Writing Book

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS ENGLISH WRITING

This chapter is a brief introduction to business English writing and its characteristics in
comparison with academic English writing. Then, it presents various aspects of business
English writing that writers of business English should take into account to locate the right
audience, the right tone and the right purpose to successfully achieve their communication
goals.
Learning outcomes
- understanding what business English writing is
- being competent in the language use in, different approaches to and stages of business
English writing
- improving business English writing
Business English writing
It is true that people use English so much that it is actually the world’s language of the internet
and of global access to knowledge and information. Together with the fact that more and more
businesses go global, English has been a major language of commercial communication over
the globe, and business English is the name given to the English used for dealing with
business communication in English [14].
Business writing is kind of business communication, which is crucial to success in doing
business. For certain purposes, some genres of business writing such as memos, emails, letters,
notices, leaflets, articles and reports are adopted in the corporate environment. Despite the
differences, business writing is classified into four major functions: instruction, transaction,
persuasion and information. Business writing is important because it can impact on the whole
business cycle: it can win business, or it can lose business [15].
Talbot (2009) points out that business writing bears the following characteristics that you
should keep in mind [14]:
Be correct
Your writing should be free of mistakes and presented in a polite manner. It can convey
exactly what you and your company want to achieve and that can surely match your readers’
minimum expectations as well.
Be concise
Lengthy messages prove to less effective and may cause adverse effects; therefore, you should
keep the language short and clear in order that what you want to achieve can be communicated
in the right way. You should also try to express your main points simply to avoid any
misunderstanding, which may lead to the fact that you lose your customers due to the
confusing messages.
Be influential
You should write and present your ideas in the right layout to create the initial impression on
the readers. This not only means that you respect them but also creates an opportunity to get
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noticed. This right impact differentiates you from competitors and helps bring about the
responses you need.
Focus on your audience
You should always treat the readers as your customers and write the message from their
perspectives. You write proactive words and positive thoughts and empathize with them. This
helps you locate the right tone when you address them.
Business English vs. academic English
Academic writing is the kind of writing that you are required to do at college or university. It
is different from other kinds of writing such as personal, literary, journalistic or business
writing and the difference can be explained partly by its special audience, tone and purpose
[11].
In academic writing, the audience is usually your professor or instructor. Knowing the
audience, those who read what you write, helps you to communicate effectively. Then, the
tone which is your style of expression determines the choice of the appropriate language and
the right layout of the message. Finally, the purpose determines the rhetorical form of the
essays: persuasive or expository. It means that essays and compositions are the typical genres
in academic writing.
In a different way, the audience in business writing is usually your customer, partner, co-
worker or competitor who has some influence on the company you work for. While learning
business writing, you should learn to address the audience well in writing and your professor
or instructor works as the reviewer of your writing piece. Therefore, identifying the right
audience is essential because it helps you adopt the right tone and use the right language and
layouts to convey what you want the audience to know and do. All these things will be
explored carefully in the following sections.
Business English writing: a situation-based approach
Writing is either to provide the information (written production) or to respond to a certain
situation (written interaction) [7]. An example for the former is that you write to describe your
hometown or your favorite place or write an essay to provide your opinions. In this case, you
are quite liberal in including the information in your writing piece. For the latter, it is
situation-based and true for business English writing which is concerned with the language use
in the work environment. It is when you are proactive to write or are requested to write to
someone inside or outside the company. As juniors, you are usually supposed to be a staff
member in a scenario in which you are requested to address a problem or to notify someone of
something, as in:
Scenario 1 You work at VNC Translation Company. Mr. Ha Dat, the Office Manager, left
you a note which requested you to a memo to inform the staff of the year-end
party.
The Board of Directors decided on the company’s year-end party at the White
Palace. Write a memo on his behalf to invite all the staff to attend the event at
5.30 PM on December 29th. You remember to remind them of wearing the
complete dress code and being on time. If anyone has any good idea or offer
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any help, please contact me. Add any relevant information to it.
In this situation, you are highly expected to follow your boss’s specific instruction to write a
memo and include all the situational information detailed in the scenario in it. Besides, you are
quite free to add relevant information to the memo such as games or musical performance at
the event.
In other scenarios, you may be supposed to be the manager or director, and you have the
authority to write a memo or draft a leaflet to be delivered to someone else.
Scenario 2 You are the owner of Thanh Thanh Printing Company at 211 Nguyen Kiem
Street, Phu Nhuan Distict, Ho Chi Minh City. Your company is specialized in
printing various kinds of cards sold to customers in the city. Your company is
going to launch the annual Christmas and New Year campaign and offer
discounts on all the bulk orders worth of more than VND 5 million. Your leaflet
should announce the message of the sale, convey the prestigious image and
reputation of your company in the industry as well as notify potential customers
of the benefits they can enjoy when following what is included in the leaflet.
It is very helpful that before you start writing anything, you should spend some time exploring
the scenario to be sure that you fully understand the situation and you are aware of the fact that
what you are going to write meets the certain requirements mentioned in the scenario.
The why, the what, the who and the how
When exploring the scenario, you should be sure why you are writing. This is important for
you to state your position and address the recipient in the right way. In fact, the scenario will
indicate whether you have the authority to write or are asked to write on behalf of your boss to
cope with an issue. Take the scenario below as an example.
Scenario 3 You work under the supervision of John Bush, Office Manager of MD
Promotions at 142 Nguyen Van Linh Street, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City. You
came to work earlier today and found the note on your desk. Follow his
instructions.
I have been invited to chair the annual conference on hospitality on July 12-14.
Please write an email under my name to reply to the organizers that I am happy
to accept the invitation and will fly there by myself one day before the event.
Tell them that I have not been to Sa Pa before; thus, I will be very grateful if I
could be picked up at the airport and if they could have the accommodations
and daily meals booked for me.
Furthermore, what should be included in the product is another important thing to take into
account. For example, in Scenario 3, you should follow your boss’s instructions strictly and
focus on what you are told to write. You are not permitted to add any further information;
otherwise, you will make a mistake and cause much trouble. Scenario 2 is different. When
doing as what your boss asked you, you are quite free to add any relevant information to your
piece of writing. As a result, you should pay much attention to what you are requested to
write.
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Then, the questions who you are and who you are writing to are also important to consider.
The recipient could be someone within the company, an external reader or a sector. This
actually leads to the choice of formal or informal language use in your writing to express your
tone [14]. For instance, the letter you write to someone who is senior to you is much different
from the one that you write to someone who is under you in lines of authority. These two
letters are quite different in their formality.
Finally, you should carefully think of how you can get your idea communicated in the right
way and this greatly affects the success of your writing. It will be successful if your
communicative intent is highly achieved. This is much related to the choice of language,
modality, sentence structures and ways of handling the situation.
Genres and language styles
In this course book, you are supposed to study seven genres, namely, memos, emails, letters,
notices, articles, reports, and leaflets. In most cases, the language use is formal. You should be
“picky” of the language use to be polite all the time. However, when you write to someone
who is under you or junior to you in terms of ranks, ages, positions, or management level, the
language use, then, is less formal.
Informal language use is not a problem; in contrast, when used under the right circumstance, it
will help the writer and the reader not feel too distant [16]. See the letter sent to Nguyen Huu
Toan from his boss named Lim Fang How. In the correspondence, he addresses his
subordinate very informally.
26 December 2019
Dear Tran Huu Toan (Kenny)
As we continue to transform the way we do business at Zebra, it is important to recognize

employees who make significant contributions to our business. I want to extend our personal
thanks for the outstanding work you did to make Sales Team such a success. I recognize how
you went above and beyond expectations and appreciate the commitment and time you put
forth in this effort.
Please accept the enclosed certificate as appreciation of our thanks. Zebra has also provided
you with a recognition of the USD 3000, which you can claim to recognize the important role
you played in continuing to make zebra a successful business.
Thank you for all your contributions and keep up your good work.
Lim Fang How
When expecting to gain politeness, you should, however, follow the academic writing
restrictions such as avoiding contractions or spoken English. In addition, your writing should
be short and concise to get appealing as business people are often short of time. They do not
have much time to read long texts; accordingly, a lengthy piece of writing might generate
adverse effects on readers.
Contents: factual and inventive
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Although business English writing is situation-based, it is the combination of what is so called
factual and inventive writing. In fact, you are highly expected to express what you do to
address a given situation professionally or expertly. Apart from the facts provided in the
scenarios that you should really adopt, you can cleverly include any other relevant information
in your pieces of writing. The information of this kind is invented or created. Your inventive
ideas should be logical to make a piece of writing more informatic.
Coherence
Unity is not always necessary in business English writing as some topics can be discussed in a
piece of writing; for instance, a short memo can be written to provide the information on
income, bonuses and promotion. In contrast, coherence is a must to ensure that the topics can
be well understood. Coherence in writing means that the sentences must hold together; that is,
the movement from one sentence to the next must be logical and smooth. Each sentence
should flow smoothly into the next one, and there should be “no sudden jumps,” [11].
To be coherent, you should logically present your ideas in a certain order and use proper
transitional words or cohesive devices to express additional, comparative, contrastive, causal
or effectual relations among them [11]. For example, when two ideas come out in a sentence,
there should be a connector to join them and indicate the relation between them. Below are the
cohesive devices and transitional signals [11].
Meaning/ Sentence Clause connectors Others
Function connectors Coordinators Subordinators
To introduce an also, besides, and, nor another, an
additional idea furthermore, in additional
addition,
moreover, too
To compare also, likewise, and just, just as as…as, like/alike,
things similarly, too both…and…, similar to, be
not only…but alike, be similar
also…
neither... nor…
To introduce an however, in but, yet although, even despite, in spite
opposite idea contrast, instead, though, though, of, compared
in/by comparison, while, whereas to/with, be
nevertheless, different (from),
nonetheless, on be dissimilar, be
the other hand, on unlike, differ
the contrary, still (from)
To introduce a otherwise or if, unless
choice or
alternative
To introduce an for instance, for such as, like, as an
example example example of
To emphasize in fact
To explain or indeed, that is
restate
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To introduce a all in all, in brief, It is clear that…
conclusion or in conclusion, in We can see that…
summary short, in The evidence
summary, indeed suggest that…
These examples
show…
To introduce an accordingly, as a so so (that), in Result in, cause,
effect or a result result, as a order that have an effect on,
consequence, affect, the case of,
consequently, the reason for
hence, thus,
therefore
To introduce a for because, since, result from, be the
cause or reason as result of, due to,
because of, the
effect of, the
consequence of,
as a result of, as a
consequence of
To signal first, second,… after, as, as the first, the
chronological first of all, then, soon as, before, second…
order next, now, then, since, until, the next, the last,
soon, last, finally, when, while the final
meanwhile,
gradually, after
that, since then
To indicate Above all, first a more important,
order of and foremost, the most
importance more/most important, the
importantly, most significant,
significantly, the primary
primarily
It should be noted that when but, yet, so and so that are used more often in informal pieces of
writing. To be more formal, you should employ the conjunctive adverbs (sentence connectors)
and subordinators to link ideas.
Logical organization of ideas
The recipients are usually very busy with their paperwork everyday; therefore, besides making
your writing short and concise, you should find ways to keep it clear and relatable. This can be
achieved via the organization of ideas by importance, by time and by space [11].
Logical organization of importance means that your ideas should be listed from the most
important to the least important and vice versa.
Logical organization of time means that your ideas should be presented chronologically
from the earliest to the latest or vice versa.
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Logical organization of place indicates that your ideas should be described in a spatial
order from a site nearby to a farther one, from the inside to the outside or vice versa.
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Stages for business writing
In business English writing, there are six stages that help you write well even when dealing
with perplex scenarios, and these six stages of developing your business English writing skills
will guide you through the book. When following these stages, you can focus on identifying
exactly what you are required to write, designing the layout properly, finding, selecting and
grouping relevant ideas and writing the first draft. Before arriving at the final version and
submitting it to anyone else, remember to check whether you find it satisfactory and whether it
meets the requirements of the given task [3].
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Chapter 2. MEMOS
This chapter focuses on the format of a memo and its constructs. It is composed of the
introduction which covers the theoretical matters, the procedure to build up students’ memo
writing skills and the practice which ranges from the easier tasks to the more difficult ones to
help train their business English writing skills effectively.
Learning outcomes
- understanding the constructs of English memos and emails
- being competent in analyzing the situation and using the appropriate language to write
memos in English
INTRODUCTION
A memo is a type of correspondence used only for communication within an organization,
especially when the subject is more formal, non-routine, and more serious than what you write
in an email [2]. It is usually written to announce an event, introduce a new policy, report the
completion of a task or an ongoing phenomenon or provide information within an
organization. Read the memo below and pay attention to the organization of information and
layout.
To: John William, Head of Supplies Division
From: Mary Jane, Director of Production
Subject: Inventory check
Date: January 1st

Dear Mr. William,
I am writing to inform you that I have the inventory check completed in my department. The
list of office supplies listed for March and April can be found in the attached file. However,
my department is currently in need of five toners of cartridges, one of which is for the color
printer, five rolls of tape, six boxes of ball-point pens, three realms of A4 paper (high quality)
and five boxes of large size clips. The supplies will be used to maintain the paper work; thus,
it is really appreciated if you can have them sent to me as soon as good.
If there is any necessary supplement, we will keep you informed at once.
Yours sincerely,
Mary Jane
A commonly-written memo contains two parts: the header and the body. The former part
includes the full name of the recipient and his/her position, the full name of the writer and
his/her position, the subject which governs the content of the text and the date of writing it.
The latter one is the body of the memo that consists of what the writer wants the recipient to
know or to do. The length of this section depends on the amount of information the writer
wishes to provide; if the text is long, it should be paragraphed appropriately.
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The body of a memo contains four sub-parts. First comes the topic plus the purpose together,
which often appear in the first sentence of the text. Then follow the details of the topic which
are developed to ensure that all the information needing to be communicated has been
included in it. The next part is composed of the explanations and/or requirements, and the last
part involves requests and/or offers. The first two parts are compulsory while the last two are
just optional. You can choose to organize the information in the memo either by block method
(All the information is presented in one paragraph) or point-by-point method (Each topic is
discussed in one paragraph).
The formality of the memo depends much on who you are addressing to state your tone and
use the appropriate layout. Sometimes, it is more polite to include the salutation and the
complimentary close in the memo (as in the example above).
BUILDING UP YOUR MEMO WRITING SKILLS

Stage 1: Identify the task
Read the task requirement carefully and exactly identify what you are requested to write. The
instruction may be “Write the correctly-laid out memo” or “write the memo”. It is useful to
note down or underline any additional instructions such as “write tactfully” or “add any
relevant to it”.
Stage 2: Layout
The layout is important for achieving the politeness because it creates the first impression on
the recipient. It is true that the incorrectly-written layout memo fails to get attracted and
sometimes is treated as lack of respect for the recipient.
As seen from the example above, a memo is conventionally composed of a header and a body.
The straight alignment on the left margin occurs throughout the memo while the right margin
is left natural. There is some space between blocks of information; thus, when writing a
memo, you should save a blank line between two blocks of information or two paragraphs. As
a result, an appropriate layout memo should be chosen before you start writing anything else.
Stage 3: Identify relevant information
The memo is generally quite short. It should include enough so that the correct information is
communicated, but should not include extra to this; hence, you should be much selective of
what you write to avoid the adverse effect.
Stage 4: Group and order relevant information
The information in the writing task is often presented in a suitable order. Sometimes, however,
the different information is mixed up. In this case, it is useful to group information according
to the themes and order them based on time, space or importance.
Stage 5: Write the memo
Language used in memos is shorter and more direct than that in a letter. You should stay to the
point but be polite. Be careful for extra instructions because it helps you choose the right
language, ensure the task fulfillment and use the correct layout.
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Stage 6: Check your work
The following is a list of points to check whether you complete the task well when you have
finished writing a memo.
1. Have you completed the task?
2. Is it to or from the correct person?
3. Does the subject line tell you in a few words what the memo is about?
4. Is it the correct date?
5. Have you included all the relevant information?
6. Have you grouped or ordered information in the best way?
7. Is the language appropriate for the memo?
8. Have you checked spelling, grammar and punctuation?
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PRACTICES
Practice 1
Scenario You work for Dunn’s Wholesale Confectionery of 200-202 Mars Road,
London EC6 MB5. Your Office Manager is Miss Jane Treadgold. You
arrive at work one morning and find the following note from her on your
desk. Carry out her instructions [3].
Write a correctly-laid out memo under my name to all company representatives, informing
them that the new supply of company-headed writing paper, notepad and ball pens embossed
with the company’s name and address, which are to be given to customers, has arrived and
will be available to the reps from next Tuesday in the office. I need to know in writing by next
Monday the quantities of these items each rep requires.

