Реферат: Lexico-sementic chartersticcs of business letter correspondence
Курсовая работапо теме:«LEXICO-SEMENTIC CHARACTERISTICS OFBUSINESS LETTER CORRESPONDENCE»Сдала: студентка гр. РП -41Юрченко М. В.Приняла: ст. преподаватель Галиченко Н.Ю.
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Content
TOCo «1-3» Content… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788157 PAGEREF _Toc3837881571
ANNOTATION… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788158 PAGEREF_Toc383788158 2
INTRODUCTION… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788159 PAGEREF_Toc383788159 3
BUSINESS LETTERSTHROUGHT LEXICS… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788160 PAGEREF_Toc383788160 7
A sampling ofcontract phrases… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788161 PAGEREF_Toc383788161 7
Foreign esotericwords… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788162 PAGEREF_Toc383788162 16
Some words againstpassive… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788163 PAGEREF_Toc383788163 16
EXAMINING ENGLISHBUSINESS LETTERS… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788164 PAGEREF_Toc383788164 17
Example 1.… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788165 PAGEREF_Toc383788165 18
Example2… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788166 PAGEREF_Toc383788166 20
Example 3.… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788167 PAGEREF_Toc383788167 22
Example 4.… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788168 PAGEREF_Toc383788168 24
Example 5… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788169 PAGEREF_Toc383788169 25
Example 6.… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788170 PAGEREF_Toc383788170 27
CONCLUSION… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788171 PAGEREF_Toc383788171 29
BIBLIOGRAPHY… GOTOBUTTON_Toc383788172 PAGEREF_Toc383788172 30
<span Times New Roman",«serif»;mso-fareast-font-family: «Times New Roman»;mso-ansi-language:RU;mso-fareast-language:RU;mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">ANNOTATION
Thesubject matter of the course paper is the role of lexics and semantics in thecase of business letter correspondence. The question of the history of officialcommunication, the main stages of business transactions, the role of person’sfeeling for the proper use of phrases as well as his knowledge of grammar arehighlighted. Moreover, those phrases which are more often used in businessletters are examined from the point of view of their appropriateness indifferent situations. The practical part contains several examples of businessletters; the occasions on which they were written and some of theircharacteristics are observed.
<span Times New Roman",«serif»;mso-fareast-font-family: «Times New Roman»;mso-font-kerning:14.0pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language: RU;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">INTRODUCTION
Letter writing — is an essential partof communication, an intimate part of experience. Each letter-writer has acharacteristic way of writing, his style of writing, his wayof expressing thoughts, facts, etc. but it must beemphasisedthat the routine of the official or semi-officialbusiness letters requires certain accepted idioms, phrases,patterns, and grammar which are found in general use today.Therefore certain skills must be acquired by practice, anddetails of writing must be carefully and thoroughly learnt.
A cheque, a contract or any other business paper sentbymail should always beaccompanied by a letter. The letter sayswhat is being sent so that the recipient should know exactly whatyou intended to send. It is a typical business letter whichsomepeople call «routine». The letter may be short or long,it may contain some veryimportant and much less importantinformation - every letter requires careful planning andthoughtful writing.
In recent years English has become a universal business language. As such, it is potentially an instrument of order and clarity. But words and phrases have unexpected ways of creating binding commitments.
Letter-writing, certainly, is not the same as casualconversation, it bears only the same power of thoughts,reflections,and observations as in conversational talk, butthe formmay be quite different. What makes the letter soattractive and pleasing is not always the massage of theletter, it is often the manner andstyle in which the massageis written.
E.g.: «I wish to express to you my sincere appreciation for your note of congratulation.»
or
«I am sincerely happy that you were electedPresidentofBiological Society.»
As you see such formulations show the attitude of the writer, his respectand sincerity.
The language of business, professional and semi-official letters isformal, courteous, tactful, concise, expressive, and to thepoint. A neatly arranged letter will certainly make a better impression on thereader, thus good letters make good business partners.
