Company

LOGO

Commercial
Correspondence

Name: DO THI KIM CUC

Phone: 0705 280 325
Email: cucdtk87@gmail.com www.company.com
Company
Game: Who is the fastest?
LOGO

Reorder the parts of the letter

1. Date 1. Return Address

2. Typed name 2. Date
3. Inside Address 3. Inside Address
4. Salutation 4. Salutation
5. Return Address 5. Body of Letter
6. Body of Letter 6. Complimentary closing
7. Signature 7. Signature
8. Complimentary closing 8. Typed name

5–1–3–4–6–8–7–2
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 Content and Style
Company
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• 2.1 Length
• 2.2 Order and sequence
Lesson 2
• 2.3 Planning your letter
• 2.4 Style and language
• 2.5 Clarity
• 2.6 Accuracy
• 2.7 Points to remember
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 2.1 Length
Company
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How long should

your letter be?
Subject
This of letter
depends Style of
on languag
e
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 2.1.1 Too long
Company What
What is your firstmakes this letter
impression whentoo long?
you see this letter?
LOGO
Dear Mr. Arrand,

Thank you very much for your enquiry of 5 November which we received today. We
often receive enquiries from the large stores and always welcome them, particularly
Too many at this time of the year when we know that you will be stocking for Christmas.
unnecessary We have enclosed our winter catalogue and are sure you will be extremely
things: impressed by the wide range of watches that we stock. You will see that they range
- Stores/ shops from the traditional to the latest in quartz movements and include ranges from men,
women and children with prices that should suit all your customers from models
are stocking costing only a few pounds to those in the upper market bracket priced as several
hundred pounds. But whether you buy a cheaper or more expensive model we
for Christmas guarantee all merchandise for two years with a full service.
- Wide selection
Enclosed you will also find our price-list giving full details on c.i.f. prices to London
of watches … and explaining our discounts which you will find very generous and which we hope
- The countries you will take full advantage of.

the firm sells We are always available to offer you further information about our products and can
to promise you personal attention whenever you required it. This service is given to all
our customers throughout the world, and as you probably know, we deal with
- The history of countries from Far East to Europe and Latin America, and bears out our reputation
the company which has been established for more than a hundred years and has made our motto
a household world - Time for Everyone.
- Unimpressive
Once again may we thank you for your enquiry and say that we look forward to
motto hearing from you in the near future?
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Yours sincerely,
 2.1.2 Too short
Company
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What are missing from this letter?

Dear Mr. Arrand

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your enquiry. We have a wide

selection of watches which we are sure you will like.
We will be sending a catalogue soon.

Your faithfully, Your sincerely

- No reference to the date/ number of the

enquiry
- No catalogues sent
- No line to draw customer’s attention to
particular item
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- No price list and special discount included
 2.1.3 The right length
Company
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What are included in a right long letter?
Dear Mr. Arrand,
Acknowledge enquiry
Thank you for your enquiry of 5 November.

We have enclosed our winter catalogue and price list giving

details of c.i.f. London prices, discounts and delivery dates. Catalogue, price-list

Though you will see we offer a wide selection of watches, may

we draw your intention to pp. 23-28 and pp. 31-36 in our
catalogue which we think might suit the market you are Particular items, latest
dealing with? And on page 25 you will notice our latest designs designs
in pendant watches which are becoming fashionable for both
men and women.

As you are properly aware, all our products are fully Guarantees and
reputation
guaranteed it and backed by our world-wide reputation.

If there is any further information you require please contact

Encourage future
us. Meanwhile, we look forward to hearing from you soon. contact

Yours sincerely,
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 2.1.4 A warning
Company
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Your letter should not be TOO

LONG or TOO SHORT

Too much VITAL information

is BETTER than too little

Don’t include EVERY piece of

information – except the price

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 2.2. Order and sequence
Company
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Logical sequence

Linking ideas

Easy to follow

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 2.2.1 Unclear sequence
Company
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Not in logical
sequence

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 2.2.2 Clear sequence
Company
LOGO

In logical
sequence

Linking

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 2.3 Planning your letter
Company
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What should you do while planning your letter?