Write a correctly laid-out memo to all the company representatives regarding the pending
availability of new office stationery.
Stage 2: Layout
To: All representatives, Dunn’s Wholesale Confectionery
From: Miss Jane Treadgold, Office Manager
Subject: Stationery needs
Date: December 20th, 2019

new supply of stationery my office
be given to customer orders in writing by next Monday
available next Tuesday specific quantity required

1. new supply of stationery 3. my office
4. be given to customer 6. orders in writing by next Monday
2. available next Tuesday 5. specific quantity required
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To: All representatives, Dunn’s Wholesale Confectionery
From: Miss Jane Treadgold, Office Manager
Subject: Stationery needs
The new supply of stationery, including company-headed paper, notepad and ball pens
embossed with the company’s name and address, will be available from next Tuesday in my
office. These are to be distributed to our customers.
All of you should decide how many of these items are required in writing. I need to have your
orders sent to my office by next Monday at the latest.
Stage 6: Check your work 

The following is a list of points to check when you have written a memo.
1. Will the person who receives the email able to understand the message? 
2. Is it to or from the correct person? 
3. Does the subject line tell you in a few words what the memo is about? 
4. Is it the correct date? 
5. Have you included all the relevant information? 
6. Have you grouped or ordered information in the best way? 
7. Is the language appropriate for the email? 
8. Have you checked spelling, grammar and punctuation? 
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Practice 2
Scenario Just after Jimmy Smith, your colleague, has left the office of Newton Furniture
to go home one evening, Mrs. Sue Fowler tells you that she wants you to spend
the next two days at another branch of the company where two members of staff
are off sick. Mrs. Fowler tells you to leave a memo for Jimmy Smith, asking him
to do important jobs you had planned for the next day. These include:
- making two telephone calls to customers telling them their orders will
arrive three days later than promised, because of machine breakdown.
- interviewing at 2 pm a Mr. J. King, who has a complaint about a
bedroom suite he bought; among several other tasks [3]

Write a correctly laid-out memo to Jimmy Smith regarding the important jobs he is supposed
to do.
Stage 2: Layout
To: Jimmy Smith
From: your name
Subject: tasks during my absence
Date: today’s date

phone to Compact Inc. and Hitek Corporation notify them that their orders will arrive three day
apologize for the delay late
I am away for two days interview Mr. J King to address his complaint
contact me by phone in case of emergency do other tasks as usually
report to Mrs. Fowler

____ phone to Compact Inc. and Hitek ____ notify them that their orders will arrive
Corporation three day late
____ apologize for the delay ____ interview Mr. J King to address his
____ I am away for two days complaint
____ contact me by phone in case of ____ do other tasks as usually
emergency
____ report to Mrs. Fowler
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1. Have you completed the task? 
2. Is it to or from the correct person? 
3. Does the subject line tell you in a few words what the memo is about? 
4. Is it the correct date? 
5. Have you included all the relevant information? 
6. Have you grouped or ordered information in the best way? 
7. Is the language appropriate for the memo/email? 
8. Have you checked spelling, grammar and punctuation? 
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Practice 3
Scenario You work for Goode’s Hotel Ltd., 98 Cranmer Road, Luton, Bedfordshire
LU22 2XL, which is the head office of the Goode’s Hotel Organization. It
has thirty hotels in different parts of the UK. Jane Stott leaves the following
note for you. Carry out her instruction [3].
Tom Page, the Personnel Manager, has four members of staff off sick today. Would you rather
write a memo for him under his name to all Head Office union representatives of Goode’s
Hotel Ltd and ask them to attend the meeting tomorrow at twelve noon in the Conference
Room? It is very urgent, so he wants the memo to be in their hands today and wants them to
acknowledge that they have received it so that they will have no excuse for not attending the
meeting. Unfortunately, eight staff members have to be made redundant and he wants to
consult the reps on the matter. He doesn’t want them to know about it until the meeting
tomorrow, however. Lunch will be provided at the meeting, and if any of them are vegetarians
or on special diets, they should let Mr. Page know.

Write a correctly laid-out memo to all Head Office union representatives regarding the urgent
meeting tomorrow.
Stage 2: Layout
To: All Head Office union representatives
From: Tom Page
Subject: Urgent meeting
Date: today’s date
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7. Is the language appropriate for the memo? 
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Practice 4
Scenario You work for John Wallace, the owner of Flower Box at 122 Hai Ba Trung
Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. He sells wholesale to shops as well as
retail to customers. When you arrive at work this morning, you find the
hurriedly-written note from Mr. Wallace on your desk. Write a memo to all
employees including the information in the note below.
The flu season coming– a lot of people work no matter how badly they feel – spreading their germs
and the misery to their co-workers – stay home for a couple of days if coming down with the flu– visit
doctors if in a serious case –get flu shots, –sick workers probably cost companies more money - so
get well and keep the rest of the office happy and healthy.

Write a memo to all employees regarding the coming flu season.
Stage 2: Layout
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Practice 5
Scenario Richard Barry is the Manager of Clacton Business Properties, 112 Morse
Avenue, Clacton, Essex, PO 21 3 MF, a company for which you work [3].
I have to go out immediately and won’t be back for two days. Will you write a memo for me to
Mary Smith – the one in the Property Sales Department, not Accounting. It can get confusing
at times having two people with the same name. Tell Mary – under my name – that when we
receive requests for details of properties for sale, they must be sent by first class post the day
we receive the requests. Apparently, some people have had to wait two or three days for
information about properties because it has been sent by snail mail. By the way, Mr. Alan
Foot will be phoning today about the possibility of our buying a new copier from him,
apologize for my absence and ask him to contact me next week. Also, ask Mary to double-
check the addresses of people she sends property details to as last week three letters were
addressed incorrectly. We mustn’t lose our reputation for inefficiency.

Write a memo to
Stage 2: Layout
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Practice 6
Scenario Jane Simmonds, Personnel Manager of Alpha Electronics, 80-90 Zeus
Street, Manchester GG73, 6LP, says to you, “Will you write a memo from
me to Simon Clark, my deputy?[3]
When he returns from holiday next Monday, I shall be starting a three-day conference at
Horrogate. Ask him to interview the four candidates for the clerical vacancy in the Mailing
Section on Monday, starting at 2.30 pm. He should make an appointment if there is a suitable
candidate. They have been invited to the interview and their application forms and references
are in the middle drawer of my desk. I’ll leave the key with you. On Tuesday at 10 am, Gerry
Rhodes, the Union Rep, has an appointment to see me. If Simon can deal with whatever he
wants, I shall be grateful. If not, I’ll make another appointment to see Gerry when I’m back on
Thursday.
Stage 2: Layout
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Practice 7
Scenario The company you work for, Winona's, has released the notice below. As the
Sales Department Head, you are requested to write a memo to all of your
subordinates to be vigilant for threats at all times. Add any information that
you find relevant [18].
BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS
The management of Winona's would like to alert all patrons to beware of pickpockets. A spate
of thefts has been taking place in recent weeks, and in order to avoid a ruined evening, we
urge you to be extra vigilant with your personal property. We have our suspicions as to who is
guilty of these thefts, and would like to make this fact known. Winona's has a city-wide
reputation as a nightclub of the highest quality, and we do not appreciate the efforts of those
working to damage this reputation. We have notified the police of the current situation and
will not hesitate to encourage anyone who falls victim to theft while on our premises to press
full charges, should the thief be identified.
Stage 2: Layout
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Stage 5: Write the memo.

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Practice 8
Scenario You work in TTC Land’s Advertising Department and your boss is Le Trong
Luong (Mr.). The headquarters is located at 12 Hoang Van Thu Street, Tan
Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City. You arrive at work one morning and find
the following note on your desk.
I am away on business unexpectedly. Write a memo to inform all employees that the deadline
for the in-house “Innovation in Marketing” contest has been postponed to March 22.
Advertising Development is continuing to accept the entries via the email address at
ad.department@ ttcland.org.vn. Accept original ideas only for the online advertising
campaign. Need to reflect the true face of our company and the people working for it. Convey
to the public that we are a caring company, not just focused on profits. Tell customers that we
are the best at what we do. Don’t forget to remind them of the big cash prize for the winners.
Stage 2: Layout
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Stage 5: Write the memo.

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Chapter 3. EMAILS
This chapter focuses on the format of an email and its constructs. It is composed of the
introduction which covers the theoretical matters, the procedure to build up students’ email
Learning outcomes
- understanding the constructs of English emails
memos in English
INTRODUCTION
Letters convey messages outside of an organization, and memos convey messages inside an
organization. Lately, however, a new type of correspondence has been taking the place of
both: e-mail. Because it can be instantly sent and received anywhere at any time, e-mail is
rapidly growing in popularity [1].
Emails are a type of correspondence for business communication which is generally used both
within an organization and outside an organization. Traditionally, the subject of emails is
relatively informal and routine; however, they cover the formal ones now. Although an email
is considered as being less formal than a letter, it is currently being used as an official form of
communication over the globe [2].
An email contains four major parts: the header, the salutation, the body and the complimentary
close. Read the following email [19] on the next page and pay attention to its organization of
information and layout.
First, the header includes the email address of the recipient, the email address of the sender,
the subject which governs the content of the text and the date of writing it. Nevertheless, when
writing an email on the computer, the date is excluded.
Second, the salutation begins with Dear at all times, followed by a prefix (Mr., Ms., Miss or
Mrs.) and the last name of the person you know or the job title of the person you might not
now
Third, the body of the email that consists of what the writer wants the recipient to know or to
do. The length of this section depends on the amount of information the writer wishes to
provide; if the text is long, it should be paragraphed appropriately. The body of an email
contains four subparts. First come the topic and the purpose together, which often appear in
the first sentence of the text. Then follow the details of the topic which are developed to
ensure that all the information needing to be communicated has been included in it. The next
part is composed of the explanations and/or requirements, and the last part involves requests
and/or offers. The first two parts are compulsory while the last two are just optional. You can
choose to organize the information in the email either by block or point-by-point method).
Last, the complimentary close ends the email with either of the typical phrases: Yours
sincerely or Yours faithfully followed by the full name of the sender. For some emails, a
28
signature block (full name of the sender, office address, home address, phone number, website
address) is included at the bottom of the email to provide further contact information about the
sender.
To: b.bishop@gmail.com
From: brothersstore.cuserve@gmail.com
Subject: Thank-you

Dear Mrs. Bishop
I am writing to let you know that we received your recent email last Friday and have already
extended your words to the two staff who gave assistance to you.
Mark Simpson and Mary Jane, the two kind staff members, really appreciate your kindness
and promise to work harder to satisfy every customer’s needs. We also add that providing the
good quality customer service is the top priority of our store; therefore, not only the sales staff
but any other one working on our premises is always willing to provide help to those in need.
This actually has made our own corporate culture and identity of providing high quality goods,
affordable prices and good services.
Your feedback really encourages us to work better for the customer’s sake and we do hope
that you will always enjoy shopping in our chain in the upcoming time.
Yours sincerely
Peter Parker
The formality of the email depends much on who you are addressing to state your tone and use
the appropriate layout. There is some kind of interrelatedness between the salutation and the
complimentary close in the memo. For instance, Dear Mr. Mills at the salutation goes with
Yours sincerely at the complimentary close; nonetheless, if the salutation begins with Dear
Sir, it should close with Yours faithfully. Also, the punctuation is also optional after the
salutation and the complimentary close. See more examples in the table below.
Salutation Complimentary close
Dear Mr. Mills, Yours sincerely,
Dear Ms. Bush,
Dear Miss May
Dear Sir: Yours faithfully,

Dear President,
BUILDING UP YOUR EMAIL WRITING SKILLS

Read the task requirement carefully and exactly identify what you are requested to write. The
instruction may be “Write the correctly-laid out email” or “write the email”. It is useful to note
29
down or underline any additional instructions such as “write tactfully” or “add any relevant to
it”.
Stage 2: Layout
The layout of an email is important for achieving the politeness because it creates the first
impression on the recipient and makes him/her want to read it. It is true that the incorrectly-
written layout email fails to get attracted and sometimes is treated as lack of respect for the
recipient.
As seen from the example above, an email is conventionally composed of four essential parts.
The straight alignment on the left margin occurs throughout the email while the right margin is
left natural. There is some space between blocks of information; thus, when writing an email,
you should save a blank line between two blocks of information or two paragraphs. As a
result, an appropriate layout email must be chosen before you start writing anything else.
The email is generally quite short. It should include enough so that the correct information is
communicated but should not include extra to this. Pay attention to the audience, the tone and
the purpose and choose the right language and layout to get the message communicated.
Lengthy emails may cause the adverse effects, whereas the short emails will fail to
communicate your ideas politely.
Often the information in the writing task is presented in a suitable order. Sometimes, however,
the different information is mixed up. In this case, it is useful to group information according
to the themes and order them based on time, space or importance.
Stage 5: Write the email
Language used in emails is shorter and more direct than that in a letter. Stay to the point but be
polite. Be careful for extra instructions which might say “Write the memo tactfully.”
When you have written an email, use the list of points below to check whether you have
successfully completed the task before pressing the “send” button.
1. Will the person who receives the email be able to understand the message?
3. Does the subject line tell you in a few words what the email is about?
7. Is the language appropriate for the email?
30
PRACTICES
Practice 1
Scenario You work in London Bank’s Customer Service. Your boss is Anne Asley.
You arrive at work one morning and find the printed email. She wants you
to write a reply email in which you answer Ms. Anderson’s questions,
apologize for the bank’s mistake in issuing a second credit card and provide
the way to recall it as regulated in the bank policy.
To: ldbank.customerserv@gmail.com
From: k.anderson@yahoo.com
Subject: Credit card
Date: January 21st, 2020
Dear Sirs,
I recently received a replacement for my expired credit card through the mail. I had already
started using this card when I received yet another card. I am now a little confused about
which card I should be using, and I was wondering if I should have one of the cards cancelled.
Would it be adequate just to cut up the second card?
Unfortunately, I am housebound, so I am unable to visit the bank in person. I should be most

grateful if you could advise me on this matter. I look forward to your response.
Yours faithfully,
Kylie Anderson

Write a correctly laid-out email to Mrs. Kylie Anderson.
Stage 2: Layout
To: k.anderson@yahoo.com
From: ldbank.customerser@gmail.com
Subject: credit card
Date: any date after January 21st, 2020

sorry for sending the second card current company policy
first card to be used have one credit card only
second card to be recalled sorry for any inconvenience
have it sent back to the bank have it collected by weekend
31
1. sorry for sending the second card 2. new policy
4. first card to be used 3. have one credit card only
5. second card to be recalled 8. sorry for any inconvenience
6. have it sent back to the bank 7. have it collected by weekend

To: k.anderson@yahoo.com
From: ldbank.customerser@gmail.com
Subject: Second credit card
Date: January 31st, 2020
Dear Mrs. Anderson,
I am sorry for having sent you a second credit card, causing you to be confused about which
one you should use. The current company policy has it that each customer should legally bear
one credit card; therefore, the first one is valid and you can use it as normally as it has been
started, meaning that the second one is to be recalled.
Could you send it or have it sent to London Bank’s Customer Service? Otherwise, I will have
it picked up at your home address by the weekend in case there is some trouble with it when it
is missing. I do apologize for any inconvenience this incident may cause for you and hope that
you will continue to use your our bank credit service.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Parker
Customer Service

The following is a list of points to check when you written an email.
1. Will the person who receives the email be able to understand the message? 
3. Does the subject line tell you in a few words what the email is about? 
7. Is the language appropriate for the email? 
32
Practice 2
Scenario Your General Manager, Mrs. Anne Dexter, tells you that a number of
customers of your company’s mail-order bookselling business have
complained that they have been sent different books from the ones they
ordered [3].
She asks you to write an email to Harry Holland, Supervisor of the Packing Department at
h.holland@hotmail.com.uk. “Be tactful,” she says. “Ask Harry to have customers’ orders
checked twice before posting them. If he needs extra staff, he should make an appointment
through you to see me. Ask if he has any problems of procedure, lazy staff or other difficulties.
Tell him I appreciate how hard he works but we must satisfy the customers at all costs.

Write a tactful email to Harry Holland, Supervisor of the Packing Department at
h.holland@hotmail.com.uk about customers’ complaints.
Stage 2: Layout
To: h.holland@hotmail.com.uk
From:
Subject: Order check
Date:
33

The following is a list of points to check when you have written an email.
1. Will the person who receives the email be able to understand the message? 
3. Does the subject line tell you in a few words what the email is about? 
7. Is the language appropriate for the email? 
34
Practice 3
Scenario You work at Brothers Store and Jane May is your boss. She wants you to
write a reply email to Mrs. Brenda Bishop to confirm the receipt of her email,
say what you have done at her request and emphasize the good customer
service we provide. Add any information that you find relevant [19].
To: brothersstore.cuserve@gmail.com
From: b.bishop@gmail.com
Subject: Special thanks
Dear Sirs,
Although I am sure you are used to receiving letters from dissatisfied customers, I am writing
to thank you for the kind treatment I received from two of your store clerks earlier this week. I
was doing my weekly shopping when I began to feel dizzy. It appears that I passed out. When
it came to, a very nice young woman took me to the staff break room. She gave me a glass of
water, took my shopping list and asked one of the packing staff (a middle-aged gentleman) to
gather up all the items on the list. This kind man then drove me home with the grocery items
which he had kindly picked up for me. I am most grateful to both of these people. Please
convey my thanks to them.
Faithfully,
Brenda Bishop
Stage 2: Layout
35

36
Practice 4
Scenario Suppose that you are Percy Hunter, Marketing Head. You find the hasty
introduction of the new company smoking policy ineffective, and this might
provoke angry reactions from all employees due to the lack of a prior notice.
Email to Alan Best at a.best@healthcare.com.us to express your concern
and discuss any ideas that you think may help out [18].
To: John Butler, Sandra Oates, Percy Hunter & Vivian Westwood
From: Alan Best
Re: Smoking Policy
Date: January 12th
I just want to notify all department managers that on January 1st, the new company smoking
policy is going to be introduced. This policy will be enforced strictly. Please remind all
employees in your department of the following:
The whole of the company premises is now a no-smoking area, therefore:
* Smoking is no longer allowed in the break rooms or toilets.
* Smoking is not allowed in the factory.
* Smoking is not permitted in the parking garage, nor any enclosed area.
* Any employee who gives up smoking is entitled to a bonus (subject to the results of
mandatory health checks every six months).
Stage 2: Layout
37
Stage 5: Write the email.