In the case of «scientificcorrespondence» the majority of letters bear mostly a semi-official character and are concerned with differentsituations associated with scientific activities concentrated around the organisation of scientificmeetings (congresses, symposia, workshops, etc.), the arrangement ofvisit, invitation, publication, the exchange of scientific literature, information, etc. Letters of this kind havea tone of friendliness, naturalism. Modern English letters should notbe exaggerated, overburdened, outmodedwith time-worn expressions. The key note is simplicity. Modern letters tend towards using thelanguage of conversational style.
Writing is not only a means of communication and contract, but also a record ofaffairs, information, events, etc. So it is necessary to feel the spiritand trend of the style in order to write a perfect letter.
Business-letter or contract law is a complex and vastly documented subject, only a lawyer can deal with it on a serious level. A number of basic principles, however, can be outlined sufficiently to markof encounters that require the use of specialised English.
Doing business means working out agreements with other people, sometimes through elaborate contracts and sometimes throughnothing but little standard forms, through exchanges of letters andconversations at lunch.
Nowadays more and more agreementsare made in English, for English is the nearest thing we have to a universal business language. Joint ventures, bank loans, and trademark licensesfrequently are spelled out in this language even though it is not native to at least one of the contracting parties.
As a beginning I am going to look at the subject of writing ofbusiness letters generally. In the main there are three stages transactionsinvolving business contracts: first, negotiation of terms, second, drafting documentsreflecting these terms, and third, litigation to enforce or to avoid executing of theseterms. To my mind, a fourth might be added, the administration of contracts.
I am going to look through the first two since the third and the fourth arerelated only to the field of law. A typical first stage of contract is two ormore people having drink and talking about future dealing. A second phase might be letters written inorder to work out an agreement.
In these two early stages it will be helpful to know something about rules of contract. But what rules? Different nationsborrow or create different legal systems, and even within a single country therules may vary according to region or the kind of transaction involved.
It is worth knowing that thedistinctions in legal system of England are mainly historical.
The history of writing business letters isundoubtedly connected with the history of development of legal language. English is in fact a latecomer as a legal language. Even after the Norman Conquest court pleadings in England were in French, and before that lawyers usedLatin. Perhaps, some of our difficulties arise due to the fact that English was unacceptable in its childhood.
Contract in English suggest Anglo-American contract rules. The main point is always to be aware thatthere are differences: the way they may be resolved usually is a problem for lawyers. With contracts the applicable law may be thelaw of the place where the contract is made; in other cases it may be the lawof the place where the contract is to be performed. It is specified inpreliminary negotiations which system of law is to apply.
Diversity is characteristic featureof English; here is a wide range of alternatives to choose from in saying things, although the conciseness is sometimeslacking. Consequently, the use of English is a creative challenge. Almost too many riches are available for selection, that leads occasionally to masterpieces but more frequently tomistakes. English is less refined in itsdistinctions than French, for example,and this makes it harder to be clear.
That does not mean that Englishis imprecise for all things are relative. If wecompare English with Japanese, we willsee that the latter possesses enormous degree of politeness to reflect the respectiveness of speaker and listener as well asof addresser and addressee.
Here I cannot help mentioning the fact that ascontracts are so unclear in what every side intends to do, a contract can sometimes put a company out ofbusiness.
Thus everybody who is involved inany kind of business should study thoroughly the complex science of writing business letters andcontracts.
BUSINESS LETTERS THROUGHT LEXICSFrom the lexicological point of viewisolated words and phrases mean very little. In context they mean a great deal, and in the special context of contractual undertakings they meaneverything. Contract English is a prose organised according toplan.
And it includes, without limitation, the right butnot the obligation to select words from a wide variety of verbal implements and write clearly, accurately, and/or with style.
Two phases of writing contractsexist: in the first, we react to proposed contracts drafted by somebodyelse, and in the second, which presents greater challenge, we compose our own.
