外贸英语函电课件作者米芙铮王建华主编UnitOne.ppt

Writing business letters, we should always keep firmly in mind the essential principles of them. It is essential to follow the Six C’s: clarity, completeness, conciseness, concreteness, correctness and courtesy. 1．Clarity (清晰) Be sure your business letter is very clear so that it cannot be misunderstood. You should first have a clear idea in your mind of what you want to achieve. A misunderstood message may be worse than no message at all. Clarity is achieved by choosing plain and simple words, which are short, familiar, conversational and straight-forward. This means using the most correct words and phrases in the right place to build effective sentences and paragraphs. 2．Completeness (完整) A business letter requires “completeness”. It involves a careful check of the Five W’s: What, Who, Why, Where, When and How. See to it that all these questions are answered and all the matters are referred completely. A complete business letter provides adequate details for your reader to completely understand your intentions. 3．Conciseness (简洁) Being concise is the most important writing principle in writing a good business letter. Conciseness means expressing your desires in as few words as possible to avoid unnecessary repetition and redundant statements. The following guidelines should be observed: 1) Organize effective sentences and paragraphs. 2) Include only relevant facts. 3) Omit obsolete words and expressions. 4) Avoid unnecessary words and phrases. 4．Concreteness (具体) A business letter should avoid being confusing. The message should be definite, vivid and concrete. You should use specific facts and figures，especially for business letters calling for a specific reply; such as an offer, inquiry, order or terms of a trade , etc. 5．Correctness (正确) A business letter must be correct. It should refer to correct data, accurate statements and clear opinions. This also means using correct grammar, spelling of words and punctuation. These are the bas