38
Practice 5
Scenario You work for Mr. Alan Walker of Johnson’s Motors. You arrived at work
this morning and found the note from him [17].
I have received the email from Matthew Jernsted complaining about our
Coupon #MUJ8745 run in the national paper earlier this month. Write a
reply email under my name to explain why he was not eligible for the
coupon and convince him that his friends and acquaintances are not at fault
and will be eligible for the ongoing and upcoming programs if they apply for
them and meet our terms and conditions.
From: m.jernsted@ufm.edu.vn
To: johnson.mortors@gmail.com
Re: Coupon # MUJ8745
Date: May 21, 2020
Dear Sirs,
I recently applied for the coupon, the details of which ran in the national press earlier this
month. I am a 35-year-old with a clean driving license, no traffic violations, a perfect credit
record, and no criminal background. However, when I tried to apply for this rental offer, I was
treated like a common criminal.
I object strongly to the fact that I was fingerprinted, and my prints were run through police
records. All I wanted to do was to take advantage of a $15 rental discount. I had heard that
Johnson's Motors operates according to very strict guidelines, but this is ridiculous.
Furthermore, my application was rejected with no explanation other than, "Sorry, you do not
fit our rental criteria." I cannot begin to imagine who you do rent cars to.
I will be warning all my friends and acquaintances against using Johnson's Motors.
Faithfully,
Matthew Jernsted
Stage 2: Layout
39

40
Practice 6
Scenario You work for Grace Brothers Department Store. You arrived at work this
morning and found the note from your boss [19].
I got the email last night. See Alan Taylor in the Sales Department to find
out the case and reply to Ms. Carter’s email. Don’t forget to thank her for
her feedback and explain the situation that the supplier. Write the email
tactfully and assert that we will always look forward to serving her in our
chain.
To: GraceBros@gracebros.com
From: misco@hotnet.com
Subject: Complaint
Date: Sept. 23
Dear Sirs,
As a regular customer at Grace Brothers Department Store, I feel compelled to complain about
the recent increase in prices. I have always considered your store to be of a high quality, but
with reasonable prices. However, over the past few months, I have noticed that your prices
have been creeping up. This week I went to purchase a cosmetic product which I buy, on
average, about 4 times a year. Of course I like prices to remain static, but this time the price
had risen by over 50%. I saw the same item on sale at a much lower price in a rival store.
Needless to say, I bought the cheaper item.
I am not sure what explanation you can offer, but I just wanted to let you know how I feel.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Carter
Stage 2: Layout
41

42
Practice 7
Scenario You work in Bayview Hotel and your boss is Mr. Frank Mills. You come in
the office one morning and find the note below [17].
Draft a reply email for me this morning. We will have the rooms that he
wants. Tell him to make the booking online and remit the deposit of 20% of
the total bill to Bayview Hotel’s bank account. We’ll send him the written
confirmation right after the payment. Remind him that our hotel is not pet-
friendly and offers the late checkout service as well. Add any relevant
information to it.
To: Frank Mills, Bayview Hotel <bayview@bynet.co>

From: Barry French <bfrench@conet.com>
Subject: Reservation
Date: April 12th
Dear Mr. Mills,
I would like to make a reservation for one double and one twin room for the last week of June
for six nights. I will be traveling with my wife and two twelve-year-old daughters. I would be
most grateful if the two rooms could be next to each other in order that we can be near to our
children. Also, if possible, we would like to have rooms with a view of the bay.
I understand that rooms on this side of the hotel are, of course, charged at a slightly higher
rate. We would like to take advantage of the daily breakfast buffet, but will not be requiring an
evening meal. Please let me know if you have a suitable vacancy.
Yours sincerely,
Barry French
Stage 2: Layout
43

44
Practice 8
45
Scenario You work for Hanley Electronics. You arrived at work this morning and
found the note from Mr. James Bond, Head of Customer Care Division [19].
Write an email to Zelda Whitfield to apologize her for the inconvenience.

Tell her to take the tongs and the printed online receipt to any branch of
Hanley Electronics for the technician to check. She could get her money
back or exchange it for a new one if it had not been damaged by improper
use. Remind her that warranty is valid within 15 days of purchase. Write the
email tactfully.
To: customer.care@hanley.co
From: zelda22fdh@ipmail.com
Subject: Faulty goods
Date: May 19, 2020
I found this address on the side of the packet of one of your products, so I hope this is the
correct address for complaints. If not, would you please forward this to the correct address? I
am emailing you because of a problem that I experienced with a Hanley Electronics product. I
have been using Hanley products for many years, and this was the first time that I have had
any trouble. I recently purchased the Hanley Magic Straight/Wave Hair tongs from the online
shopping mall on your website.
I had seen them advertised on television and in various fashion magazines. The problem is that
even after waiting the recommended 5 minutes, the tongs did not realty seem to heat up. I
waited a further 5 minutes, but they still didn't get any hotter. I tried using them to straighten
my hair, but nothing happened, and it was a waste of time. I would, therefore, like to receive a
refund. Could you tell me how I should go about this?
Thank you for your time.
Zelda Whitfield
Stage 2: Layout
46

47
Chapter 4. LETTERS
This chapter focuses on the format of a letter and its constructs. It is composed of the
introduction which covers the theoretical matters, the procedure to build up students’ letter
Learning outcomes
- understanding the constructs of English letters
letters in English
INTRODUCTION
A letter is the most traditional form of communication and in business writing it is the most
formal kind of correspondence; thus, letter writing is an essential part of business
communication. Whether written on the computer or on the paper, a letter usually consists of
the header, the salutation, the body and the complimentary close [13]. Read the letter below
and pay attention to the organization of information and the layout.
Bloom & Bloom Accounting Group
212 Nguyen Hue Street, District 1,
Ho Chi Minh City
January 1st, 2019
Mr. Jane Mitchell

20 Le Trong Tan Street,
Binh Tan District,
Ho Chi Minh City
Dear Mr. Mitchell
I am pleased to notify you that you have qualified for the full-time employment as a marketing
manager for the Bloom & Bloom Accounting Group. We are confident that your knowledge,
skills and experience will be valuable to our firm. You will report directly to Mr. Sanders, who
will instruct you of your specific responsibilities during the probation period. If you have any
further questions regarding our offer, you can contact us immediately. Otherwise, could you
please sign every page of the enclosed contract and return it to us on or before January 20th?
We look forward to seeing you at the orientation on January 21 at 9 am.
Yours sincerely
Nguyen Phuong Lan

HR Manager
48
Each letter writer has a characteristic way of writing, including his style of writing, his way of
expressing thoughts, or the facts, but it must be emphasized that the routine in writing of
official business letters requires certain accepted idioms, set phrases, fixed patterns, grammar
and even a certain arrangement of their parts on a sheet of paper [13]. Therefore, certain skills
must be acquired by practice and details of writing must be carefully and thoroughly learnt.
First, the header includes the address of the sender, the inside address of the recipient and the
date of writing it. The sender’s address placed in the top right-hand corner of the page usually
follows the UK order: full name of the sender, job title, name of the department, company
name, name of house/building, number of house/building, name of street, name of the
town/city/ post code and name of the country. Next is the date of writing the letter which is
written right below the sender’s address. Finally, The inside address of the recipient placed in
the left-hand corner of the page usually follows the UK order: full name of the recipient, job
title, name of the department, company name, name of house/building, number of
house/building, name of street, name of the town/city/ post code and name of the country.
Remember to align straight on the left margin on each block of information [1].
Second, the salutation begins with Dear at all times, followed by a prefix (Mr., Ms., Miss or
Mrs.) and the last name of the person you know or the job title of the person you might not
now (Sirs, Madam, or President). In business writing, the courtesy title salute for men is Mr.
and for women is Ms., while Mrs. and Miss are addressed more personally [1].
Third, the body of the letter conveys what the sender wants the recipient to know or to do. The
length of this section depends on the amount of information the writer wishes to provide; if the
text is long, it should be paragraphed appropriately. The body of a letter also contains four
subparts. First come the topic and the purpose together, which often appear in the first
sentence of the text or the first paragraph. Then follow the details of the topic which are
developed to ensure that all the information needing to be communicated has been included in
it in the same paragraph or in a separate one. The next part is composed of the explanations
and/or requirements, and the last part involves requests and/or offers. The first two parts are
compulsory, while the last two are just optional. You can choose to organize the information
in the letter either by block method or point-by-point method.
Last, the complimentary close ends the letter with either of the typical phrases: Yours
sincerely or Yours faithfully followed by the signature and the full name of the sender and the
job. If writing a letter under someone else’s name, you should add p.p. before your signature.
For some letters, a signature block (office address, home address, phone number, website
address) is included at the bottom of the letter to provide further contact information about the
sender.
The formality of the email depends much on who you are addressing to state your tone and use
the appropriate layout. There is some kind of interrelatedness between the salutation and the
complimentary close as in an email; also, the punctuation is also optional after the salutation
and the complimentary close.
BUILDING UP YOUR LETTER WRITING SKILLS
Read the writing task requirement carefully and exactly identify what you are requested to
write. The instruction may be “Write the correctly-laid out letter” or “write the appropriate
49
reply”. It is useful to note down or underline any additional instructions such as “write
tactfully” or “add any relevant to it”.
Stage 2: Layout
The layout of a letter is important for achieving the politeness because it creates the first
written layout email fails to get attracted and sometimes is treated as lack of respect for the
recipient.
As in the example above, a letter is conventionally composed of four essential parts. The
straight alignment on the left margin of each block of information occurs throughout the letter
while the right margin is left natural. There is some space between blocks of information; thus,
when writing a letter, you should save a blank line between two blocks of information or two
paragraphs. As a result, an appropriate layout letter must be chosen before you start writing
anything else.
The letter is usually used to reply to a given letter or to provide information. Decide exactly
what the recipient wants to know and then identify the relevant information to express exactly
what you want to communicate. Although a letter is normally longer than an email or a memo,
it is noted that lengthy letters might lead to the tedium and hardly anyone wants to read it.
You might want to include the information of different topics in one letter; it is useful to group
information according to the themes and order them based on time, space or importance.
Stage 5: Write the letter
Language used in letters is normally polite; we should use the formal style of writing. Focus
on what you want to achieve in order that you can stay to the point.
When you finish writing a letter, refer to the following list of points to check if you have
successfully completed the task.
6. Is the language appropriate for the letter?
50
PRACTICES
Practice 1
Scenario You work for John Wallace, a flower, fruit and vegetable grower of
Creasey’s Farm, Cold Aston, Gloucestershire, GL 99 9OK. John Wallace
says to you, “I have just received this letter. Will you please draft a reply to
it under my name? Tell Mr. Horner that I agree with what he says. I am
looking forward to meeting him personally and hope we can finalize our
deal. Now let me see. Yes, I’ll drive one of the cars to meet him –it should
take me just over an hour to get to Cheltenham, pick him up and return
here. Check the vehicle allocation chart for that day and tell Mr. Horner
the license number to look out for. I must dash now as I’ve got to see Mr.
Legg of Applecart Farm in twenty minutes’ time [3].
Horner’s Store
1 Tattoo Road,
Edinburgh
ED9 9XX
29th February 2018
Mr. John Wallace

Creasey’s Farm
Cold Aston, Gloucestershire
GL99 9OK
Dear Mr. Wallace,
The four shops that I am setting up in Gloucestershire as part of my extension plans will be
opening on 2 April. You will recall our telephone discussions about your supplying them with
your products. I thought it would be pleasant if we could meet personally to finalize
everything and get to know each other.
If you agree and if it would be convenient for you, I could call to see you on Monday, 9
March. I could arrive by train at Cheltenham Station at 10:30 A.M. (if the train is on time) and
wonder if you could arrange for me to be met there? I should be delighted if you can manage
this, but I shall understand if it does not fit in with your plans. If not, perhaps we could arrange
to meet another day. I tried to phone you about this three times today but could not get
through.
I look forward to your reply and, eventually, to meeting you.
Yours sincerely,
Edward Horner
51
VEHICLE ALLOCATION CHART – JOHN WALLACE – Monday, 9 March 2018
Vehicles Registration Destination Time Driver

number
Lorry E172LDD London All day Joe
Lorry E173LDD In Garage for service All day -
Lorry E174LDD Evesham 9am-2pm Mick
Lorry E175LDD Northleach 9am-10am Will
Car G444NDD Oxford 10.45am-3pm Gerald
Car G578NDD Ham Farm 8.30am-10am Tom
Car G666NDD Gloucester 11.20am-5pm Tom
Hawling 9am-10am Greg
Burford 11am-1pm Greg
Worcester 1pm-5pm Sam

Write a correctly laid-out letter to Edward Horner from John Wallace to arrange a meeting.
Stage 2: Layout
Your company address: Creasey’s Farm, Cold Aston, Gloucestershire, GL99 9OK
The date: today’s date
The recipient: Horner’s Store, 1 Tattoo Road, Edinburgh, ED9 9XX
The correct salutation: Dear Mr. Horner
The complimentary close: Yours sincerely
The signature/name/position: p.p. (your signature), John Wallace, Managing Director

thanks for the letter/ 29 Feb. 2018 John Wallace will meet him
agree with Horner/personal meeting- good personally/Cheltenham Station
idea driving a car/reg. G578 NDD
look forward to meeting him personally Monday, March 9th, 10:30 Cheltenham
hope to finalize deal Railway Station

1. thanks for the letter/ 29 Feb. 2018 2. agree with Horner/personal meeting- good idea
3. meet him personally 4. finalize deal
5. John Wallace will meet him 6. Monday, March 9th, 10:30 Cheltenham Railway
personally/Cheltenham Station
7. driving a car/reg. G578 NDD Station
8. confirm with secretary
52
Creasey’s Farm
Cold Aston, Gloucestershire,
GL99 9OK
29th February 2018
Mr. Edward Horner

Horner’s Stores
1 Tattoo Road,
Edinburgh,
ED9 9XX
Dear Mr. Horner,
Thank you for your letter of 29th February 2018. A personal meeting to finalize details is an
excellent idea. I will meet you myself at 10:30 A.M. on Monday 9th March at Cheltenham
Station. The car I will be driving has the registration number G578 NDD.
Please could you confirm these details with my secretary?
I look forward to meeting you.
Yours sincerely,
p.p. (Your signature)

John Wallace
Managing Director

The following is a list of points to check when you have written a letter.
1. Have you completed the task? 
6. Is the language appropriate for the letter? 
53
Practice 2
Scenario You work for Goode’s Hotel Ltd., 98 Cranmer Road, Luton, Bedfordshire LU22
2XL, which is the head office of the Goode’s Hotel Organization. It has thirty hotels
in different parts of the UK.
Jane Stott, the Publicity Manager, hands you the following letter saying, “Will you
draft a reply to this under my name, please? Look in my diary for the date
mentioned by Mr. Carter to see when I am available. I shall accept the invitation if I
am free. I don’t require any special equipment but I should like the conference
members to have pens or pencils and paper. I am quite happy for the session to be
as Mr. Carter suggests. Let me see, I’d better allow three hours for the journey to
Brighton” [3].
GOULD HOTEL
Gloucester Place Taunton, Somerset TA99 9BP
Telephone: Tauton 1212121 (5 lines)
25th February 2018

Goode’s Hotel Ltd
98 Cranmer Road, Luton
Bedfordshire, LU22 2XL
Dear Miss. Stott,
I am writing to you as Chairman of the UK Hotel Owner’s Association. Our annual conference
this year is being held at the Ming Hotel, Brighton from Tuesday 8th September to Friday 11th
September.
We are hoping to have a half-day session on publicity and, because of your high reputation in
this field, would like to invite you to lead this session. If you accept, we shall, of course, pay
you a fee plus expenses.
Would you please let me know as soon as possible if you can accept and also which day and
time would be convenient for you? If you need any equipment such as a projector, we can
have this available.
We were wondering if the session could consist of a talk by you, then the members could form
groups for discussion and to prepare questions for you to answer at the end of the session. Of
course, if you would prefer different arrangements, we shall fit in with them.
I do hope you will be able to accept our invitation.
Yours sincerely,
Ralph L. Carter
54
Diary SEPTEMBER – MISS JANE STOTT
(Sunday 6 to Saturday 12)
Sunday AM
PM
Monday AM Conference “Publicity”, 9am-12 noon
PM
Tuesday AM Appointment, Managing Director, 9am-10am
PM
Wednesday AM Day off
PM
Thursday AM
PM Budget Meeting, 2pm-5pm
Friday AM Visiting Blane Hotel, Hythe
PM ditto
Saturday AM
PM

Write a correctly laid-out letter to Ralph L. Carter regarding Miss Stott’s travel plan.
Stage 2: Layout
Your company address: Goode’s Hotel Ltd, 98 Cranmer Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU22 2XL
The date: 25th February 2018
The recipient: Gould Hotel, Gloucester Place Taunton, Somerset TA99 9BP
The correct salutation: Dear Mr. Carter
The signature/name/position: p.p. (your signature), Jane Stott

accept the invitation supposed to be there at ten
not require any further special equipment the allowances for travel, accommodation,
three hours to travel by plane from and other expenses sent to the organizers
Bedfordshire to Brighton have the travel and accommodation reserved
chair the session as you suggested in the
letter

1. accept the invitation 3. supposed to be there at ten
6. not require any further special equipment 7. the allowances for travel, accommodation,
2. three hours to travel by plane from and other expenses sent to the organizers
Bedfordshire to Brighton 4. have the travel and accommodation
5. chair the session as you suggested in the reserved
letter
55
Goode’s Hotel Ltd
98 Cranmer Road, Luton,
Bedfordshire, LU22 2XL

25th February 2018

Gould Hotel
Gloucester Place, Taunton,
Somerset, TA99 9BP

Dear Mr. Carter,

I am happy to accept your cordial invitation to lead a session at the annual conference of the
UK Hotel Owner’s Association on Wednesday afternoon.