A good contract reads like a classicstory. It narrates, in orderlysequence, that one part should do thisand another should do that, andperhaps if certain events occur, the outcome will be changed. All of the ratecards charts, and other reference material ought to be ticked off one after another according to the sense of it.Tables and figures, code words and mystical references are almost insulting unless organised and defined. Without organisation they baffle, without definition they entrap.
In strong stance one can send backthe offending document and request a substitute document in comprehensible English. Otherwise a series of questions maybe put by letter, and the replies oftenwill have contractual force if the document is later contested.
Asampling of contract phrasesMy observations about English so farhave been general in nature. Now it appears logical to examine the examples of favourite contract phrases, which will help ease the way tofuller examination of entire negotiations and contracts. a full glossary isbeyond reach but in what follows there is a listing of words and phrases thatturn up in great many documents, with comments on each one. The words and phrases arepresented in plausible contract sequence, not alphabetically.
«Whereas» Everyman's idea of how a contract begins. Some lawyers dislike «Whereas» anduse recitation clauses so marked to distinguish them from the text in the contract. There the real issue lies; one must be careful about mixing up recitalsof history with what is actually being agreed on. For example, it would be folly to write: «Whereas A admits owing B $10,000...»because the admission may later haunt one, especially if drafts are never signed and the debt be disputed. Rather less damaging would be:
«Whereasthe parties have engaged in a series of transactions resulting in dispute over accounting between them...»
On the whole «Whereas» isacceptable, but what follows it needs particular care.
«It is understood and agreed» On the one hand, it usually addsnothing, because every clause in the contract is «understood andagreed» or it would not be written into it. On the other hand, what it adds is animplication that other clauses are not backed up by this phrase: by includingthe one you exclude the other. «It is understood and agreed» ought to bebanished.
«Hereinafter» A decent enough little word doingthe job of six («Referred to later in this document»). «Hereinafter» frequently sets up abbreviated names for the contract parties.
For example:
«KnightsbridgeInternational Drapes andFishmonger, Ltd (hereinafter „Knightsbridge“).
»Including Without Limitation" It is useful and at times essential phrase. Earlier I've noted that mentioning certain things may exclude others byimplication. Thus,
«Youmay assign your exclusive British and Commonwealthrights»
suggests that you may not assign other rights assumingyou have any. Such pitfalls may be avoided by phrasing such as:
«Youmay assign any and all your rights including withoutlimitation your exclusive British and Commonwealth rights».
But why specify any rights if all ofthem are included? Psychology is the main reason; people want specificthings underscored in the contracts, and «Including Without Limitation» indulges thisprediction.
«Assignees and Licensees» These are important words which acceptability depends on one'spoint of view
«Knightsbridge,its assignees and licensees...»
suggests that Knightsbridge may hand you over tosomebody else after contracts are signed. If you yourself happen to be Knightsbridge, you will want that particular right and shoulduse the phrase.
«Without Prejudice» It is a classic. The British use thisphrase all by itself, leaving the readerintrigued. «Without Prejudice»to what exactly? Americans spell it out more elaborately, but if you stick to American way, remember «Including WithoutLimitation», or you may accidentally exclude something byimplication. Legal rights, for example, are not the same thing asremedies the law offers to enforce them. Thus the Americanmight write:
«Withoutprejudice to any of my existing or future rights or remedies...»
Andthis leads to another phrase.
«And/or» It is an essential barbarism. In the preceding example I've used thedisjunctive «rights or remedies». This is notalways good enough, and one may run into trouble with
«Knightsbridge or Tefal or either of themshall...»
Whatabout both together? «Knightsbridge and Tefal»,perhaps, followed by «or either». Occasionally the alternatives become overwhelming, thus and/or is convenient and generally accepted, although moredetail is better.
