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.
D.
E.
F.

go to a cram school
hire a private tutor
read a book about it
Google it on the Internet

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

learn from the experience of others

learn from your own mistakes
follow a proven method
figure it out for yourself
do all of the above

Common problems
Unfamiliarity

with common expressions

Translating from Chinese to English
Inaccurate use of grammar

Verb tenses, prepositions, articles, clauses

Lack

of appropriate vocabulary
Inadequate amount of detail
Use of inappropriate style or tone

The Challenge
Make

a good first impression.

Logically organize your thoughts.
Clearly express your main points.
Provide adequate development.
Leave the reader with a clear idea of what
action he or she should take.

Writing to fit the task

Memos
Letters
E-mails
Reports

Layout
Purpose
Content
Style

Techniques you can use

Fill

in the blanks
Order words in a sentence
Identify the purpose of a sentence
Arrange sentences in the correct order
Practice writing

Fill in the blanks

It ___ my pleasure to speak with you at the
management seminar in Tainan this past
weekend.
A.
B.
C.
D.

will be
was
is
has been

Fill in the blanks

You expressed interest ___ our companys
products, so I took this opportunity ___ send
you a catalog.
You expressed interest in our companys
products, so I took this opportunity to send
you a catalog.

Order words in a sentence

and schedule / you would like / please call /
sales representatives / if / one of our / to visit
your office, / an appointment
If you would like one of our sales
representatives to visit your office, please call
and schedule an appointment.

Identify the purpose of a sentence

We would like to invite you to visit our campus and

speak to our students.
Inquiry
Invitation
Illustration

We are sorry that we are unable to offer you a

discount on your order.
Apology

Identify the purpose of a sentence

We

were extremely dissatisfied with your

refusal to discuss this matter.
Complaint

We

wonder if you would be able to send us a

sample.
Request

Arrange sentences in the correct order

This

is unacceptable, and we expect you to

replace these defective gloves with
undamaged ones immediately.
When our employees put on the gloves, they
noticed that there were holes in them.
I am writing to inform you of a problem with
the latex gloves you sent us last week.

Arrange sentences in the correct order

5.
6.
7.

Request action
Provide key details
State the purpose for writing
State the purpose for writing
Provide key details
Request action

Arrange sentences in the correct order

1.
2.
3.

I am writing to inform you of a problem with

the latex gloves you sent us last week.
When our employees put on the gloves,
they noticed that there were holes in them.
This is unacceptable, and we expect you to
replace these defective gloves with
undamaged ones immediately.

Practice writing
You saw a product advertised on television.
Write to the manufacturer for information
about it.
You met someone at a conference who could
be a useful business contact. Write to the
person and ask about his or her company.

Self-directed learning
Assess

your ability.
Build up your skills through regular practice.
Start slowly, but move on to bigger projects.
Learn from experience, not just from books.

Assess your business English writing

ability
BULATS (Business Language Testing Service)

Standard Test
Computer-based Test
Speaking Test

Writing

Test

2 Tasks
Scoring your test

Scoring your test

How

accurately do you use English?

How appropriately do you use English?
How well do you organize your ideas?
How effectively does the writing achieve its
purpose?

Useful reminders
Read

the instructions carefully.

Plan your ideas before writing.
Cover all of the points in the instructions.
Use the most appropriate format and style.
Check your work carefully.

Task 1: specifications
Short

message or letter
15 minutes
50 to 60 words

Task 1: sample
You have seen this advertisement for some part-time
job vacancies:

PART-TIME JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Part-time vacancies for students in our
Marketing, Accounts and Customer Service Departments.
Applicants must be students on business-related courses.

Apply to David Jenkins, Mirai Computers

Task 1: instructions
Write a short letter applying for one of the jobs:

say which job you are interested in;

confirm that you meet the requirements;
say when you are available to start work.

Say which job you are interested in

Dear Mr. Jenkins,

Im writing about your job advertisement in the Daily
City News. I would like to apply for a part-time
position in your marketing department.

Confirm that you meet the

requirements

I am currently a third-year student at State

University, and I major in business administration. I
plan on pursuing a career in marketing after I
graduate next June. Therefore, I would like to gain
experience working in the marketing department of
Mirai Computers.

Say when you are available to start

work

I can start work immediately. My classes are on

weekday mornings, so I am available afternoons,
evenings, and weekends.

Close the letter

I look forward to receiving your reply.

Respectfully,
Timothy Hogan

Task 2: specifications
Report

or letter
30 minutes
180 to 200 words

Task 2: sample
Your company is deciding whether it needs
new office equipment. You have been asked
to write a report on the office equipment in
your department and suggest any changes
that need to be made.
Write the report describing the office
equipment in your department.

Task 2: instructions
Write about:

how important those types of equipment are;

how well they work now;
what changes you would like to see;
and any other points which you think are important.

The 3 Cs
Clear
Concise
Cohesive

Clear
Use headings
Office equipment used in the marketing department

desktop computers
Each employee has an IBM desktop computer at his or
her desk. These computers are connected to the office
network that employees routinely use to share
documents with each other.
copy machine
The staff members in our office use a two-year-old
Minolta DX-724 to make black and white copies. On
average, this machine makes 250 copies per day.

Clear
Use paragraphs appropriately

One of the most important pieces of office equipment that our

employees use is the desktop computer. Each staff member
has an IBM desktop computer at his or her desk.
In addition to the desktop computer network, we also regularly
use a two-year-old Minolta DX-724 to make black and white
copies. ...

Concise
Avoid long, complex sentences
Besides, the staff members and some of the
managers use a Revco 312 paper shredder, daily,
usually in the afternoon, to completely shred draft
copies of documents once the final copies have been
completed, and this shredder has a bag that must be
emptied at least once a week,

Concise
Avoid 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
feed paper to it one page at a time, which wastes a
lot of time, and it is already three years old, so
maybe it should be replaced.
(1 sentence, 101 words)

Concise
Avoid long, complex sentences
Our office also has a Revco 312 paper shredder. It is
three years old and is in daily use. The noise it
makes when operated has gradually increased. Last
year, we moved it into the copy room so others
would not be bothered by the noise. When we use it,
we must feed paper to it one page at a time, which
wastes a lot of time. If possible, we would like to
have this shredder replaced with a new one.
(6 sentences, 81 words)

Concise
Avoid vague language

Sometimes, people use a special

telephone to make calls.
Once a week, we use an Acer
Videophone to communicate with
employees at our overseas branches.

Cohesive
Use transitions to link ideas

First, Second, Furthermore, Additionally, Finally

The most important , Another important
For example, To illustrate this idea
However, In contrast, Similarly, Like
Therefore, Consequently, Because of this
In conclusion, To summarize

Accept the challenge

Assess

your ability
Develop your skills
Put them to use
Remember the 3 Cs

Thank you

On the Internet
www.tabf.org.tw

www.lttc.ntu.edu.tw

www.bulats.org

timothyhogan@hotmail.com