It takes three hours to travel by plane from Bedfordshire to Brighton, and I am supposed to be
there at ten in the morning if the flight is not delayed. Because I have not been to your city
before, could you have the travel and accommodation reserved for me please?

Also at the conference, I am going to chair the session as you suggested in the letter. Besides,
although I will not require any further special equipment except the projector, the conference
members are expected to have pens/ pencils and paper to make notes and write down the
questions (if any) for the Q&A part.

Concerning the allowances for travel, accommodation, and other expenses, could you please
have them sent to the organizing committee in order that they will be given to any who need
financial support? I really acknowledge your nice contribution to the UK hotel industry.

Yours sincerely,

p.p.
Jane Stott

6. Is the language appropriate for the letter? 
56
Practice 3
Scenario You work for Hollidays Galore of 214 Cronin Street, Canterbury, Kent. CJ19
9AB. Katie Summers is the Manager [3].
Katie Summers says to you, “Will you please write a reply to this letter? They
were a very good group last year and the courier in Italy praised them as they
were lively, friendly and no trouble at all. They can go at the same rates as
last year. Check the flight departure record to see when we can fit them in.”
Henson& co Ltd
Henson House
Orpington, Kent.
LV17 7PW
June 21st, 2018
Miss. K. Summers
Holiday Galore
214 Cronin Street
Canterbury, Kent.
CJ19 9AB
Dear Miss. Summers,
I don’t know if you remember, but last year a group of members from our company
employees’ social club thoroughly enjoyed a holiday which was organized by your agency.
We enjoyed it so much that we would like to go to the same place –Italy – this year. There will
be the same twenty five people going who went last year, and if possible, we should like to
start our holiday in July or August. The dates we prefer are either Saturday 13th July or
Saturday 3rd August. However, if these dates are not available, any other Saturday departure
day, except 10th August, will suit us.
Would you please let us know the price for a two-week holiday, complete with the personal
courier as last year, please?
Many thanks.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Bird
Social Club Secretary
57
Date Maximum load Departure time Seats booked Comments
6 July 220 11 am 197
13 July 220 11:30 am 201
19 July 220 11 am 145
27 July 220 11 am 180
+ 21 provisions (to be
3 August 220 11 am 196
confirmed)
10 August 220 11:30 am 220
16 August 220 11 am 175
24 August 220 11 am 181
31 August 220 11 am 220
Stage 2: Layout
Your company address:
The date:
The recipient:
The correct salutation:
The complimentary close:
The signature/name/position:
58

59
Practice 4
Scenario You work for Robin Knight, Managing Director of Knight Furnishings. Knight
Furnishings has received the following letter. Write a reply to it after you have
read the note below from Robin Knight [3].
Western Clarion
Advertising Department
34 Plant Road
Western-super-Mare
Somerset, LP22 6MN
February 1st, 2018
Knight Furnishings
22-28 Bradley Street
Western-super-Mare
Somerset, LY37 6BQ
Dear Sirs,
I would thank you for your ad, which you wish to be placed in the “Western Clarion” from 1
to 8 December inclusive.
Would you please check the wording and let us know if there are any errors?
KNIGHT FURNISHINGS SUPER SALE 4-9 DECEMBER, 9A.M.-5:30 P.M. ALL STOCK
REDUCED BY AT LEAST 10%. BARGAINS GALORE. CREDIT TERMS. THE SALE
YOU CANOT AFFORD TO MISS. 20-28 BRADLEY STREET.
As usual, we shall invoice you after the advertisement has appeared.
Yours faithfully,
Susan Cronin
Advertising Manager
60
NOTE: February 4th, 2018
They’ve done it again! I can’t remember when they got out of our ads right first time. Draft a
letter for me, please? We shall close at 7 p.m. and stock reductions are at least 15%. Point out
their spelling errors too. Remind them that we want a block ad of one eighth of a page in case
they’ve messed up that as well. I despair sometimes.
Stage 2: Layout
The date:
The recipient:
61

62
Practice 5
Scenario Your company has received the following letter. Write a carefully-laid out
letter in reply when you have read the memo which follows the letter [3].
Star Bathrooms has received the following letter. Write a reply to it after you
have read the memo below from P. Keisey.
Star Bathrooms
1-7 Quarry Hill
Torquay, Devon
LX21 7PM
January 5th, 2019
Ref WB/18/LR/MVP
J.R. Higgins
Sales Department
Wholesale Bathrooms
100-130 Commercial Street
Gloucester, Gloucestershire
PR00 1VW
Dear Mr. Higgins,
Quarterly Order for Bathroom Suites and Fittings
Will you please send the above as usual plus the following additional items?
 20 Cavalier bathroom suites (5 green, 5 pink, 10 white)

 10 Artiste bathroom suites (white)
 40 Artiste shower units (standard model)
As always, any day of the week except Sunday will be convenient for delivery.
Yours sincerely,
Len Roach
General Manager
63
MEMO
To: J.R. Higgins
From: P. Keisey
Subject: Possible new business
Star Bathrooms are expanding and discounting their goods from January 1st. I suggest
when they place next order you let Bill Rogers, Senior Sales Rep, acknowledge it and ask
for an appointment with Mr. Roach. If we can get large regular orders, we can sell at lower
prices. This could be a chance to have Star Bathrooms as our biggest customer.
Stage 2: Layout
The date:
The recipient:
64

65
Practice 6
Scenario You work for Foley Press, Forest Road, Woverhampton, WO72 4XU, the
publisher of school and college textbooks. Your Office Manager is Mary
McMahon [3].
Mary McMahon says to you, “Will you draft a reply for me to this letter,
please? Sign it on my behalf. The stock record will give any information you
require.”
Academic Bookshop
75 College Road
Tilbury, Essex
TI24 4WW
5 November 2018
Foley Press
Forest Road
Woverhampton
WO72 4XU
Dear Sirs,
I should like to order 100 copies of “Business for You” by Wilfred Point at the trade price of
$1.50 each, total cost $140. If possible, could I have them within the next ten days?
Please, send me your latest catalogues of books.
Yours faithfully,
Elizabeth Taylor
Proprietor
66
STOCK RECORD
POINT, Wilfred… Tittle BUSINESS FOR YOU. Published November 2017….retail price
$2.50, wholesale price $1.50…Number printed 5,000.
DATE SALES COPIES in stock
November 2017 950 4050
December 2017 326 3724
January 2018 550 3174
February 2018 683 2491
March 2018 900 1519
April 2018 99 1492 Abbreviations
May 2018 445 1047 cr= considering printing
nrp= no printing
June 2018 325 722 nsom= new stock available in one month
August 2018 298 424 op= out of printing
September 2018 - 424 rep= reprinting
October 2018 203 221 rep
146 75 nsom
Stage 2: Layout
Your company address: Foley Press, Forest Road, Woverhampton, WO72 4XU
The date: 5 November 2018
The recipient: Elizabeth Taylor
The correct salutation: Dear Ms. Taylor
The signature/name/position: p.p. (your signature), Mary McMahon, Office Manager

Thank you for your order/ 5 November 2008
order 100 copies of “Business for You” by
Wilfred Point
temporily out of print  currently reprinting
send 75 copies today
remaing 25 copies/ as soon as possible, at the
end of November
price: $1.50 per book  $150 total
catalogue enclosed
67

68
Practice 7
69
Scenario You work for Reg Burton, Office Manager, at the headquarters of the Union
Road Maintenance Workers, 74 Hill Avenue, Louth, Lincolnshire, ML21 15P
[3].
Reg Burton hands you the following letter, saying “Will you write a reply to
this? Page one of the Union Rule Book will give you the information you
require. “Read page one in the Union Rule Book, which follows the letter, and
then write a correctly laid-out reply.
33 Hibbirt Road
Plymouth, Devon
RM30 RX2
5 January 2019
Union Road Maintenance Workers

74 Hill Avenue
Louth, Lincolnshire
ML21 15P
Dear Sirs,
I have just started work in the Highways Department of my local council and would like to
join your Union. Would you please inform me of the subscription and rules of membership?
My address is above. I was born on March 8, 2000. I am unmarried. I am a full-time

employee of the council.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Richard Higgins
70
Union Road Maintenance Workers – Union Rule Book – Page 1
1. Anybody, male or female, over the age of 18 years, who is employed full- or part-time
in road maintenance, is eligible to join the Union.
2. The annual subscription is $26 per year at present and it may be paid in a lump sum or
by 52 weekly installments of 50p deduced from wage packets.
3. Once accepted into membership, you may use the Union’s legal and advisory services
free of charge.
4. Members will be attached to the branch of the Union nearest their workplace.
5. Members will be entitled to vote at the annual election of officers both locally and
nationally.
Stage 2: Layout
The date:
The recipient:
71

72
Practice 8
73
Scenario You work as Office Manager of Grace Brothers Department Store, 74 Nguyen
Van Linh Avenue, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City. Write a reply letter to the
customer below.
.
33 Le Loi Street
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City
2 January 2019
Grace Brothers
74 Nguyen Van Linh Avenue
District 7, Ho Chi Minh City
Dear Sirs,
As a regular customer at Grace Brothers Department Store, I feel compelled to complain

about the recent increase in prices. I have always considered your store to be of high quality,
but with reasonable prices. However, over the past few months, I have noticed that your
prices have been creeping up. This week I went to purchase a cosmetic product which I buy,
on average about 4 times a year. Of course I like prices to remain static, but this time the
price had risen by over 50%. I saw the same item on sale at a much lower price in a rival
store. Needless to say, I bought the cheaper item.
I am not sure what explanation you can offer, but I just wanted to let you know how I feel.
Yours faithfully,
Cynthia Carter
74
Stage 2: Layout
The date:
The recipient:
75

76
Practice 9
77
Scenario You work Polar Airlines, Inc., P.O. Box 1660-100, Minneapolis, MN 55440.
Peter Parker, Office Manager, says to you, “Will you write a reply to the
letter below please? There is a note that you may find the information you
require” [3].
.
Taylor and Bryce,
Attorneys-at-Law
13 Woodlawn Avenue
Albany, NY 11208
December 20, 2018
Polar Airlines, Inc.

P.O. Box 1660-100
Minneapolis,
MN 55440
Dear Sir/Madam,
I received this free mileage coupon (attached) from your airline when I took a flight to San
Francisco in March. Though I am currently not enrolled in the Polar Miles Program, having
read about the various benefits on offer, I am interested in becoming a member and receiving
the 10,000 bonus Polar Miles offered with the coupon. In addition, I would like to have the
mileage of my recent flights on your airline (ticket copies attached) credited to my new Polar
Miles account, if possible. I'd also like to take this opportunity to let you know that I
appreciate all you did for me last December when I traveled on your airline from Boston to
Finland. It was the first time I had used your airline, and to be honest, I had my doubts about
what kind of service to expect. However, I am happy to say that I was proven wrong. The
plane was six hours late taking off (due to a terrible Christmas Eve blizzard—over which I
know you had little control!), but your staff did all they could to ameliorate the situation. I
plan to continue to fly your airline because of the courteous assistance and service I received
from Polar Airlines employees during that long delay and subsequent flight.
Yours faithfully,
Anthony Taylor
Polar Miles Program

1. Be 10 years or older
2. Fly at least 10,000 miles, internationally or domestically, from the beginning of 2018
3. Receive a free mileage coupon (attached to the airline ticket)
4. Register for the membership (online)
5. Redeem the coupon online with the attached copies of tickets/receipts
6. Book the subsequent domestic flight free of charge
78
Stage 2: Layout
The date:
The recipient:
79

80
Practice 10
Scenario You work under Mrs. Ivy Richards, Office Manager of Fine Pottery Ltd.
at 209 Singlewell Road, Rochester. You came to work this morning and
she left the notice for you [19].
Write a letter in reply to Ms Ranjiv Patel to persuade him to be a big supplier.
Tell him that we specialize in providing luxury pottery for customers
throughout the city, and we are going to run a promotional campaign. It is
most likely that we will be one of Patel Pottery’s biggest corporate customers.
Also, ask him for an appointment next week and I will see him in person in his
office.
.
16 Whitford Drive Scranton,
OH 40985
January 5, 2006
209 Singlewell Road
Rochester, MD 10337
Dear Mrs. Richards,
I would like to thank you for your recent inquiry about the range of goods produced by Patel
Pottery. It is my great pleasure to send you a copy of our latest catalog.
We are a small family-run business, and as such, do not produce large quantities of any of
our items. Each item that appears in our catalog is limited to a production run of 10. This
means that only ten of each item is ever produced.
On occasion, if a particular item produces a great demand, then we may recreate it, but we
prefer to keep the individuality of our products and steer clear of mass production. This is
because of our philosophy of craftsmanship. We feel that once our potters are asked to make
things in large numbers, they risk losing the sense of craftsmanship and begin to feel like a
mass production conveyor belt. Of course, this does mean that our prices are somewhat
higher than in the average store, but I am sure you will agree that it is worth the cost to be
able to own a more unique piece of pottery.
If you see anything in our catalog that catches your eye, or if you have a design of your own
that you would like made, the best way to place an order is to call me at 088-799-8000.
You can also check out our website at www.pateIpot.co.uk.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Ranjiv Patel,
Orders and Deliveries Manager
81
Stage 2: Layout
The date:
The recipient:
82

83
Chapter 5. NOTICES
This chapter focuses on the format of a notice and its constructs. It is composed of the
introduction which covers the theoretical matters, the procedure to build up students’ notice
Learning outcomes
- understanding the constructs of English notices
notices in English
INTRODUCTION
A notice is a means of formal communication targeting an individual or a group of persons. It
is like a news item informing such a person or persons of some important event. This can be
an invitation to a meeting, or an announcement of any event, issuance of certain instructions,
etc. [3]. It is generally written and then displayed at a public place, where it is accessible to all.
Besides, it can be pasted on notice boards. If meant for a wider audience, it can even be
published in a newspaper.
The format of a notice structurally consists of three major parts, including the heading, the
body and the issuer’s information. Read the following notice and pay attention to the
organization of the information and its layout.
TEMPORARY OFFICE RELOCATION
Due to a lot of damage for our office caused by the strong storm last night, it cannot serve us
any longer without various repairs. We, then, decided to move to the temporary office at Suite
122, Floor 6, Le Thanh Block, 125 Nguyen Hue Street, District 1. This new work place is
more fully serviced; we can get started on working today.

The new venue is quite easy to find. When walking out of our office building, turn left. Walk
about three blocks and you will see Le Thanh Block on the left. Please take elevator number
three on the east wing to get access to Floor 6 where you will work. The work time will be the
same as before and your private vehicles should be parked at somewhere else due to the repair
work.