«Shall» If one says «Knightsbridge and/or Tefal shallhave...» or «will have...», legally it should make nodifferencein the case you are consent in using one or theother. «Shall», however, is stronger than «will».Going fromone toanother might suggest that one obligation is strongersomehow than another. Perhaps, one's position maydeterminethe choice.«You shall», however is badform.
«Understanding» It is a dangerous word. If you meanagreement you ought to say so. If you view of affairsthatthereis no agreement, «understanding» as anoun suggeststheopposite or comes close to it. .itstands, in fact, as amonument to unsatisfactorycompromise. The softness of thewordconjures up pleasing images. «In accordance with ourunderstanding...» can be interpreted in a number of ways.
«Effect» Here is a little word which uses areinsufficiently praised. Such a phrase as «We willproduce...» is inaccurate, because the work will besubcontracted and the promise-maker technically defaults.Somebody else does the producing. Whynot say «We will produceor cause to be produced...»? This is infact often said, butit jars the ear. Accordingly «We will effect production...» highlights the point with greater skill.
«Idea» This word is bad for yourown side but helpful against others. Ideas as such are not generallyprotected by law. If you submit something to a company with any hope of reward you must find better phrasing than«my idea». Perhaps, «my format» or possibly «my property»is more appropriate. Naturally, if you can develop an idea into a format or protectableproperty, the more ambitious phrasing will be better justified.
«As between us» It is useful, because people are always forgetting or neglecting to mention that a great many interests may be involved in what appears to be simple dialogue. «I reservecontrol over...» and «Youhave the final power of decision over...» sound like division of something into spheres, but frequently «I» am in turn controlled by myinvestors and «You» — by aforeign parent company, making thelanguage of division inaccurate.Neither of us really controlsanything, at least ultimately.
Thus it will be useful to say, «As between us, Icontrol...» and so on.
«Spanning» Time periods are awkward things: "...for a period commencing August,1 and expiring November,15..." isclumsy; "...from August,1to November,15..." is skeletal when informing how long a contractobligation endures.
But during particular time periods one may be reporting for work, forexample, three days out of every five, or doing something else that is withinbut not completely parallel to the entire time period involved.
Ahappy solution is the word «Spanning».It goes this way:
«Throughout the period spanning August,1 — November,15 inclusive you will render services as a consultant three days out of every five.»
Itwill be useful to put «inclusive»at the end for without it you may lose the date, concluding the period beingspanned.
«Negotiate in Good Faith» The negotiators have worked until late at night, all points but one have been worked out, thecontract will never be signed without resolution of some particular impasse. What isthere to do?
Agreeto «Negotiate in Good Faith»on the disputed point at later time. This is done frequently, but make no mistake about the outcome. The openpoint remains open. If it happens to be vital you may have no contract at all. «Negotiate in Good Faith» is one ofthose evasions that must be used sparingly. At the right time it preventscollapse, at the wrong time it promotes it.
«Confirm» It suggests, of course,that something has been agreed upon before. You are writing now only to make arecord of it. «I write to confirm that you admit substantial default in delivery»Frequently we encounter it in ordinary correspondence: «Confirming your order», «Confirming the main points of our agreement»,and so on.
«Furnish» It is a handy wordwhich usefulness lies in the avoidance of worsealternatives. Suppose you transact to deliver a variety of elements as a package.
«Deliver» leaves out, even though it may well be implied, the preliminarypurchase or engagement of these elements, and at the other end it goes very far in suggesting responsibility forgetting the package unscathed to where it belongs.
Alternativesalso may go wrong, slightly, each with its own implications.
«Assign» involves legal title; «give»is lame and probably untrue; «transmit» means send.
Thus each word misses some important — detail orimplies unnecessary things.
«Furnish» is sometimes useful when more popular words fall short or go too far.It has a good professional ring to itas well:
«I agree to furnish all of the elementslisted on Exhibit A annexed hereto and made part hereof by incorporation.»
Whois responsible for non-delivery and related questions can be dealt with in separate clauses.
«Furnish» avoids jumping the gun. It keeps away from what ought to be treated independently but fills upenough space to stand firm.