Read notes
Ask
Note down again to
yourself: check if
• What do • Everything • All
you want you want to necessary
the letter to include information
achieve? included
• Any
unnecessary
• What information
response • The
do you information
want? is in the right
order.

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 2.3 Planning your letter
Company
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Plan for the letter

1st para – acknowledge enquiry

2nd para – enclose catalogue, price-list

3rd para – Draw attention to particular

items, latest designs

4th mention guarantees and reputation

5th para – encourage further contact

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 2.3.1 First paragraph
Company
LOGO
What are included?
Thank you for your enquiry dated 8 Thank you for your letter of 19 August
July in which you asked us about which I received today. We can
our range of cosmetics. As you certainly supply you with the
have probably seen in our industrial floor coverings you asked
advertisements in fashion about, and enclosed you will find a
magazines, we appeal to a wide catalogue illustrating our wide rang of
age-group from the teenage market products which are used in factories
through to more mature women, and offices throughout the world.
with out products being retailed in
leading stores throughout the
world.

Thank your correspondent State the subject of the letter

Introduce yourself and your Set out the purpose of the

company (if necessary) letter
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 2.3.2 Middle paragraph
Company
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Why is this important?
The • Concern the points
main that need to be made
• Answers you wish to
part of give
your • Questions you want
to ask
letter
clearly
Make sure
fully
your points
www.company.com be made In logical
sequence
 2.3.3 Final paragraph
Company
LOGO
What are included?
Once again thank you for Thank your correspondent
writing to us and please
contact us if you would like any Encourage further enquiries
further information. To go or correspondences
briefly over the points I have
made – all prices are quoted
c.i.f Yokahama; delivery would Restate briefly the
be six weeks from receipt of most important
order; and payment should be points
made by bank draft. I look
forward to hearing from you
soon

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 Practice 1 – Handout 1
Company
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What are the
problems with the
system?

Work Inside address

Ref.
in Date
Groups
of
Four

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 2.4 Style and language
Company
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2.4.1 Simplicity
Dear Mr. Aldine,
I am replying to your letter of 15 July
asking us to clear our June balance.
I apologize for not setting the account
sooner, but due to the unfortunate death
of Mr. Noel, our accountant, we were not
able to settle any of our outstanding
balances.
Please find enclosed our cheque for £620,
and accept our apologies for any
inconvenience
Your sincerely,
Old – fashioned style
Simple and clear style
Too long
Long enough
Not easy to understand
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 2.4 Style and language
Company
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2.4.2 Courtesy
Dear Mr. Rohn, Passive Dear Mr. Rohn,
voice Complex sentence
I have already written to you I refer to the previous letter sent on
concerning your outstanding debt of 10 October in which you were asked
£591. This should have been cleared to clear the balance of £591 which
three months ago. You don’t seem to has been outstanding since July. As
want to cooperate in paying us, and you have not replied to the letter you
therefore we will sur you if your debt leave little choice for me but to place
is not cleared within the next ten the matter in the hands of solicitors.
days. However, I am reluctant to do this
and am offering you a further ten
Yours, etc. days to settle the account.

Your sincerely, Conjunction

Simple but not
DISCOURTEOUS
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 2.4 Style and language
Company
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2.4.3 Idioms and colloquial language
Rewrite these in a more formal way

You’ve probably guessed You probably know

You’ll get your money back. The loan will be repaid

- listen and take notes

To go into property To invest in property

A couple of hundred quid Not easy to understand

Price are at rock bottom Prices are very low

Price have gone through the roof Prices have increased rapidly

Neutral tone Be caution:

idioms/
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 Practice 2 – Handout 2
Company
LOGO Work in pairs. Read the emails and complete the table
with formal and informal expressions from the emails

  MORE FORMAL LESS FORMAL

Dear …
Hello.
Start the email Hi
1___________________
Further to our last 2 ________________
It was nice to meet
Refer to past contact you again …
meeting ___________________
Give reason for writing 3 ________________
I am writing with I’m writing about …
___________
regard to …
Referring to an
4 __________________
I am attaching … Here is …
attachment
Please feel free to
contact me if you would
Offer more information 5 __________________
Give me a call if …
like any further
information.