The renovation on the current office is expected to finish in three days; thus, we will get back
to this lovely venue next week at the latest. Please, give directions to any of your colleagues or
clients who are unfamiliar with our new address in order that they can arrive at the new
temporary venue without much trouble.
Mark Basan
Office Manager
February 2nd, 2019
84
First, the heading is the most highlighted phrase at the top of the notice, and in some notices
there is a subheading placed just below the heading and providing more detail about the
heading. In this case, the heading is usually the name of the division where the notice is issued
and the subheading indicates what it is about. It should also be noted that in some notices
where the heading is absent, the phrase NOTICE then takes place of it.
Second, the body of the notice conveys what the issuer wants the intended audience to know
or to do. The length of this section depends on the amount of information the issuer wishes to
provide; if the text is long, it should be paragraphed appropriately. The body of a letter also
contains four subparts. First come the topic and the purpose together, which often appear in
the first sentence of the text or the first paragraph serving as the opening. Then follow the
details of the topic which are developed to ensure that all the information needing to be
communicated has been included in it in the same paragraph or in a separate one. The next
part is composed of the explanations and/or requirements, and the last part involves requests
and/or offers. The first two parts are compulsory, while the last two are just optional. You can
choose to organize the information in the letter either by block method or point-by-point
method.
Last, the issuer’s information indicates who wrote the notice, his job title, and his department
name which serve as the contact information. If needed, the noticed is dated at the bottom.
The formality of the notice depends much on who you are addressing to state your tone and
use the appropriate layout.
BUILDING UP YOUR NOTICE WRITING SKILLS
Read the writing task requirement carefully and exactly identify what you are requested to
write. The instruction may be “Write the notice” or “Draft the notice”. It is useful to note
down or underline any additional instructions such as “write tactfully” or “add any relevant to
it”.
Stage 2: Layout
The layout of a notice is important for achieving the politeness because it creates the first
written layout notice fails to get attracted and sometimes is treated as lack of respect for the
recipient as well.
A notice has a clear heading at the top, briefly giving the subject and possibly an address if it
is not posted somewhere within the organization. It may also have the heading to detail the
heading just below it as in Practice 1. Besides, the name and position of the person who wrote
it as well as the date are put at the bottom.
Except for the body of the notice which is aligned straight on the left margin, the remainder is
justified. Between two blocks of information or two paragraphs, there is a blank line. As the
notice is displayed to the public, its layout should be nicely and neatly presented.
85
A notice is used to inform people of something, often changes of a plan, warnings or
instructions. In every case, certain information is often provided. It is essential that whoever
read it can understand and act on it accordingly.
The information in the notice is presented in an appropriate order (topic and purpose, detail,
requirement or explanation, request or offer). After identifying the information, make sure it is
grouped in a logical order.
Stage 5: Write the notice
Language in the notice is supposed to be concise and easy to understand because it is open to
the large audience. Full sentences are not required in the headings but should be written in the
text.
The following is a list of points to check when you write a notice.
1. Have you completed the task by presenting the correct information clearly?
2. Is it to the correct person?
5. Is the language appropriate for the notice?
86
PRACTICES
Practice 1
Scenario You work for Mr. John Wallace, the Managing Director of a flower, fruit and
vegetable wholesalers at Creasey’s Farm, Cold Aston, Gloucestershire, GL 99
9OK. He sells wholesale to shops as well as retail to individual customers [3].
Mr Wallace calls you over to him and says, “I have just been told that for a week from next
Monday, we shall be unable to use the Retail Sales Department because a team of electricians
will be rewiring it. It’s time it was done because the present wiring was put in about forty
years ago and I imagine it’s a little unsafe in places. I don’t want to stop retail sales altogether
for a week, though. Ah, I’ve got it. We can use the empty heated greenhouse just by the gate
of the Wholesale Flower Department. Draft a notice that we can put up outside the Retail
Department, will you? Tell customers we’ve had to close it for a short time and where they
can do the shopping. They’ve only got to walk about thirty yards down Farm Lane to the
Wholesale Flower Department. I’ll ask Mary Parker and her staff to come to work on Sunday
to move their stock to the greenhouse. We must apologize to customers for any inconvenience
this might cause them.

Write a notice.
Stage 2: Layout
A notice requires a clear heading at the top. It must have the name and position of the person
who writes it as well as the date at the bottom.

written by John Wallace, Managing Director
February 9th, 2019
Retail Sales Department closed for a week
from next Monday
electrician rewiring it
Sales Department will move 30 yards down
Farm Lane to the heated greenhouse by the
gate of the Wholesale Flowers Department
apologize for any inconvenience

1. Retail sale Department closed for a 2. electrician rewiring it
week from next Monday 4. apologize for any inconvenience
3. Sales Department will move 30 yards 5. written by John Wallace, Managing Director
down Farm Lane to the heated 6. February 9th, 2019
greenhouse by the gate of the Wholesale
Flowers Department
87
RETAIL SALES DEPARTMENT
TEMPORARY MOVE, 15-22 March 2019
We regret that the Retail Sales Department will be closed from 15-22 March for rewiring.
Customers can still do their shopping at a temporary location in a heated greenhouse thirty
yards down Farm Lane at the gate of the Wholesale Flowers’ Department.
We apologize to customers for any inconvenience caused.
John Wallace
Managing Director
February 9th, 2019

When you finish writing a notice, use the list of points below to check whether you have
successfully completed the writing task.
1. Have you completed the task by presenting the correct information clearly? 
2. Is it to the correct person? 
5. Is the language appropriate for the notice? 
88
Practice 2
89
Scenario You work for Brook Stationery, Ludlow House, Cotter Road, London, SW2
2YY. Richard Smith, Office Manager, leaves you the following hurriedly-
written message [3].
Just been informed that the Cotter Road Sports and Social Club will be available for renting
from the beginning of August this year. It has the facilities for many indoor and outdoor sports
and a large club house, which is ideal for social activities. Our Directors are willing to rent but
only if there is sufficient demand from staff for such facilities. Can you draft a notice for me,
to be placed on the staff notice board in the canteen giving this information and asking staff
for their reactions to this proposal?

Draft a notice.
Stage 2: Layout
who write it as well as the date at the bottom.

written by Richard Smith, Office Manager
date (today’s date)
Cotter Road Sports and Social Club will be available for rent
from beginning of August
facilities for many indoor and outdoor sports and a large club house, ideal for seal activities
sufficient demand from the staff/ we may be able to rent
staff give reactions

1. Cotter Road Sports and Social Club will be available for rent
2. from beginning of August
3. facilities for many indoor and outdoor sports and a large club house, ideal for seal
activities
4. sufficient demand from the staff/ we may be able to rent
5. staff give reactions
6. Richard Smith, Office Manager
7. date (February 10th, 2019)
90
WOULD YOU USE A SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB?
We have been offered the rental of the Cotter Road Sports and Social Club from the beginning
of August this year.
It has facilities for many indoor and outdoor sports together with a large club house for social
activities.
We are happy to rent these facilities but only if there is enough interest from you.
Please give your direction to this proposal by contacting:
Richard Smith
Office Manager
February 10th, 2019

1. Have you completed the task by presenting the correct information clearly? 
2. Is it to the correct person? 
5. Is the language appropriate for the notice? 
91
Practice 3
Scenario You work for Holidays Galore of 214 Cronin Street, Canterbury, Kent, CJ19
9AB. Katie Summers is the Manager. You arrive at work one morning to find
the following note from her on your desk [3].
Before you do anything else, please write a notice for me. When I arrived about half an hour
ago, I found the office floor covered with water, it looks as if one of the central heating pipes
is leaking. I’ve phoned for a plumber to come and see it and he should be here any minute
now. I also rang Sid Dexter, who owns the Black Tulip Restaurant at 12 Brook Road, which is
about two hundred yards down the road from here and turn left into Brook Road. The Black
Tulip is the fourth premises on the left. He’s put a small room – the one which you enter by
the first door on the right as you enter the restaurant –at your disposal until this mess is cleared
up. Apologize to the customers for any inconvenience this might cause them, although a short
walk shouldn’t hurt them. We’ll be open for business during the usual hours. This shouldn’t
affect business. Put the notice in the window where it can be seen easily. I’m hoping we’ll be
back tomorrow at the latest.

Draft a notice.
Stage 2: Layout

written by Katie Summers
water leak
directions
office relocated
apologize for inconvenience
business hours same as usual
back to normal tomorrow

1. office relocated
2. central heating pipes leaking
3. directions of where to send customers
4. business hours as usual
5. back to normal tomorrow
6. apologize for inconvenience
7. Katie Summers, Manager
8. today’s date (January 20th, 2019)
92

93
Practice 4
Scenario You work at the Paris branch of Ryder Wholesale Medical Supplies Limited.
Your Office Manager is Jules Laval [3].
Jules Laval says to you, “Recently items have been missing from orders we have sent to our
UK branch. There is no evidence of sealed packages being tampered with en route. Our
regulations require that everything is double-checked by our Dispatch Department, so there is
a distinct possibility of dishonesty by staff in that department. Will you please draft a notice
for me which we can put on the staff notice board, warning of what will happen to anyone
caught taking company products. Point out that theft is crime and would involve the police;
anyone convicted will be dismissed without a reference; this is particularly serious when it
concerns medical supplies as the sick could be affected; stealing means losses which could
mean fewer jobs; it must cease immediately. If you can think of anything else that is relevant,
add it. We must put a stop to this at all costs.”

Write the notice.
Stage 2: Layout

written by Jules Laval, Office Manager
missing items from orders sent to UK
warning
theft is crime
police would be called in
convicted person would be dismissed without references
medical supplies affect the sick
could mean fewer jobs
94

95
Practice 5
96
Scenario Miss Jane Treadgold is Office Manager at Dunn’s Wholesale Confectionery of
200-220 Mars Road, London, EC6 MB5[3].
Miss Treadgold asks you to draft a tactful notice under her name for the staff notice board,
expressing her concern about the frequent and increasing lateness of some members of staff.
“Point out that office hours are from 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. and that morning and afternoon
breaks are fifteen minutes each, not twenty minutes to half an hour,” she says,” Remind staff
that lunch breaks end at half past one, not two o’clock in the afternoon. This lateness must
stop – voluntarily, I hope.

Write the notice.
Stage 2: Layout
97

98
Practice 6
99
Scenario Sarah Oliver, Manager of Lotte Mart located at 12 Nguyen Huu Tho Street,
District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, leaves the following note for you. Carry out her
instructions [3].
It’s a new company policy to have trainees on the till on Thursday afternoons between 2 pm
and 5 pm. Each till will be supervised by a fully qualified assistant. I’d like you write a notice
for customers explaining the situation and apologize for any delays. Emphasize that it is to
ensure good customer service in the future. Write a notice and include any further information
you think relevant.

Write the notice.
Stage 2: Layout
100

101
Practice 7
102
Scenario You work for ABC Electronics Ltd of 354 George Street, London, SW1. Your
Office Manager is Jack Johnson [3].
As the holiday season approaches, your boss says to you, “We need to have all holiday
application forms by 20th July. Employees can collect these forms from Joan Brown in Room
256. They should be filled out in pen, block capitals and signed and returned to Joan as soon
as possible. Please can you write a notice and emphasize the urgency of the situation. Oh, and
by the way, if anyone is unsure about how much holiday entitlement they still have, they
should see Susan McDonald in Accounts, in Room 273.”

Write the notice.
Stage 2: Layout
103

104
Practice 8
105
Scenario You work for Hargreaves and Bailey Ltd of 35 Priestpopple Road, Hexham
NE46 2CA. Jan Walters is Sales Manager [3].
“I’ve just been informed by the water authorities that the water will be turned off tomorrow
between 10 am and 12 noon,” says Jan Walters to you. “It’s annoying but unfortunately we
can’t afford to close the office for this long, so we’ll have to use the toilets in the reception
hall on the ground floor.” I’ve already cleared this with the reception. Can you write a notice
under my name to be put on the staff notice board in the sales office? Oh, yes, and say that
staff are allowed to use the emergency stairs during this period. Please apologize for any
inconvenience.

Write the notice.
Stage 2: Layout
106

107
Practice 9
108
Scenario Sven Crawford is Office Manager at Enterprise Electronics Ltd of Rhondda
Business Park, Mid Glamorgan, CF40 2LP. He leaves the following note for
you. Carry out his instructions [3].
After much deliberation at the meeting yesterday, it was decided to introduce a “Suggestions
Box” into the company. This will be placed in reception and there will be a supply of slips
next to it. Please can you write a notice to be put on the notice board of every department
explaining what it is, why it is there and how to fill out the forms? Put it under my name.

Write the notice.
Stage 2: Layout
109

110
Practice 10
111
Scenario You work at the headquarters of North Eastern Farmers at 114 Glasgow
Road, Dundee, DD19 3FG. Jane Semour, Office Manager, says to you [3].
Due to hefty photocopying bills, we have decided to move the copier from its present position
in the foyer to the secretary’s office. If anybody wishes to make a photocopy, they must fill in
a book which the secretary will keep before being allowed to do it. Please can you write a
notice to inform the staff when and why the copier will be moved and also the new
instructions? Put it under my name.

Write the notice.
Stage 2: Layout
112

113
Chapter 6. ARTICLES
This chapter focuses on the format of an article and its constructs. It is composed of the
introduction which covers the theoretical matters, the procedure to build up students’ article
Learning outcomes
- understanding the constructs of English articles
articles in English
INTRODUCTION
An article is a very common type of communication nowadays. You can find all kinds of
articles in newspapers, magazines, blogs, bulletins, newsletters, chronicles, etc. The aim of an
article is usually to talk about a topic that you like or that you are familiar with [3]. Besides,
one of the features that articles have is that an article must entertain the reader and, almost
always, recommend the thing you are talking about. In other words, you usually write articles
to provide information or advice for the readers.
In terms of language, it is more informal than an essay, although it will depend on where it is
supposed to be published (an international magazine, a teenage magazine, a college magazine,
an online blog, a newspaper, etc.). In this course book, you are supposed to write articles to be
publicized in bulletins, newsletters, chronicles or in-house magazines.
An article is normally composed of the title and the content. Read the example below and pay
much attention to the organization of information and the layout.
TO HAVE A GOOD CANTEEN
The canteen is not only a place to have a meal or drink but also a venue to initiate small talk
and/or to build up good relationships with your coworkers; thus, join hands to make it a good
one.
When making payments at the counter, you should give the correct money at tills to save time
and the canteen staff will thank you. In addition, after finishing your meals, you are supposed
to return used crockery and cutlery to the counter as regulated by the Canteen Manager. Also,
you are not permitted to leave trash behind, which may spoil the clean and hygienic
environment of the canteen and attract insects to come and spread certain diseases. Finally, to
avoid the over-crowdedness at certain periods of time during your working hours there, it is
essential to take staggered tea breaks.
Because the canteen is temporarily understaffed, your cooperation is very helpful. Instead of
making complaints about any delays, your help will keep the canteen service running
smoothly.
114
The title of the article is optional, but you should provide the title if asked for. It is usually
expressed in an underlined phrase rather than a sentence. It should be short, but its sense is
expected be broad enough to reflect what the article is aimed at.
The content of the article which is much like an essay includes three clear-cut parts: the
opening, the body and the conclusion. First, the article should have an arresting opening which
is expected to get the reader’s attention. Although the opening indicates the topic and purpose
as a notice, its language should be rhetorical. The opening should be short, usually consisting
of two or three sentences. Second, the body is longer than the other two parts of an article
because it conveys what you want to communicate to inform, advise or persuade the audience.
The length of this section depends on the amount of information you wish to provide; if the
text is long, it should be paragraphed appropriately. You can choose to organize the
information in the letter either by block method or point-by-point method. Finally, the essay
needs a logical conclusion to round everything off in the last paragraph. The conclusion
should be written in two or three sentences which convey some advice, warnings, prediction,
or other messages.
The formality of the notice depends much on who you are addressing to state your tone and
use the appropriate layout. The tone in articles is mostly persuasive or expository.
BUILDING UP YOUR ARTICLE WRITING SKILLS

Read the writing task requirements carefully and exactly identify what you are requested to
write. The instruction may be “Write the required article” or “Draft the appropriate article”.
Stage 2: Layout
The layout of an article is important for achieving its aims because it creates the impression on
the recipient and makes him/her want to read it.
An article usually has a clear, eye-catching heading at the top, briefly giving the idea of what
it is about. Then, its content depicts all that that you want to communicate to the audience,
Except for the title which is the most highlighted and justified, the body is aligned straight on
the left margin. Between two blocks of information or two paragraphs, there is a blank line. As
the article is displayed to the public, its layout should be nicely and neatly presented.
An article is written to give information to the reader. Read the requirements and decide what
information is important to the reader in order to complete the task. You are often asked to
invent the information as well. Again, decide what information is useful and important to the
reader and make it up accordingly.
The first paragraph should make the reader want to read on. All the points you want to make
should follow in a logical order and they should be drawn together and concluded in the final
paragraph.
115
Stage 5: Write the article
Articles are usually written to go into a magazine (e.g. company magazine or newsletter); they
should be informative. Be careful for extra instructions, e.g. “Your article should be
interesting and persuasive” or “add anything else which you think is relevant.”
When finishing writing an article, refer to the following list of points to check whether you
have successfully achieved your goals.
4. Is the language appropriate for the article?
116
PRACTICES
Practice 1
Scenario You work for Goode’s Hotels Ltd, 98 Cranmer Road, Luton, Beds LU22 2XL,
which is the Head Office of the Goode’s Hotels’ Organization. It has 30 hotels
in different parts of the UK [3].
You are informed by Jane Stott that she has been asked to write an article for a booklet about
careers in the hotel industry. She asks you to write a draft of the article for her to read and
points out that it should be in a persuasive tone. She asks you to indicate the attractions of the
hotel industry, such as meeting a variety of people, how it can be a worthwhile career for
ambitious people (She herself started as a telephonist in a hotel), tips that can be given by
grateful guests, good staff accommodation and food. She requests you to add anything else
that you think is relevant.

Write an article.
Stage 2: Layout
An article requires an arresting opening, a body and an ending.
Attractions of hotel industry
meeting people
career chances for ambitious people
tips
good accommodation and food
Other attractions
cheaper holidays in hotels in the chain
time off during day
possibility of working in different towns
possibility of different career

1. chance to meet and work with all 5. the chance to live and work in
kinds of people different towns
2. good career possibilities 6. time off during the day while others
3. good, free accommodation and food are at work
for staff 7. cheap holidays in different towns in
4. the possibilities of extra work the hotel chain
8. Possibility of many different careers
117
People often ask what hotel industry has to offer. The answer is simple – lots.
Would you like a job where you meet and work with interesting people, young and old? As a
member of the hotel staff, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do this.
Would you like a job with good career chances? In the hotel industry, you can work your way
up to the top.
Would you like good, free accommodation and food? When you work in a hotel, your
accommodation is provided and your food is too. And, of course, there are always tips.
Would you like to do the shopping in peace? When you work in the hotel industry, you have
spare time during the day when most of the others have to work.
Would you like to have cheap holidays in other towns? Working for a hotel chain means you
can have cheap accommodation in other hotels throughout Britain and maybe the world.
Are you not sure about the right career for you? The hotel industry offers not just one career –
but many.
If the answer to these questions is “YES”, then a career in the hotel industry could be for you.