Theword is good value.
«Right but Not Obligation» One of the most splendid phrases available.Sometimesthe grant of particular rights carries withit by implication a duty to exploit them. Authors, for example, often feel betrayed by their publishes, whohave various rights «but do nothing about them.» Royalties decreaseas a result; and this situation, whether or not it reflects real criminality, is repeated in variety of industries and court cases.Accordingly it well suits the granteeof rights to make clear at the very beginning that he mayabandon them.Thispossibility is more appropriately dealt with in separate clauses reciting the consequences.Still, contracts have been known to contain inconsistent provisions, and preliminary correspondence may not even reach the subject of rights.A quick phrase helps keep you out oftrouble:«TheRight but Not Obligation».Thus,
«We shall have the Right but Not Obligation to grant sublicenses in Austria»(«But if we fail, we fail»).
Eventhis magic phrase has its limitations because good faith may requirehaving a real go to exploiting the rights in question. Nevertheless «Rightbut Not Obligation»is useful, so much so as to become incantation and be said whenever circumstances allowit. I the othersidechallenges these words, it will be better to know this at once and work out alternatives or finishup the negotiations completely.
«Exclusive» It’s importance in contractEnglish is vast, and its omission creates difficulties in good many informal drafts. Exclusivityas a contract term means that somebody is -barred from dealing with others in a specified area. Typically anemployment may be exclusive in that the employee may not work for any one else, or a license may be exclusive in the sense that no competinglicenses will be issued.
Antitrustproblems cluster around exclusive arrangements but they are not all automatically outlawed.
Itfollows that one ought to specify whether or not exclusivity is part of many transactions. If not, the phrase «nonexclusive» does well enough. On the other hand, if a consultant is to be engaged solely by one company, or a distributorship awarded to nobody elseexcept X, then «exclusive» is a word that deserves recitation. «ExclusiveRight but Not Obligation» is an example that combines two phrases discussed here.
The linking of concepts is a step in building a vocabulary of contract English.
«Solely on condition that» One of the few phrases that can be consideredbetter than its short counterparts. Why not just «if»? Because «if» by itself leaves open the possibility of open contingencies:
«If Baker delivers 1,000 barrels I will buythem» is unclear if you will buy them only from Baker. Therefore what about «only if»? Sometimes this works out, butnot always.
«Iwill buy 1,000 barrels only if Baker delivers them» is an example of «only if» going fuzzy. One possible meaning is «not more than1,000 barrels» with «only» assimilated with the wrong word. Herethen a more elaborate phrase is justified.
«I will buy 1,000 barrels solely on conditionthat Baker delivers them» makeseverything clear.
«Subject to» Few contracts can do without thisphrase. Many promises can be made good only if certain things occur. The right procedure is to spell out these plausible impediments tothe degree that you can reasonably foresee them.
«We will deliver these subject to ourreceiving adequate supplies»;
«Our agreement is subject to the laws ofConnecticut»;
«Subject to circumstances beyond our control».
Foreignesoteric wordsEverynow and then a scholarly phrase becomesaccepted in business usage. «Pro rate» and «pari passu» are Latin expressions but concern money. «Pro rata» proveshelpful when payments are to be in a proportion reflecting earlier formulas in a contract. «Pari passu» is used when several people are paid at the same level ortime out of a common fund. Latin, however, is not the only source of foreign phrases in businessletters.
«Force majeure» is a French phrase meaning circumstancesbeyond one's control.
Englishitself has plenty of rare words. One example is «eschew»; how many times we see people struggling with negativessuch as «and we agree not to produce (whatever it is) for a period of X». The moreappropriate phrase would be
«we will eschew production».
Buthere it should be mentioned that not everyone can understand such phrases. Therefore rare words should be used only once in a long while. Those who uses them sparingly appears to bereliable.
