Sample Business Letters.

You can find a very detailed treatment of examples in the Internet – 650 examples: http://www.4hb.com/letters/

There are less specific and more specific business letters. It’s impossible to keep in mind all the letters: you can consult the Internet in case of necessity. However, there are some business letters that embrace all the spheres of business communication. They are the least specific letters. Among these there are five that start you on the way to business communication: points 2, 4, 5, 6, 11.

1. Letter Requesting Information – запрос: How to ask somebody to send you information.

2. Letter Sending Information – информационное письмо: What to say when you send information.

3. Letter Changing Information - информационное письмо: When a person or company changes important information, such as an address, price, or date, it is necessary to send valued customers a letter with the new information. This letter informs customers of a change in price.

4. Resume or CV - резюме, краткая автобиография:  A resume (AmE) or CV (BrE) is usually requested by a prospective employer as a record of your qualifications and professional experience. CV stands for the Latin words "curriculum vitae", meaning "the course of one's life".

5. Covering Letter for Resume or CV – сопроводительное письмо: It is usual to send a covering letter (BrE) or cover letter (AmE) with your resume/CV when applying for a job.

6. Letter of Reference – характеристика: Companies and other organizations often ask for a letter of reference. This is a character reference written by someone such as an ex-employer who knows the subject personally.

7. Letter of Resignation – заявление об увольнении: Though it is not necessary to give a reason, it is standard business procedure to send written notice informing your employer that you are planning to quit your job.

8. Lay-off Notice – уведомление об увольнении: Companies and other organizations are usually required by law to present a written notice to employees informing them of a lay-off. This letter usually cites reasons for the lay-off, and acts as a formal apology. Employee rights may be included.

9. Letter of Invitation – приглашение: It is often necessary in business to send an invitation to a person or group requesting their attendance at a special event.

10. Letter of Request for Payment  - напоминание о погашении платежа: Sometimes it is necessary to remind customers that they owe you money!

11. Internal Memo or Memorandum – служебная записка: Memos are sometimes used internally to inform an entire company or department of something. This is an example of a memo referring to a staff Christmas party.

12. Welcome Email – приветственное письмо: It is a common business practice to welcome new staff members to a company. This is usually an informal note expressing best wishes and may contain contact information. Companies may also send welcome letters to other companies that move into a shared office building, or to visiting guest speakers and business travellers.

4. Letter formats.

There are three basic letter formats used:

(1) block style (сблокированный стиль), in which all the lines begin at the left-hand margin;

(2) modified block style (частично сблокированный), in which the dateline, the return-address heading, the complimentary close, and the sender's name and title at the end begin in the center of the page;

(3) indented, also called modified block with paragraph indentations (частично сблокированный с выделением параграфов красной строкой), in which each first line of a new paragraph , is indented five spaces and the sender's address and date are placed on the upper right-hand side of the page. Figures A-1 through A-3 give you examples of all three styles of letter.

Note that the first letter, from Miguel Fuentes, uses closed punctuation typical of American correspondence. This means that commas are used after the greeting and closing and that there is a comma between the date and the year. The second letter, from Uwe Stein, uses punctuation typical of the British correspondence style with no punctuation after the greeting and closing and no comma in the dateline. Note also the different order of the dates in American versus British writing. Open, closed, and standard punctuation are all methods of punctuating a business letter. Although any of the styles can be used, closed is seldom used in the US.

Open Punctuation Style:

* No punctuation at end of lines in the inside address.
* No punctuation following salutation and complimentary closing.

Mixed Punctuation Style Features (this is usually the standard used in the USA):

* No punctuation at the end of lines in the inside address.
* A colon follows the salutation.
* A comma follows the complimentary closing.

Closed Punctuation Style :

* A period follows the date and the last word of the identification line.
* A colon follows the salutation.
* A comma follows all lines in the inside address except: the last one before the postal code, the complimentary closing, the company name, and the identification line.