The following is a list of points to check when you have written an article.
4. Is the language appropriate for the article? 
118
Practice 2
119
Scenario You work for Burnside Books, 17 Bathwell Place, Edinburgh, ED61 3GT.
Your company distributes a free monthly magazine to staff and management.
The following request appeared in the latest issue [3].
Staff-Management Relations
Members of staff with suggestions for ways of improving relations between staff and
management within the company are asked to submit articles for publication to the Editor,
Room 36.
Write such an article, remembering that you are trying to persuade your readers that your
suggestions should be adopting for their benefits.

Write an article.
Stage 2: Layout
management and workforce need each other
employees at different levels are involved in decision-making
ideas from the workers are discussed by workers
ideas looked at and discussed by Heads of Department
workers are actively involved
1. employees at different levels are involved in decision-making
2. ideas from the workers are discussed by workers
3. ideas looked at and discussed by Heads of Department
4. workers are actively involved
5. management and workforce need each other
120
The idea of management decisions being made from the bottom up is not new – at least not in
Japan where any company employees at different levels of management are involved in
decision making.
This system goes far beyond the “suggestion box” idea practiced by some western companies.
In Japan, ideas from the workers are taken seriously and talked about by the workers
themselves before passing onto the next stage where they are looked at and discussed by the
Heads of Department and so on before they perhaps finally reach the levels of top
management. In this way, the workers are actively involved in the decision-making process
and encourage to feel involved in the company.
Such a system could only be to our advantage as now; perhaps more than ever, management
and the work force need each other in order to survive the recession which is still all too
obvious in our economies.
Perhaps in our “darkest hour”, we will finally realize the importance of working together.

4. Is the language appropriate for the article? 
121
Practice 3
122
Scenario You work voluntarily for Newton Furniture’s Charity Group, 14 the Mall
Carlisle, CL35 9CP. Newton Furniture publishes a quarterly house magazine
which is given free to all employees. You have asked for permission to write
an article for the magazine on the advisability of joining the Newton Furniture
Charity Group. You receive the following memo [3].
MEMO
To: Charity Group

From: John Han, Manager
Subject: Magazine Article
Date: 2nd April 22018
I have considered your request for permission to write an article for the company magazine on
the advisability of joining the Newton Furniture Charity Group and have no objection to this.
Write an article, bearing in mind that you are trying to persuade your colleagues who are not
the members of the Newton Furniture Charity Group to join it.

Write an article.
Stage 2: Layout
123

124
Practice 4
125
Scenario You work for Foley Press, Forest Road, Wolverhampton WO72 4XU,
publisher of school and college textbooks. Your Office Manager is Mrs. Mary
McMahon. She has asked you to write an article for inclusion in the Staff
Magazine, outlining the problems of the Canteen Manager. Your brief is to
obtain staff cooperation in helping to keep the canteen service running as
smoothly as possible despite being understaffed. Add any ideas of your own in
addition to the following comments from the Canteen Manager [3].
….correct money at tills to save time….used crockery and cutlery to be returned to counter…
staggered lunch and tea breaks… need fewer complaints and more support from staff

Write an article.
Stage 2: Layout
126

127
Practice 5
128
Scenario You work for Vietravel headquartered at 190 Pasteur Street, District 3, Ho
Chi Minh City. The CEO of the company requested you to write an article to
be included in the subsequent monthly bulletin.
Your company has just reached an agreement with the FYU Gym, where all the employees are
advised to work out to improve their health and fitness. Write an article to discuss the
advantages and advisability of using the facilities here.

Write an article.
Stage 2: Layout
129

130
Practice 6
131
Scenario You work for an International Chemical Company in Rotterdam [3].
Your boss, who is Dutch, asks you to write a short article for your company magazine on the
importance and advantages of being able to speak a foreign language. The magazine is
distributed to all branches of the company in Europe.

Write an article.
Stage 2: Layout
132

133
Practice 7
134
Scenario You are employed as Personal Assistant to Miss Jane Stott, who is Personnel
Manager of Agribank. She wants you to write an article to be inserted in the
quarterly chronicle.
Our bank is a long-established one with the most populous workforce in the banking industry
in Vietnam. To be more professional, I would like as many staff members to attend soft skills
courses as good. Can you write an article on the advisability and benefits for those who can
earn a recognized certificate?

Write an article.
Stage 2: Layout
135

136
Practice 8
137
Scenario You are the member of the University of Finance-Marketing’s Photography
Club, which issues bimonthly chronicles featuring amazing shots as well as
state-of-the-art camera equipment. Write an article to be placed in the club
chronicle to persuade your peers to pursue this hobby. Read the email below
and carry out the instruction.
To: John Sam<j.sam@photoclubleader.com.vn>

From: Hoang Thanh Minh <ht.minh@gmail.com>
Subject: Photography career path
Date: January 23rd, 2019
Dear Peter,
Our Club has been expanding for the past two years and the number of members has
quadrupled since the foundation. Some of our members find themselves interested in
photography and have made it a career. Therefore, can you write an article on the advantages
and benefit when joining the club?
Yours,
Hoang Thanh Minh

Leader of the UFM Photography Club

Write an article.
Stage 2: Layout
138
139
Chapter 7. REPORTS
This chapter focuses on the format of a report and its constructs. It is composed of the
introduction which covers the theoretical matters, the procedure to build up students’ report
Learning outcomes
- understanding the constructs of English reports
reports in English
INTRODUCTION
Reports are a type of documents completed for ad hoc or special purposes. They involve some
separate stages such as identifying the issues, the reasons and the purposes, collect and refine
the data to arrive at the findings and discussion and put forward some recommendations and a
conclusion. In business English writing, you learn to write a report to describe or explain a
programme for the managerial purposes: e.g. the introduction of a new company programme,
or the result of a credit investigation [15].
All reports should be planned carefully and drafted in outline before they are written. You
need to consider the purpose of the report so your reader knows what you are trying to
achieve. The report should be comprehensive and aim to include every relevant point; it
should be logical and intelligible, so the reader can understand it easily. It should be accurate
in all facts and details [3]. Read the example on the following page and pay attention to the
organization of information and the layout.
First, the report requires a title underlined at the top. This will describe briefly what the report
is about.
Secondly, there should be 5 sub-parts in the content as below.
Terms of reference presents the reasons and objectives for writing the report. It might be your
duty to write a report or you are requested to do it by your boss to address an issue or to make
a decision. You are expected to use the present or past tense to describe this part.
Proceedings discusses the methods used to collect the data for the report; you are required to
detail what do actually did to have the ground for the findings. Some commonly-used methods
are interview, questionnaire, observation or fact-finding trips. Also, the preferred tense used in
this section is the simple past to report what methods you have used to get the reliable and
valid data.
Findings presents the facts on the issue. All that you find out about, either qualitative or
quantitative, are presented in this part. The length of this part depends much on the amount of
information you can generate, and it is often written in the past or present tenses
Conclusions is the summary of what you have found in this part. You should write it in one or
two sentences and the preferred tense should be the present one.
140
Recommendations indicates what should be done to deal with the problems or to improve the
situation. In most cases, you are supposed to use the modal verb “should” or the subjective
verb form to present your recommendations.
Finally, the report should also be signed and dated at the bottom of the page.
REPORT ON LOSS-MAKING BUSINESS SITUATION
Terms of reference
Jane Law, Area Manager of Modern Clothing, requested me to write a report explaining the
reasons for the loss-making business situation of my clothes shop and suggesting some ideas
to reverse the trend.
Proceedings
I interviewed all the staff working at my branch one by one. I also had a fact-finding trip
around the neighborhood to see if there were any threats to or opportunities for our business.
Findings
1. The road outside the shop has been designated as a no-parking zone, causing inconvenience
for
customers who wanted to drop by in a short time.
2. There appeared a rival store offering cut-price items, which attracted a larger number of our
store’s regular customers.
3. Modern Clothing’s pay policy was less appealing, resulting in a high level of turnover and
inexperienced employees.
4. The last two months’ promotion program was not appropriate, not effectively announcing
the advent of state-of-the-art imported kids, teenagers, and women’s wear from Korea, a
new line of business at Modern Clothing’s clothes stores.
Conclusions
The recent designation of the road, the appearance of the competition, the less attractive pay
scheme and the less effective promotional tools have accounted for the loss at the store for the
last two months.
Recommendations
I would highly put forward the following proposals.
1. Each clothes shop should be permitted to build up its own pay plan to attract good sales
employees.
2. Each clothes shop can price their items and choose the appropriate promotion tool to well
compete with their rivals in the area.
3. I will arrange for cars to be parked in the unconstructed plot nearby.
May 5th, 2018
141
BUILDING UP YOUR REPORT WRITING SKILLS
write. The instruction may be “Write the required report” or “Draft the appropriate report”.
Stage 2: Layout
The layout of an article is important because it partially reflects your hard skills at work. A
report requires the title to be clear and eye-catching at the top, briefly giving the idea of what
it is about. Then, each sub-section heading is highlighted and there is no indent before it. The
content of the report is aligned straight on the left margin. Between two blocks of information
or two paragraphs, there is a blank line. As the report is, more than often, sent to your
superiors, its layout should be nicely and neatly presented.
A report usually requires details of what you found, how you found it and what it means. It is
very factual, so all information included in it must be relevant to the title. If you are asked to
invent the information, make sure it is relevant to the task.
The information is organized under the headings as follows [3]:
Terms of reference explain what the report is about, who it is for and when it is handed in.
Proceedings explain how you collect the information (e.g. talking to people,
questionnaires…)
Findings give facts which this information provides.
Conclusions explain what the facts mean (e.g. people are late because of traffic)
Recommendations contain what you suggest (e.g. build a new road)
Stage 5: Write the report
Reports are matter-of-fact and to the point. Language is therefore neutral and factual.
Numbering points is a useful technique.
When you finish writing a report, use the following list of points to check whether you have
successfully achieved your goals.
2. Do you have a correct title and five headings?
3. Are the headings in the correct order?
4. Have you signed and dated it?
5. Is the language appropriate for the report?
142
PRACTICES
Practice 1
Scenario You work at the Paris branch of Ryder Wholesale Medical Supplies Ltd, 90-
100 Rue de La Pompe 75004 Paris. Your Office Manager is Jules Laval [3].
Several companies today offer incentives-usually financial rewards –to members of staff who
come up with money-saving ideas or ways to improve work practices,” says Jules Laval. “I
was wondering if any of our workers would be interested in such a scheme. We would speak
to a sample of them about it and find out their opinions and then write a report for me? Any
information or suggestions about this proposed scheme would be welcome.

Write a report.
Stage 2: Layout
A report requires a title and the following headings.
Terms of reference
Proceedings
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations
The report should be signed and dated.
proposed incentive scheme prefer financial reward
report for Jules Laval, Office Manager suggest time off instead
proposed incentives, (possibly financial) to management decision
staff for money-saving ideas, improving work asked for opinions
practices general opinion
questioned sample of workers recommendations
incentive scheme/good idea

Title Findings
Proposed Incentive Scheme Most thought incentive scheme was a good
idea.
Terms of reference Most preferred financial reward.
Report for Jules Laval, Office Manager, Some suggested time off instead.
about proposed incentives, (possibly A few thought this was management area.
financial) to staff for money-saving ideas,
improving work practices Conclusions
In general, most people were in favour
Proceedings
Questioned sample of workers, asked for Recommendations
opinions Should be introduced
143
144
PROPOSED INCENTIVE SCHEME
Terms of reference
Mr. Jules Laval, Office Manager, has asked me to write this report on a proposed incentive
scheme offering rewards, possibly financial, to members of staff for money-saving ideas or
ways of improving work practices.
Proceedings
A sample of workers were questioned individually and asked for their opinions.
Findings
1. Most thought an incentive scheme was a good idea.
2. The majority of them preferred financial rewards as an incentive.
3. Some suggested time off instead.
4. A few thought it was the job of management to come up with new ideas.
Conclusions
In general, most workers were in favour of an incentive scheme offering financial rewards.
Recommendations
I recommend that the scheme be introduced.
January 2nd, 2019

The following is a list of points to check when you have written a report.
2. Do you have a correct title and five headings? 
3. Are the headings in the correct order? 
4. Have you signed and dated it? 
5. Is the language appropriate for the report? 
145
Practice 2
146
Scenario You work at the Newcastle office of Stanstead Insurance Company, 63 West
Acre, Jesmond, Newcastle, NE29 4JP [3].
Mary Jones has been working as a junior clerk in your office for a probationary period of six
months and your Office Manager, Mr. Len Diamond, asks you to write a report on her work,
ability, relationship with colleagues, reliability and any other relevant ideas.

Write a report.
Stage 2: Layout
Terms of reference
Proceedings
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations
report on Mary Jones relationship with colleagues/good
Mary Jones works as a junior clerk for reliability/good
probationary period of six months also punctual and capable
report for Mr. Len Diamond about her work she should be given full time employment
ability/good give details of Mary’s work

Title Findings
Report on Junior Clerk - Mary Jones Work is accurate and neatly presented.
Capable of handling various situations which
Terms of reference occur during the working day.
Report for Mr. Len Diamond about how Mary Time-keeping is very punctual and she would
Jones, a junior clerk, has performed in her appear to be reliable.
six month probationary period in the office Works well with everyone in the office.
Proceedings Conclusions
Asked several people who work close to Mary Mary has a good reputation for accurate
Jones for their opinions work
Recommendations
Should be offered full time employment
147
REPORT ON JUNIOR CLERK - MARY JONES
Terms of reference
Mr. Len Diamond, Office Manager, has asked me to write this report on how Mary Jones, a
junior clerk in my office, has been working in her probationary period of six months.
Proceedings
I have questioned several people who have worked closely with Mary over the last six months
including her colleagues and superiors.
Findings
1. Mary’s work is accurate and neatly presented.
2. She is capable of handling various situations which occur during the working day.
3. Her time-keeping is very punctual and she would appear to be reliable.
4. She works well with everyone in the office.
Conclusions
I have found Mary’s work satisfactory.
Recommendations
I recommend that Mary be employed on the permanent basis.
January 22nd, 2019

2. Do you have a correct title and five headings? 
3. Are the headings in the correct order? 
4. Have you signed and dated it? 
5. Is the language appropriate for the report? 
148
Practice 3
149
Scenario You work at the headquarters of the Union of Road Maintenance Workers, 74
Hill Avenue, Louth, Lincolnshire, ML21 15P. Your Office Manager is Reg
Burton [3].
Mr. Reg Burton tells you that a number of staff have been asking if “flextime” (whereby the
required weekly working hours can be staggered to meet the individuals’ requirements within
an approved company framework) can be introduced into the headquarters. Before making any
decision, Mr. Burton wishes to hear the opinions of all staff on the matter and asks you to
consult them and then write a report for him.

Write a report.
Stage 2: Layout
Terms of reference
Proceedings
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations
proposed flextime scheme 30% no benefits
report for Reg Burton, Office Manager 5% no opinions
question all workers should be introduced
hear their opinions
most feel enthusiastic

Title Findings
Terms of references
.
Proceedings
Conclusions
Recommendations
150

151
Practice 4
152
Scenario You are Head of Personnel of DONG AU Promotions. The company is
wondering whether it should provide the stationery and other office supplies
printed or embossed with the company’s name, logo, office address, phone
number, website and email address for employees. The CEO leaves the
following notes for you.
We are considering providing the stationery and other office supplies printed or embossed
with the company’s name, logo, office address, phone number, website and email address for
employees. Some of them will be given to customers as gifts. We will discuss this at the next
monthly meeting. Ask employees about the advantages of this and write a report for me.

Write a report.
Stage 2: Layout
Terms of reference
Proceedings
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations

Title Findings
Terms of references
.
Proceedings
Conclusions
Recommendations
153

154
Practice 5
155
Scenario You work for Holidays Galore of 214 Cronin Street, Canterbury, Kent, CJ19
9AB. Katie Summers is the Manager [3].
Katie Summers says to you, “Last year, many of our clients completed questionnaires for us,
saying the types of holiday they liked, places they enjoyed visiting, and the length of holiday
they preferred, if they wanted to be “organized” or left to their own devices, suggestions for
improvements and new places to visit. Would you look at these questionnaires and write a
report on the findings, please?

Write a report.
Stage 2: Layout
Terms of reference
Proceedings
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations

Title Findings
Terms of references
.
Proceedings
Conclusions
Recommendations
156
157
Practice 6
Scenario Mr John Biden says to you, “Judy Bush has been recruited and assigned to
Marketing Division for nearly three months. Her probationary period is going
to end. Before offering a long-term employment contract, he wants you to
complete a report on her job performance, working relationship and
expectancy.

