ogically organi*e your thoughts.

Clearly e#press your main points.

+rovide ade(uate development.

'eave the reader with a clear idea o" what

action he or she should take.

Writing to fit the task

)emos

'etters

E,mails

-eports

'ayout

+urpose

Content

.tyle

Techniues you can use

Fill in the blanks

/rder words in a sentence

denti"y the purpose o" a sentence

0rrange sentences in the correct order

+ractice writing

!ill in the blanks
t ___ my pleasure to speak with you at the
management seminar in Tainan this past
weekend.
0. will be
1. was
C. is
D. has been

!ill in the blanks
2ou e#pressed interest ___ our company3s
products! so took this opportunity ___ send
you a catalog.
2ou e#pressed interest in our company3s
products! so took this opportunity to send
you a catalog.

"rder #ords in a sentence
and schedule 4 you would like 4 please call 4
sales representatives 4 i" 4 one o" our 4 to visit
your o""ice! 4 an appointment
" you would like one o" our sales
representatives to visit your o""ice! please call
and schedule an appointment.

$dentify the purpose of a sentence

5e would like to invite you to visit our campus and

speak to our students.
n(uiry
nvitation
llustration

5e are sorry that we are unable to o""er you a

discount on your order.
0pology

$dentify the purpose of a sentence

5e were e#tremely dissatis"ied with your

re"usal to discuss this matter.
Complaint

5e wonder i" you would be able to send us a

sample.
-e(uest

%rrange sentences in the correct order

This is unacceptable! and we e#pect you to

replace these de"ective gloves with
undamaged ones immediately.

5hen our employees put on the gloves! they

noticed that there were holes in them.

am writing to in"orm you o" a problem with

the late# gloves you sent us last week.

%rrange sentences in the correct order

-e(uest action

+rovide key details

.tate the purpose "or writing

6. .tate the purpose "or writing
7. +rovide key details
8. -e(uest action

%rrange sentences in the correct order
9. am writing to in"orm you o" a problem with
the late# gloves you sent us last week.
:. 5hen our employees put on the gloves!
they noticed that there were holes in them.
;. This is unacceptable! and we e#pect you to
replace these de"ective gloves with
undamaged ones immediately.

&ractice #riting
2ou saw a product advertised on television.
5rite to the manu"acturer "or in"ormation
about it.
2ou met someone at a con"erence who could
be a use"ul business contact. 5rite to the
person and ask about his or her company.

Self'directed learning

0ssess your ability.

1uild up your skills through regular practice.

.tart slowly! but move on to bigger pro<ects.

'earn "rom e#perience! not <ust "rom books.

%ssess your business English #riting
ability

1$'0T. =1usiness 'anguage Testing .ervice>

%
.tandard Test
%
Computer,based Test
%
.peaking Test

5riting Test
%
? Tasks
%
.coring your test

Scoring your test

How accurately do you use English@

How appropriately do you use English@

How well do you organi*e your ideas@

How e""ectively does the writing achieve its

purpose@

(seful reminders

-ead the instructions care"ully.

+lan your ideas be"ore writing.

Cover all o" the points in the instructions.

$se the most appropriate "ormat and style.

Check your work care"ully.

Task ): specifications

.hort message or letter

AB minutes

BC to DC words

Task ): sample
2ou have seen this advertisement "or some part,time
<ob vacanciesE
+0-T,T)E F/1 /++/-T$GTE.
+art,time vacancies "or students in our
)arketing! 0ccounts and Customer .ervice Departments.
0pplicants must be students on business,related courses.
0pply to David Fenkins! )irai Computers

Task ): instructions
5rite a short letter applying "or one o" the <obsE
%
say which <ob you are interested inH
%
con"irm that you meet the re(uirementsH
%
say when you are available to start work.

Say #hich *ob you are interested in
Dear )r. Fenkins!
3m writing about your <ob advertisement in the Daily
City Gews. would like to apply "or a part,time
position in your marketing department.

Confirm that you meet the
reuirements
am currently a third,year student at .tate
$niversity! and ma<or in business administration.
plan on pursuing a career in marketing a"ter
graduate ne#t Fune. There"ore! would like to gain
e#perience working in the marketing department o"
)irai Computers.

Say #hen you are a+ailable to start
#ork
can start work immediately. )y classes are on
weekday mornings! so am available a"ternoons!
evenings! and weekends.

Close the letter
look "orward to receiving your reply.
-espect"ully!
Timothy Hogan

Task ,: specifications

-eport or letter

IC minutes

AJC to ?CC words

Task ,: sample
2our company is deciding whether it needs
new o""ice e(uipment. 2ou have been asked
to write a report on the o""ice e(uipment in
your department and suggest any changes
that need to be made.
5rite the report describing the o""ice
e(uipment in your department.

Task ,: instructions
5rite aboutE
%
how important those types o" e(uipment areH
%
how well they work nowH
%
what changes you would like to seeH
and any other points which you think are important.

The - Cs

Clear

Concise

Cohesive

Clear
(se headings
/""ice e(uipment used in the marketing department
%
desktop computers
Each employee has an 1) desktop computer at his or
her desk. These computers are connected to the o""ice
network that employees routinely use to share
documents with each other.
%
copy machine
The sta"" members in our o""ice use a two,year,old
)inolta DK,L?M to make black and white copies. /n
average! this machine makes ?BC copies per day.

Clear
(se paragraphs appropriately
/ne o" the most important pieces o" o""ice e(uipment that our
employees use is the desktop computer. Each sta"" member
has an 1) desktop computer at his or her desk. N
n addition to the desktop computer network! we also regularly
use a two,year,old )inolta DK,L?M to make black and white
copies. ...

Concise
%+oid long. complex sentences
1esides! the sta"" members and some o" the
managers use a -evco IA? paper shredder! daily!
usually in the a"ternoon! to completely shred dra"t
copies o" documents once the "inal copies have been
completed! and this shredder has a bag that must be
emptied at least once a week! N

Concise
%+oid long. complex sentences
and it is pretty loud! so we have to close the door to
the printing room where it is located! and you have to
"eed paper to it one page at a time! which wastes a
lot o" time! and it is already three years old! so
maybe it should be replaced.
=A sentence! ACA words>

Concise
%+oid long. complex sentences
/ur o""ice also has a -evco IA? paper shredder. t is
three years old and is in daily use. The noise it
makes when operated has gradually increased. 'ast
year! we moved it into the copy room so others
would not be bothered by the noise. 5hen we use it!
we must "eed paper to it one page at a time! which
wastes a lot o" time. " possible! we would like to
have this shredder replaced with a new one.
=D sentences! JA words>

Concise
%+oid +ague language
.ometimes! people use a special
telephone to make calls.
/nce a week! we use an 0cer
&ideophone to communicate with
employees at our overseas branches.

Cohesi+e
(se transitions to link ideas

First! .econd! Furthermore! 0dditionally! Finally

The most important N! 0nother importantN

For e#ample! To illustrate this idea

However! n contrast! .imilarly! 'ike N

There"ore! Conse(uently! 1ecause o" this

n conclusion! To summari*e

%ccept the challenge

0ssess your ability

Develop your skills

+ut them to use

-emember the I Cs
Thank you

"n the $nternet
www.tab".org.tw
www.lttc.ntu.edu.tw
www.bulats.org
timothyhoganOhotmail.com