End the email 6 __________________

Your sincerely 7 __________________
Bye for now
- Best regards  

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 2.5 Clarity
Company
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To ensure clarity, you must avoid the

ways in which confusion in
correspondence can happen

What are these ways?

Abbreviations
Figures

Prepositions

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 2.5.1 Abbreviations
Company
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Some important notes:

Only internationally recognized Not easily recognized
abbreviations are used ones are not used

c.i.f o.n.o
(cost, insurance, freight) (or nearest offer)

f.o.b UNO
(free on board) (United Nations Organization)

NATO
(North Atlantic Treaty For telephone purpose, the
Organization) abbreviations are pronounced
as separate letters (si: ai ef)
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 2.5.2 Figures
Company
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Date?
Month?

Figure for date 7/8/2021

Decimal point RECOMMENDED:

four point two double five
Both figures and words should be used.
English and American: 4.255
E.g. £10,575.90 (ten thousand five
Other European: 4,255
hundred and seventy-five pounds,
four thousand
ninety pence) two hundred and fifty five
English and American: 4,255
Other European: 4.255

Billion In the UK: 1000,000,000,000

In the US: 1000,000,000

Trillion In the UK: 1000,000,000,000,000,000

In the US: 1000,000,000,000
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 2.5.3 Prepositions
Company
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The price has been increased to £15.00

The price has been increased by £15.00

The price has been increased from £15.00

RECOMMENDED:
Pay attention when
using prepositions

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 2.6 Accuracy
Company
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What is accuracy related to?

Spelling Punctuation

Grammar

Careless mistakes  bad impression

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 2.6 Accuracy
Company
LOGO
2.6.1 Title, names, and addresses

Make sure correct title and spelling of

correspondent’s name in address and salutation

Not know correspondent’s sex, use Dear Sir or

Madam rather than Dear Sir or Dear Madam

Know correspondent’s name but not his/ her sex,

use Dear Mr./ Mrs. … e.g. Dear Mr./ Mrs. Barron

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 2.6 Accuracy
Company
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2.6.2 References

Examples:
What happens if we do not quote
Your ref: 6 May 19—
Our ref: DS/ MR
the reference accurately?

The receiver does not know which

letter we are replying to

Effective
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 2.6 Accuracy
Company
LOGO
2.6.3 Prices, measurements, etc.

What does these relate to?

Giving
Quoting prices Giving weights
measurements

Be careful
- Exact figures
- Valid unit

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 2.6 Accuracy
Company
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2.6.4 Enclosures

What if we wrote in the body that we Not

professional
enclose some files but we forgot?

Bad
impression

Before sending your letter, check:

- If you enclose the documents (leaflet,
order, …) you have mentioned
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- If the enclosed file is correct one
 Practice 3
Company Rewrite the letter to make it more formal
LOGO
Compare your letter with the sample

Date

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 2.7 Consolidation
Company
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Fill in the gaps with correct word/ words

1. Include just the ________ amount of information in your letter. (But

better to include __________ than ________
2. _____ your letter before you start writing, to make sure it says
everything you want to say and say it in a ______ sequence
3. Use a ________ but ________ style of language. Beware of
________
4. Your letter should be clear and unambiguous. Take care with
_____________ and ________
5. __________ is important. Play special attention to titles, names and
addresses, references, prices and specifications, enclosures.

abbreviations right too little too much logical Plan

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 Homework
Company
LOGO
Write a formal letter for the situation
You are Head of Human
Resources at an international
cosmetics company. You have
been in touch with an IT Training
company about training for some
of your staff. You have now
received information about the
training but need to change some
of the details.

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