Write a report.
Stage 2: Layout
Terms of reference
Proceedings
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations

Title Findings
Terms of references
.
Proceedings
Conclusions
Recommendations
158

159
Practice 7
Scenario Susan Smith, your boss, says to you, “Last year, business dropped by 20% in
all our hotels. I’d like you to look into this and write a report about the
reasons for it. I’d like you to look at the location, customer service,
competition and any other relevant factor. Can you give it to me as soon as
possible?” [3]

Write a report.
Stage 2: Layout
Terms of reference
Proceedings
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations

Title Findings
Terms of references
.
Proceedings
Conclusions
Recommendations
160

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Practice 8
Scenario Edward Bond, Office Manager, says to you that due to an increase in the
number of staff over the past 6 months, parking has been a problem and also a
cause of lateness for work. He is thinking of providing parking space nearby
for pool-cars or offering subsidies on fares for those prepared to travel to
work by bus or train. He wants you to write a report including all relevant
information [3]

Write a report.
Stage 2: Layout
Terms of reference
Proceedings
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations

Title Findings
Terms of references
.
Proceedings
Conclusions
Recommendations
162

163
Practice 9
Scenario You and your colleagues at work have complained to the management that, as
the number of staff in your office has tripled over the past two years, the staff
canteen get uncomfortably overcrowded during the lunch break between 12
noon and 1 pm. Several suggestions for overcoming the problem have been
put forward by members of staff, such enlarging the canteen, the issuing of
luncheon vouchers so that fewer people use the canteen and staggering the
break instead of everybody having lunch at the same time. Write a report on
the situation and its possible solutions, stating the one you favour, and why, to
the General Manager [3].

Write a report.
Stage 2: Layout
Terms of reference
Proceedings
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations

Title Findings
Terms of references
.
Proceedings
Conclusions
Recommendations
164
165

166
Practice 10
Scenario You are Assistant Manager at Lord’s Booksellers. Your boss, Louise
Harrison, says to you, “We have received some complaints recently about
customer service. I want you to write a report on staff attitude, general
behavior and job satisfaction. I’d like the report as soon as possible so that we
can improve the situation,” [3].

Write a report.
Stage 2: Layout
Terms of reference
Proceedings
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations

Title Findings
Terms of references
.
Proceedings
Conclusions
Recommendations
167

168
Chapter 8. LEAFLETS
This chapter focuses on the format of a leaflet and its constructs. It is composed of the
introduction which covers the theoretical matters, the procedure to build up students’ leaflet
Learning outcomes
- understanding the constructs of English leaflets
leaflets in English
INTRODUCTION
Leaflets are a type of open letter designed to be handed out to the people, either by hand, by
post, or by being inserted in local newspapers for distribution to grab their attention. They aim
to advertise a product, to provide information about important issues and events, or to draw
attention to any organization, cause or event. They may also spur someone to take an action
[3].
Read the example below and pay attention to its organization of information and layout.
UNUSED PROPERTIES, QUICK LIQUIDITY
SELLING COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ONLY
the lowest commission anywhere

fast and simple transactions locally
prestigious real estate agent in the city
 We advertise your properties in local newspapers and national journals

 Our success in selling properties is higher than the national average rate.
 We offer consultation free of charge in open hours
 We offer long business hours: 9 AM-7 PM
 We commit to getting the highest and fairest possible prices for our clients.
 Our numerous customers offer a variety of prices on properties of all types.
Clacton Business Properties

112 Morse Avenue
CA Essex PO21 3MF
www.clactonpropert.uk
Notes: If requested, we can arrange mortgages or loans at favorable rates of interest for buyers.
169
A leaflet is a tool of advertising, and it usually provides information for potential customers. It
is normally composed of a heading (and a subheading if any), the benefits customers can
enjoy, the advantages of the product or service and the contact address. The leaflet should be
easy to read and eye-catching by centralizing the text, using capital letters for important
information, keeping sentences short or using questions and answers. It should also contain the
date on which it is issued and the note if any.
First, the heading is the most highlighted phrase at the top, briefly indicating what is being
announced, communicated or advertised. Below the heading, there might a subheading which
provides more detail about the heading. To get hooked, the heading and subheading should be
impressive and are usually written in a phrase.
Second, the benefits are what the customers receive when they follow the instructions or
advertisements written in a leaflet and are placed right below the heading and subheading (if
any). This part is also highlighted, just second to the heading and subheading. You should
write this part in an easy-to-understand manner and present it nicely and neatly to get the
target audience’s attention. Also, whether you write this part in full sentences or phrases, pay
attention the parallelism of language structures.
Third, the advantages are concerned with what you are advertising or communicating. They
are the superiority of your products, services, the prestige or reputation of your company, etc.
this part will convince the potential customers to trust you, use your products or services and
follow the advice in the leaflet.
Fourthly, the leaflet is an advertising tool; accordingly, the contact information is an
indispensable part as it indicates the address, the telephone number and/or the website for
customers to make the contact. Thanks to it, customers will know where they can get the
advertised products.
Finally, the note is an optional part. It is added when the leaflet poses some further
requirements for the customers to enjoy the mentioned benefits.
In short, compared to the writing style of other genres, that of a leaflet is far less formal and
sometimes chatty. The language should be short and easy to understand as it serves a large
audience. Despite the simple language use, the leaflet should be polite enough to please
readers.
BUILDING UP YOUR LEAFLET WRITING SKILLS
write. The instruction may be “Write the required leaflet” or “Draft the appropriate leaflet”.
Stage 2: Layout
The layout of a leaflet is important for drawing the audience’s attention. It should be short,
clear and easy to understand in language use and the layout should be neat, nice, and eye-
catching. You can use capital letters, symbols, icons or images in the leaflet to make it more
vivid and impressive.
As mentioned above, the text is usually centralized. You should highlight what can impress
readers or make them get hooked. Additionally, each part should follow the same font, size
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and form of language. Between two blocks of information or two paragraphs, there is a blank
line. As the report is, more than often, sent to your superiors, its layout should be nicely and
neatly presented.
A leaflet usually gives information about something. It may be informing people of a sale or a
bargain or it may be informing people of legal rights or rules. In every case, certain
information has to be given. An address is essential whenever the leaflet is intended for any
purpose other than purely “internal” matters. It is essential that all the information necessary
is provided to ensure that whoever reads the leaflet can understand the information and act on
it. This is also important if you invent it.
Often the information in the question is presented in a suitable order. Sometimes, however, the
different pieces of information may be mixed up or repeated. You may also have to invent the
information. After you have identified the relevant information or invented information, make
sure it is grouped so that points are presented in a logical order.
Stage 5: Write the leaflet
Language in leaflets must be clear and easy to understand. Full sentences are necessary for the
whole text; slogans may be useful if it is persuading people to buy something. Figures are also
used to give information briefly and clearly. Be careful for extra instructions which say “draft
the leaflets as persuasive as possible.”
When you write a leaflet, refer to the following list of points to check whether you have
successfully completed the task.
3. Have you left out all irrelevant information?
5. Is the language appropriate for the leaflet?
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PRACTICES
Practice 1
Scenario You work for Foley Press, Forest Road, Wolverhampton WO72 4XU, a
publisher of school and college textbooks. Your Office Manager is Mrs. Mary
McMahon. You are given the following fax from her [3].
FAX
To: Marketing Department
From: Mary McMahon
Date: November 25th, 2018
No. of Pages: 1
Will you draft the leaflet for me, please? It will be sent to our customers. For all book orders
over $5,000 placed between January and April next year, we shall give a 15% discount. I’m
afraid we have to do this because business has not been very good for the past year, but I
suppose that is to be expected with the recession the country’s gone through. This offer applies
to books on all subjects and won’t be repeated. Stress what bargain it is –new books at bargain
prices! Orders must be received by us by the last day of April. We shall send the leaflet with
our new catalogue early next month. This offer can be taken up only by customers who have
paid previous invoices, not by anybody who owes money. Incidentally, this offer also applies
to all newly-published books as well as older stock.

Draft a leaflet.
Stage 2: Layout
A leaflet requires a title, the benefits, the advantages and the contact address. It is also dated
and may end with a note.
all book orders over $5,000 placed between orders must reach us by April 30th
January and April only customers who have paid all of their
15% discount invoices
offer will not be repeated applies to newly-published books as well as
new books at bargain prices older stock
contact address
1. new books at bargain prices 6. all book orders over $5,000
2. 15% discount 7. placed between January and April
3. applies to newly-published books as well 8. contact address (who to contact)
as older stock 9. note (only customers who have paid all of
4. newly-published books as well as older their invoices)
stock
5. offer will not be repeated
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NEW BOOKS AT BARGAIN PRICES
UP TO 15% DISCOUNT
Any book on any subject  includes newly-published books
Offer cannot be repeated
This offer applies to all orders over $5,000

which are placed between January 1st and April 30th, 2020.
Foley Press
Forest Road
Wolverhampton
WO72 5XU
Tel: (0478) 322498
Applies only to customers whose accounts are up to date.

February 2, 2019

The following is a list of points to check when you have written a leaflet.
1. Have you completed the task? 
3. Have you left out all irrelevant information? 
5. Is the language appropriate for the leaflet? 
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Practice 2
174
Scenario Reg Burton, your Office Manager, at the headquarters of the Union Road
Maintenance Workers, 74 Hill Avenue, Louth, Lincolnshire, ML21 15P leaves
the following note for you. Carry out his instruction [3].
.
I’d like you to draft a leaflet to be sent to all Union members, telling them about our new
cheap holiday scheme. It starts on the first of January next year and members interested must
send their names, addresses and membership numbers to us by December 29 this year at the
latest. We shall offer a wide range of holidays as seaside and country areas. It costs nothing to
join the scheme. We have made arrangements with three London hotels which will provide
cheap accommodation and meals if members wish to see the capital. Members can take their
families and friends –also at cheap rates- if they wish. Our members will appreciate this
scheme –it’s a really money-saver.

Write a leaflet.
Stage 2: Layout
new holiday scheme cost nothing to join the scheme
starts on January 1st good deals for members wishing to see the
names, addresses and membership numbers capital
to be sent by December 29th families and friends can also participate in
wide range of holidays at seaside and country
the scheme
areas real money saver
contact address
1. new holiday scheme 6. real money saver
2. cost nothing to join 7. starts on January 1st
3. wide range of holidays available 8. names, addresses and membership
4. families and friends can also participate in numbers to be sent by December 29th
the scheme 9. contact address (who to contact)
5. good deals for members wishing to see the
capital
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JOIN OUR NEW HOLIDAY SCHEME
It’s absolutely FREE!
Wide range of holiday destinations –Seaside! Country!

Take your family and friends
See the Capital at LOW COST
Great prices all round
This scheme starts on January 1st next year

Members who are interested should send names, addresses and membership numbers
by December 29th this year to
Reg Burton
Union of Road Mantenance Workers
74 Hill Avenue
Louth
Lincolnshire
ML21 15P
February 12th, 2019

3. Have you left out all irrelevant information? 
5. Is the language appropriate for the leaflet? 
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Practice 3
177
Scenario You work for Newton Furniture, 36 High Street, Lancaster LA46 3TU. Your
boss is Mrs. Sue Fowler. You arrive at work to find the following note on your
desk [3].
.
You are following an evening study course and I would like some of our junior staff to do the
same. The company will pay the intuition fees and travelling expenses to the staff who enroll
for a recognized course.
Would you mind drafting a leaflet, which I can give to the staff, detailing the advantages they
would gain from the course? Obviously, the staff with qualifications will stand a better chance
of promotion than those without any.

Write a leaflet.
Stage 2: Layout
178

179
Practice 4
Scenario Nguyen Phuong Dung is the CEO of ACD Office Designs Ltd. at 122 Huynh
Tan Phat, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, a company for which you work.
Will you please draft a leaflet for me which will be inserted in Tuoi Tre (a weekly issue) to
potential customers from the week after next? Point out that we are very well-known in the
interior design industry. We serve customers all over the city at the best prices. Besides the
consultation service free of charge, we are offering a 15% discounts on all contract values
worth of $ 2000 or higher from the beginning of next month. We provide the estimate and
layout within a week of visiting the premises. Add any information you find relevant. Put it
under my name.

Write a leaflet.
Stage 2: Layout
180

181
Practice 5
182
Scenario Tran Huu Toan, your Office Manager at Brook Stationery, 120 Dien Bien Phu
Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City says to you, “The company wants its
employees to commute to work by public transportation. Starting next month,
it will cover the travel expenses for those who use the metro to work. Read the
press release below and draft a leaflet to call for the multiple rides of this new
service from our staff members.”
.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SAVES YOUR WAY
Ho Chi Minh City: The residents will surely benefit from a well-organized public
transportation network that merges into the downtown area. Find out how to travel effectively
throughout the main areas of this city.
Advantages All Around
• It's cheaper: Commuting by public transport will save a lot more on your travel expenses
compared to driving your own car.
• It's faster: You will surely save time; traveling from the eastern suburban area to downtown
District 1 normally takes up to an hour during peak hours, but it has been reduced to only 20
minutes thanks to the bus-only lane.
• It's cleaner: Buses emit as much as ten times less toxic gases than private vehicles because
they run on electric power.
• It's more restful: Read your favorite fiction, familiarize yourself with current events, or just
relax while riding on a bus. You won't need to deal with aggressive drivers, which is often the
case when driving your own car.

Write a leaflet.
Stage 2: Layout
183
The following is a list of points to check when you write a leaflet.
Practice 6
184
Scenario James Hobbs is Office Manager of Best Office Supplies, which employs more
than 200 workers in Ho Chi Minh City. Most of them are lazy taking holidays
for some reasons. After working with Vietravel, Mr. Hobbs wants his staff
members to join the trip in Sa Pa this year to develop their corporate bonds
and enhance work efficiency as well. He wants you to see his note below and
draft a leaflet to be delivered to all the staff by the end of this month.”
.
We are flying from Ho Chi Minh City to Sa Pa on 24 December and spending four days
trekking, hiking, sightseeing, etc. It is likely to snow this Christmas. During the stay there,
teambuilding games, shopping and camp fire will dominate the night. We will try local
specialties, see traditional dance and visit less famous spots there. Everyone will stay in a 4
star hotel together. The company will pay for the staff’s trips, but their family members and
friends are welcome at their own expenses.

Write a leaflet.
Stage 2: Layout
185

186
Practice 7
187
Scenario You work for Reg Burton, CEO of Sun Corp at 121 Nguyen Hue Street,
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. He wants you to draft a leaflet to encourage the
employees to join the company’s charity group. Read the ideas below and
carry out the required task.
.
make a difference – meet people – be part of a community and experience a new place – make
the world better – gain new skills – take on new challenge – gain confidence – be more
responsible – have fun

Write a leaflet.
Stage 2: Layout
188

189
Practice 8
190
Scenario Ian Bush, the owner of Buyall, the company for which you work, says to you
[3].
“I’d like you to write a leaflet, please. I want one that we can deliver to the houses of a district
before our representatives call. Ask householders if they have anything – furniture, clothing,
jewelry, books, and so on – which they don’t want and say we will offer fair prices for it. Say
that reps will call on them within a week of their receiving our leaflet to look at whatever they
have to sell. Point out that no pressure will be put on them to sell and that we are a reputable
company in this business. If you can think of anything else that is relevant, put it in. Make it a
friendly, chatty leaflet under my name.”