Somewords against passiveUntilnow the study of writing business letters has consisted largely of contract phrases accompanied by briefessays evaluating their usefulness. The words are only samplings and are presented mainly to conduce writing businessletters in a proper way. It will bewrong, however, to bring this list to an end without mention of a more generalproblem that arises in connection with no fixed word pattern at all. It arises,rather from using too many passives. Such phrases as «The material will bedelivered»;
«The start date is to be decided»;
«The figures must be approved» are obscure ones leaving unsettled who it isthat delivers, who decides, and who doesthe approving. Which side it is to be?Lawsuits are the plausible outcome of leaving it all unsettled. Passives used in contracts can destroy the whole negotiations.«You will deliver» is better for it identifies the one who will do delivering. Certainly, «must be approved by us» violates other canons. «We shall have the right but not theobligation to approve» is less unfortunate. There is no doubt that passives do notsuit business letters, and if they goall the way through without adding something like «by you» or «by us» they areintolerable. Once in a long while onemay find passives used purposely to leave something unresolved. In those circumstances they will be in class with «negotiate in goodfaith», which I've examined earlier.
EXAMINING ENGLISH BUSINESS LETTERSNowlet's turn to the practical point of writing business letters. They may be divided into official andsemi-official. The first kind of letters is characteristic of those people working in business: an executive, a departmentmanager, a salesman, a secretary or a specialist in business and technology. But also many people maywant to buy something, to accept an invitation or to congratulate somebody — this is a kind of semi-official letters. The first kind of letters may inturn be subdivided into such groups as: inquiries, offers, orders, and so on. I am going to examine this group more carefully lookingat the correspondence of Chicago businessmen and English manufactures.
.
Example1.MATTHEWS& WILSON
Ladies'Clothing
421Michigan Avenue
Chicago,III.60602
MessrsGRANT & CLARKSON
148Mortimer Street
LondonWIC 37D
England October 21,1993
Gentlemen:
Wesaw your women's dresses and suits at the London Fashion Show held inNew York on October 17. The lines youshowed for teenagers, the «Swinger» dresses and trouser suits would be most suitable forour market.
Wouldyou kindly send us your quotation for spring and summer clothing that you could supply to us by the end of January next. We wouldrequire 2,000 dresses and suits in each of the sizes 10-14, and 500 in sizes 8 and 16. Please quote c.i.f. Chicago prices. Paymentis normally made by letter of credit.
Thankyou for an early reply.
Very truly yours,
P.Wilson.Jr
Buyer
.
Thisis undoubtedly an import inquiry letter. In the first part of a letter there is a kind of introduction as a prospective customer approaches supplier for the first time ,andit is from this part that we found out that the correspondents are engaged in textileindustry.
Thesecond part expresses request for detailed information about the goods inquestion, their prices and terms of possible transaction.
Inthis example we come across the abbreviation concerning the terms of delivery, that is commonlyaccepted in the business world. It is interesting to know what this kind of abbreviations means:
c.i.f. — cost, insurance, freight.
If consignment is to be delivered according to c.i.f.,then the supplier insures the goods and pays for the whole delivery.
f.o.b. — free on board.
If consignment is to be delivered according to f.o.b.,then the supplier pays for transportation to port, steamer or air shipment and dispatch; and thecustomer pays for onward transportation andinsurance.
f.o.r. — free on rail.
It is the same as f.o.b., but for railway transportation.
c & f — cost and freight.
If consignment is to be delivered according to c & f,then the supplier pays for the whole delivery and the customer — for insurance.
Itis worth mentioning here that the whole letter is written in a highly polite way, nevertheless it is quite precise and sticks to the point.
.
Example2GRANT&CLARKSON
148Mortimer Street
LondonW1C 37D
MATTHEWS& WILSON
Ladies'Clothing
421Michigan Avenue
Chicago,III.60602 30th October, 1996
DearSirs,
Weare pleased to make you an offer regarding our ‘Swinger’ dresses and trousersuits in the size you require. Nearly all the models you saw at our fashionshow are obtainable, except trouser suits in pink, of which the smaller sizeshave been sold out. This line is being manufactured continuously, but will onlybe available again in February, so could be delivered to you in March.