Write a leaflet.
Stage 2: Layout
191

192
Practice 9
Scenario You and your associates are going to start Happy English Language School,
offering courses of all levels to those who wish to master the language. You
and your associates have decided on 112 Nguyen Hue Street, District 1 as the
head office. Below are some notes you have jotted down.
Happy English is happy learning – classes for all levels– discounts applied– native teachers in
combination with experienced Vietnamese teachers, new methods and latest materials– state
of the art equipment, public transport convenient location– ensure progress after three months

Write a leaflet.
Stage 2: Layout
193

194
Practice 10
Scenario You and your close friend are going to open a Vietnamese food restaurant at
134 Tran Trong Cung Street, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City. The restaurant,
located in the region where numerous Vietnamese people with high income
and foreign business people live, serves a variety of typical traditional dishes
of Vietnam.
NGON Restaurant – typical Vietnamese food – traditional Vietnamese style decoration –

discounts for the first week in business – serve various Vietnamese dishes – combo sets
applied weekdays – complementary drinks weekends– nice view of the river – free delivery
service

Write a leaflet.
Stage 2: Layout
195

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FURTHER READING FOR BETTER WRITING STYLES
PASSIVE VOICE
The passive voice is used in business English writing to avoid mentioning the agent, and this
may help you avoid putting yourself in troublesome situations, especially when you address
someone who is senior to you or over you [17]. In most cases, the passive voice will not only
make you “safe” but also help gain politeness. For instance, instead of saying “I would like
you to pick me up at the airport by three,” you should say, “I would like to be picked up at the
airport by three.” It is crystal clear that your purpose is to be picked up, and so the latter
sentence is much more polite.
Exercise 1: Change the verbs of the following sentences into the passive voice.
1. Could someone set up the room for me before seven in the morning?
2. (You said to the Manager of Banquet): If the weather is nice, could you hold our company
party outdoors then?
3. I will be happy if you would keep informing me of the upcoming event.
4. A thief has stolen of our Japanese - made computer in the lab.
5. (You said to the shoppers in an announcement): If you leave any bags unattended in the
shopping alley, they may be subject to theft.
6. (You said to the boss): I am sorry but this is an urgent case now. You should sign these
documents for me to send them out by the end of the day.
7. You should make the payment of the attendance fee to our bank account two days before
the conference.
8. (You said to the business partner): Excuse me. I do not permit smoking within the premises.
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Exercise 2: Change the verb of the underlined sentences into the passive voice.
To: GraceBros@gracebros.com
From: cynthia@gmail.com
Date: December 9
Subject: Order of green products

Dear Sirs and Madams,
I would thank you for having put in a big order of household appliances with our company
earlier this month. At your request, you wanted me to deliver all the items to your Tran Hung
Dao Branch by next weekend and suggested making the payments through bank account
transfer upon arrival; however, we have the policy that customers should really make a deposit
of at least 20% of the total amount before the goods get out. This means that we cannot
proceed any further with your order if I do not receive the payment by the due day.
I have just had our records reviewed and find that if taking this order in account, you have
placed six orders worth of more than five hundred US dollars this year. This amount will help
you become one of our VIP customers, and you will enjoy greater discounts and more benefits
on the following orders for the rest of the year. I am very pleased to meet your needs.
I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours faithfully,
Cynthia Carter
CAUSATIVE FORMS
The causative form of the verb is used in business English writing to avoid mentioning the
agent, and this may help you avoid putting yourself in troublesome situations, especially when
you address someone who is senior to you or over you [17]. In most cases, the causative form
not only makes you “safe” but also helps you gain politeness. For instance, instead of saying
to a customer “Would you like to deliver the purchases to your home address at weekend?”
you should say, “Would you like the purchases delivered to your home address at weekend?”
It is evident that the former one is an error when you address the customer.
Exercise 1: Change the verbs of the following sentences into the causative form.
1. Could you set up the room for me before seven in the morning?
2. (You said to the Manager of Banquet): If the weather is nice, could you hold our company
party outdoors then?
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3. I will be happy if you would inform me of the upcoming event.
4. If your car is parked in the no-parking zone, we will tow it at your expense.
5. (You said to the shoppers in an announcement): If you leave any bags unattended in the
shopping alley, we will collect them at once to avoid any possible theft.
6. (You said to the boss): I will contact the qualified candidates and sign these employment
contracts as soon as good.
7. (You said to the owner of Green Store): You should make the payment for the monthly
order to our bank account by the end of the month.
8. (You said to the business partner): Could pick me up at the train station at 10 PM on July
20, 2021?
Exercise 2: Change the verbs of the underlined sentences into the causative form.
Holiday Galore
214 Cronin Street, Canterbury,
Kent. CJ19 9AB
June 31st, 2018

Henson House
Orpington, Kent.
LV17 7PW
Dear Mr Bird,

I am happy to notify you that you order has been accepted. We will be pleased to serve you
this summer and make it a meaningful season ever.
I have checked the flight record twice and found that the most convenient day for your group’s
departure should be at 11 AM on July 19. Everyone is expected to present at the check-in
counter two hours in advance and take a carry-on bag (no more than eight kilos), and the
checked luggage (no more than twenty kilos). Could you please refer to the international flight
regulations to be sure that everything you carry is not illegal.

Regarding the price of the two-week vacation in Italy this summer, I am glad to say that the
rate will be the same as last year, meaning that the price remains unchanged. Could you make
the payment of 10% of the total bill to our company’s bank account as the deposit in order that
199
we can initiate the essential paperwork for the group? You might also understand that this is
part of our company policy, and only after the deposit is received will be able to book the
flight, apply for visas and sign a contract with the personal courier in the host country.

It is really good to hear that you all enjoyed the tour last year and want to go to the same spot
this year. This does motivate us a lot and we will try our best to do what we have chosen as
our career.
Yours sincerely,
Katie Summers
MODALS
Modal verbs can be used in business English writing you gain politeness, especially when you
address someone who is senior to you or over you [17]. For instance, instead of saying to a
customer “Contact the IT Division if you need further information on how to install the
accounting software,” you should say, “You should contact the IT Division if you need further
information on how to install the accounting software.” It is evident that the latter one
expresses more politeness.
In business English writing, might, could, should, and would can convey more politeness than
may or can. In addition, be allowed to or be permitted to can replace can in certain situations
and should really, be supposed to and be expected to can be adopted to express the obligation.
Exercise 1: Rewrite the following sentences with modal verbs to be more polite.
1. Let me know if you are able to make it to the meeting next week. (Will)
2. (You said to the Manager of Banquet): Can you have some time for my proposal? (Could)
3. To get ready for the inspector’s visit, everyone must be present at the office by 7 AM.
(should really)
4. You can’t park the car in front of the building as it is the no-parking zone. (be allowed to)
5. Reach me if you have any good idea of organizing the upcoming year-end party. (might)
6. (You said to the boss): let us know if you want to make any change to the attached plan.
(should)
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7. (You said to the owner of Green Store): You have to have the payment made for the
monthly order to our bank account by the end of the month. (be expected to)
8. (You said to the business partner): Do you have me picked up at the train station at 10 PM
next Monday? (Will)
Exercise 2: Rewrite the underlined sentences to be more polite.
NORTH EASTERN FARMERS

PHOTOCOPIER RELOCATED NEXT MONTH
There has been a sharp increase in photocopying bills recently; therefore, we decided to move
the current copier from the foyer to the secretary’s office from May 1st.
This urgent act is not to cause any inconvenience; instead, it will help avoid copying
unnecessary documents and then save expenses for the company. This will naturally lead to
the fact that the company will generate more profits, and all the managers and staff alike will
have higher compensations, better benefits perks and more generous bonuses by the end of the
year. When the machine is already in the new position, if anyone of you wishes to make
photocopies either for yourself or for your own department, please fill in the book which the
secretary will keep and use to report to me at the monthly meeting. Only by doing this can we
keep track of what you have copied and increase your incomes.
We are working towards helping every one of North Eastern Farmers to have a better life. If
you have any questions about the movement, reach me via my office phone number.
Jane Semour
Office Manager
April 18th, 2018
RHETORICAL WRITING
Rhetoric is the study of how words are used to persuade an audience. With a rhetorical
analysis, people study how writing is put together to create a particular effect on the
reader. Three aspects of rhetoric writing are ethos, logos, and pathos. You should be aware of
this when drafting an article [3].
Ethos refers to you as the writer. To persuade your readers, you need to build your credibility.
Readers want to know who you are, why you are competent to speak on the subject, and what
your motive for writing may be. In terms of business English writing, you should really
emphasize the value and advantages of your company.
Logos comes from the same root as logic. When considering the logos of your writing, you
should look at the actual content and logical organization of your ideas. As a result, you
201
should be highly aware of what you are writing about and avoid providing irrelevant or
illogical details.
The final piece of the rhetorical writing is pathos, or the emotional appeal. If you want to
persuade your readers to do something, appealing to their emotions will be very beneficial;
therefore, you should emphasize the benefits of your products.
Exercise: Replace the underlined sentences with your own ones.

WORK OUT EVERYDAY? WHY NOT?
In the present-day world, fitness centers always serve as good places to make people healthy
and strong. For a business, healthy employees make healthy organizations, helping ensure
productivity and profitability
The Director Board has made arrangements with Sports Center, a local fitness club near our
headquarters, for all employees to use its facilities free of charge. Our employees , after
finishing a working day or during the breaks, can drop on at the center and work out. The
center accommodates many modern machines, recently imported from Japan and Korea.
To encourage you to go there often, the Board decided to hold a physical competition on every
final workday of each month. Running, jogging, walking, and weight lifting have been chosen
for next month’s competition. The prizes will be awarded to the three winners of each sports,
and those with the highest number of prizes in each sports in a year will win a laptop computer
to be given at the company’s year-end party scheduled on December 31st.
In conclusion, good health not only benefits you ourselves but also contributes to the
company’s success. Thus, the more you go to Sports Centre, the more you will get from the
company.
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
After certain verbs or adjectives of the main clause, you must use the subjunctive form of the
verb in the following noun clause. The verbs and the adjectives that require the subjunctive
form verb indicate urgency, advisability, necessity and desirability [11].
It is important that the marketing division launch a more aggressive campaign.
It was recommended that the department should not hire new staff at this time.
The subjunctive form of the verb is the same base form as launch. You can also add should to
the front of a subjunctive verb form as in should not hire of the second example. In report
writing, you should keep in mind the verbs and adjectives of advisability as below.
Verbs Adjectives
advise insist request advisable desirable

recommend propose suggest urgent important
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Exercise 1. Make change to the underlined verbs below.
POSSIBILITY OF THE COMPANY STAFF ASSOCIATION
Terms of reference
Some personnel wished to form a company staff association instead of the national trade
union; therefore, as the CEO of M&A Corporation, I am completing this report to view the
pros and cons of the issue.
Proceedings
I interviewed twelve randomly selected managers for their opinions and formed six groups of
seven workers discussing the feasibility of forming such an organization.
Findings
Pros
* Holding effective meetings and saving time
* Being easy to call for and hold events
* Being part of an association of people with similar interest
* Knowing and helping one another better
* Working more cooperatively and achieving corporate goals
Cons
* Meeting difficulty in budget
* Being less powerful in voicing requests
* Lacking formal regulations
Conclusions
The advantages actually outnumbered the disadvantages, revealing that forming a company
staff association will benefit the personnel more.
Recommendations
Given the foregoing discussion, I highly recommend M&A Corporation will form staff
association as soon as good.
May 13th, 2018
PARALLELISM
Parallelism means that the items of a list should be the same pattern and the last item should
be connected to the previous ones by and, or, nor or but [11]. For instance, if the first item of
the list is a gerund, the rest should be in the gerundive form. These four connectors can work
in correlative conjunctions, namely both… and, either… or, neither…. nor and not only…but
also. When drafting a leaflet, you should present the item of the list in the same pattern to
avoid causing confusion for the readers.
203
Exercise: Fill in the blank with a suitable phrase or clause.
BUYALL WILL BUY ALL

SPECIALIZING IN BUYING SECOND-HAND GOODS
When selling used items to us, you will

 get the highest prices possible for your unused items,
 earn some money from your old furniture ,
 enjoy more spacious and comfortable living space,
 _______________________________________________
We are your best choice because
we are a reputable company in London,
we buy all second-hand things such as furniture, clothing, jewelry, books, …
high or poor quality goods are all bought at the fairest prices,
we have experienced staff to care for customers,
we has deployed the return policy within 30 days upon customer request at no costs,
we ensure no price pressure during the purchasing process,
___________________________________________________________
98 Crammer Road, Luton

Bedfordshire LU22 6XL
028.38343434
www.buyallsecondhand.uk
Our reps will call on you within a week of your receiving our leaflet to look at whatever you
might want to sell.
204
ANSWER KEYS
PASSIVE VOICE
Exercise 1: Change the verbs of the following sentences into the passive voice.
1. Could the room be set up for me before seven in the morning?
2. If the weather is nice, could our company
party be held outdoors then?
3. I will be happy if you would keep me informed of the upcoming event.
4. Our Japanese - made computer in the lab has stolen.
5. If any bags are left unattended in the
shopping alley, they may be subject to theft.
6. I am sorry but this is an urgent case now. These
documents should be signed for me to send them out by the end of the day.
7. The payment of the attendance fee should be made to our bank account two days before
the conference.
8. Excuse me. Smoking is not permitted within the premises.
Exercise 2: Change the verb of the underlined sentences into the passive voice.
1. you wanted all the items to be delivered to your Tran Hung Dao Branch by next weekend
2. if the payment is not received
CAUSATIVE FORMS
Exercise 1: Change the verbs of the following sentences into the causative form.
1. Could you have the room set up for me before seven in the morning?
2. If the weather is nice, could you have our company party held outdoors then?
3. I will be happy if you would have me informed of the upcoming event.
4. If your car is parked in the no-parking zone, we will have it towed at your expense.
5. If you leave any bags unattended in the shopping alley, we will them collected at once to
avoid any possible theft.
6. I will contact the qualified candidates and have these employment contracts signed as soon
as good.
7. You should make the payment for the monthly order to our bank account by the end of the
month.
8. Could you have me picked up at the train station at 10 PM on July 20, 2021?
Exercise 2: Change the verbs of the underlined sentences into the causative form.
1. I have the flight record checked twice
2. Could you have the payment of 10% of the total bill made to our company’s bank account
as the deposit
MODAL VERBS
Exercise 1: Rewrite the following sentences with modal verbs to be more polite.
1. Will you let me know if you are able to make it to the meeting next week?
2. Could you have some time for my proposal?
3. To get ready for the inspector’s visit, everyone should really be present at the office by 7
AM.
4. You are allowed to park the car in front of the building as it is the no-parking zone.
5. You might reach me if you have any good idea of organizing the upcoming year-end party.
205
6. You should let us know if you want to make any change to the attached plan.
7. You are expected to have the payment made for the monthly order to our bank account by
the end of the month.
8. Will you have me picked up at the train station at 10 PM next Monday?
Exercise 2: Rewrite the underlined sentences to be more polite.

1. Could you please fill in the book which the secretary will keep and use to report to me at the
monthly meeting?
2. You could reach me via my office phone number.
RHETORIC WRITING
Exercise: Replace the underlined sentences with your own ones.
1. fitness centers have played a big part in keeping you in shape.
2. if you should start working out now, the company will have one more productive employee
soon.
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
Exercise. Make change to the underlined verbs below.
Given the foregoing discussion, I highly recommend M&A Corporation (should) form staff
association as soon as good.
PARALLELISM
Exercise: Fill in the blank with a suitable phrase or clause.
1. and get a lot of discounts when shopping at our store
2. and we offer numerous methods of payment for the purchase
206
BIBLIOGRAPHY
[1]Ashley, A. (2005). Oxford Handbook of English Correspondence (New Edition). Oxford: Oxford
University Press
[2] Bean, B. (2018). Business Correspondence; Correspondence English, Business Letter Writing
Customs, Files and Systems, Writing Effective Business Letters. The USA: Franklin Classics.
[3] Cambrigde University. (2006). How to Pass English for Business Writing, 2nd Level. England:
Cambridge University Press.
[4] Garner, B. (2013). HBR Guide to Better Business Writing. The USA: Harvard Business Review
Press.
[5] Gilling, D. (2013). The Essential Handbook For Business Writing: Communication Excellence in
English, the Language of Business Worldwide. Canada: Greenlink Consulting.
[6] Jones L & Alexander R. (2003). New International Business English (Updated edition). New York:
Cambridge University Press.
[7] Jones, S. & Brems, M. (2008). Catalyst: Writing from Reading (2). The USA: Heinle, Cengage
Learning.
[8] Jones, S. & Kalbach, S. (2008). Catalyst: Writing from Reading (1). The USA: Heinle, Cengage
Learning.
[9] Lougheed, L. (2003). Business Correspondence: A Guide to Everyday Writing (2nd Edition). The
USA: Pearson Education.
[10]Mellor, R. G. & Davidson, V.G. (2007). How to pass English for business Level 2 (4th Edition).
Germany: Logophon Verlag GmbH.
[11] Oshima, A. & Hogue, A. (2006). Writing Academic Edition (4th Edition). The USA: Pearson
Education.
[12] R C Sharma Krishna Mohan. (2002). Business Correspondence and Report Writing,3e. India: Tata
McGraw-Hill Education.
[13] Sviatiuk, Y. (2015). Business Correspondence Style and Format. Theoretical & Applied Science,
9(29), 83-88.
[14] Talbot, F. (2009). How to Write Effective Business English: The essential toolkit for composing
powerful letters, e-mails and more, for today’s business needs. London: Kogan Page.
[15] Talbot, F. (2009). Make an Impact with Your Written English. How to use word power to impress
in presentations, reports, PR and meetings (Better Business English). London: Kogan Page.
[16] Talbot, F. (2016). How to Write Effective Business English: Excel at E-mail, Social Media and All
Your Professional Communications (Better Business English) Second Edition. London: Kogan
Page Limited.
[17] Taylor, A. & Edmunds, P. (2007). Developing Skills for the TOEIC Test. The USA: Compass
Publishing.
[18] Taylor, A. (2006). Target TOEIC. The USA: Compass Publishing.
[19] Taylor, A. (2006). TOEIC Analyst (2nd Edition). The USA: Compass Publishing.
[20] Trappe, T & Tullis, G. (2005). Intelligent Business Coursebook (Intermediate Business English).
England: Pearson Education.
[21] Walley, G. (2012). The Smart Guide to Business Writing
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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS ENGLISH WRITING

As we continue to transform the way we do business at Zebra, it is important to recognize

Lim Fang How

If there is any necessary supplement, we will keep you informed at once.

BUILDING UP YOUR MEMO WRITING SKILLS

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 4: Group and order relevant information

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 4: Group and order relevant information

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 4: Group and order relevant information

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 4: Group and order relevant information

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 4: Group and order relevant information

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 4: Group and order relevant information

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 4: Group and order relevant information

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 4: Group and order relevant information

Stage 6: Check your work 

Dear Sir: Yours faithfully,

BUILDING UP YOUR EMAIL WRITING SKILLS

Unfortunately, I am housebound, so I am unable to visit the bank in person. I should be most

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 5: Write the email

Dear Mrs. Anderson,

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 4: Group and order relevant information

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 4: Group and order relevant information

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 4: Group and order relevant information

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information

Stage 5: Write the email.

Stage 6: Check your work 

Stage 1: Identify the task

Stage 3: Identify relevant information