Allother models can be supplied by the middle of January 1997, subject to ourreceiving your form order by 15th of November. Our c.i.f. prices areunderstood to be for sealand transport to Chicago. If you would prefer thegoods to be sent by air freight, this will be charged extra at cost
Trousersuits sizes 8-16 in white, yellow, red, turquoise, navy blue, black
Sizes12,14 also in pink per 100 $2,650.00
Swingerdresses sizes 8-16
inwhite, yellow, red, turquoise, black per 100 $1,845.00
Youwill be receiving price-list, cutting of our materials and a colour chart.These were airmailed to you this morning.
Yours faithfully,
F.T.Burke
Export Department
Asyou can clearly see it we face the second phase of business correspondence - the answering letter. It is very important, because it adjuststhe relationships between two partners. It does not only characterise the company, but also advertises it. The purpose of the letter is to persuade the partner that you are the best in business.
Thisletter contains the quotation in reply to an inquiry. In lots ofsimilar letters the quotations are simply prices and another information askedfor. But this sample is quite the opposite: it shows the customer that he met thesales-cautious businessman, who uses every opportunity to stimulate his correspondents interest in his goods by including the sales message. And the assurance that the customer will receive personal attention is read between the lines.In order to draw the attention of the customer to the products in question the supplier offers «cuttings of our materials and a colour chart». On the whole a firm offer is subject to certain conditions, a deadline for the receipt of orders, or a special price for certainquantities.
Example3.Abusiness transaction often starts withan inquiry which may later be followed by an order.
Bothinquiry and order are meant to arose and stimulatebusiness activity on the part of recipient. They are typically askingletters. Orders convey the writer's intention to dobusiness with his correspondent, usuallyto buy some goods from them.
MATTHEWS& WILSON
Ladies'Clothing
421Michigan Avenue
Chicago,III.60602
GRANT&CLARKSON
148Mortimer Street
LondonW1C 37D November 4, 1996
Gentlemen:
Thankyou for your quotation of October 30. We have pleasure in placing an order withyou for
1,900‘Swinger’ dresses at Price: $38,745
inthe colours and sizes specified below:
Quantity
Size
Colour
50
8,16
white
100
10,12,14
white
50
8,16
turquoise
100
10,12,14
turquoise
50
8,16
red
100
10,12,14
red
50
16
yellow
100
10,12,14
yellow
50
16
black
100
10,12,14
black
Delivery:air freight, c.i.f., Chicago
Weshall open a letter of credit with your bank as soon as we receive your orderacknowledgement. Please arrange for immediate collection and transport since weneed the dresses for Christmas.
Very truly yours,
P. Wilson
Buyer
Itis indisputably an import order, and aswe can notice placing orders is simple from the point of view of letter writing. The fact is that usually the purchasingdepartment or the buyer fills in an order form. But in this case the correspondent prefers to write a letter in order to make certainpoints quite clear. There are special import regulations which aretouched upon in the last paragraph: itis necessary to complete formalities and to stress delivery instructions.
Itshould be mentioned here that the supplier must send order acknowledgement as an answer to order promptly to thank his customer for the order and toconfirm it.
Ifsome conditions have changed, the customer must be notified. In the case the goods ordered are no longer available, a substitute may be offered.
Example4.Whatfollows the order acknowledgement is the advice of dispatch.
GRANT&CLARKSON
148Mortimer Street
LondonW1C 37D
MATTHEWS& WILSON
Ladies'Clothing
421Michigan Avenue
Chicago,III.60602 20thNovember,1996
DearSirs:
Wehave pleasure in notifying you that your credit was confirmed by our bankyesterday, 19th November. We have had the 1900 ‘Swinger’ dressescollected today for transport by British Airwa