Lupita's Day

Hello. My name is Lupita Gonzalez. I work in a large company in Monterrey, Mexico. We make bottles and cans for soft drinks. I am a secretary. I answer the telephone and take messages. I also use a fax machine and a computer. My first language is Spanish but sometimes I speak English. Many of our clients are from the United States. My supervisor is Mr. Torres. He is an engineer. I start work at 8:00. I usually drive to work. I have lunch from 1:00 to 2:00. I finish work at 5:30. I go home and help my mother prepare dinner. We have dinner at 9:00. After dinner I usually watch television a while. I usually go to bed at 11:00.

Questionnaire

1. Where does Lupita live?
A She starts work at 8:00.

B She lives in Monterrey, Mexico.

C She lives in a company.

D She is a secretary

2. Where does Lupita work?
A She is a secretary.

B She starts work at 8:00.

C She works in a company that makes bottles and cans.

D She answers the telephone.

3. What does Lupita do?
A She answers the telephone.

B She is an engineer.

C She starts work at 8:00.


D She is a secretary.

4. What languages does Lupita speak?
A Spanish.

B English.

C Mexican.

D Spanish and English.

5. What time does Lupita have lunch?
A At 8:00.

B From 1:00 to 2:00.

C At 5:30.

D At 9:00.

AVISO - PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER -

ESTA PROYECCIÓN SE LLEVÓ A CABO EL VIERNES 26 DE SETIEMBRE DE 2008 Y FUE DIRIGIDO A LAS ALUMNAS DEL CUARTO CICLO NOCHE - BUSINESS LETTER.

... hacer click en las cartas para que puedan visualizarlas mejor.

7. Salutation

The salutation is used in all formats except the Simplified Letter and the Memo.

The following are salutations used in American business letters:

• Dear Sir:
• Dear Madam: (may be followed by title, such as Dear Madam Chairperson:)
• Gentlemen:
• Ladies:
• Dear Mr. Bryan:
• Dear Ms. Gray:
• Ladies and Gentlemen:
• Dear Personnel Director: (a gender-free title)

6. Attention Line

This is used when you do not know the name of the person you are writing and the letter is addressed to the firm. Example:
“Attention: Head of Accounting.”
When you know the name of the person you are writing but are unsure of the title. Ex.:
“Attention: Customer Service,”

Another way of doing this is to use the attention line and send copies of the letter to the appropriate department.

5. Inside address

This should include the name of the person you are writing, the person’s title (if available), the name of the firm and the firm’s address.

4. Confidential

Use this word when the person to whom the letter is addressed is the only one who should read the letter. Physically separate the word from the rest of the letter by two lines.
To assure confidentiality, include the word “Confidential” on the envelope.

3. File Number

On occasion, you may wish to include the file number of the project, case, or order that the letter refers to.
The file number should be physically separated from the date by two spaces and from the part that follows by two spaces.

Date (Example two)

2. Date

When you are using a heading instead of letterhead, place the date on the first line and the place the address.

Parts of a business letter: 1. LETTERHEAD

Most business letters originating from a firm are written on the firm’s letterhead.
If you are writing a personal business letter or your firtm does not use letterhead, then you need to includeb your firm’s address in the heading.

Commercial English Abbreviations

a/c acct. account
attn. (for the) attention (of)
B/E bill of exchange
B/L bill of lading
cc carbon copy
cf. compare
cfr. cost and freight
cfr. cost and freight
Cif cost, insurance, freight
cip carriage and insurance paid to
C/N credit note
c/o care of
Cod cash on delivery
Corp. Corporation
Cwo cash with order
D/A documents against acceptance
DN debit note
enc(s) enclosure(s)
EXW ex works
Fob free on board
For free on rail
Inc Incorporated (US)
L/C letter of credit
Ltd limited
p&p postage and packing
pto please turn over
re with reference to, regarding
Re with reference to, regarding
RRP recommended retail price
SAE stamped addresses envelope
VAT Value Added Tax
ZIP (code)zone of improved delivery (US)
& =and, as "Smith, Jones & Co.“
$ =dollar $7.995
% =per cent, as 98 7/16%
bal. =balance
Coll. =collection
com. =common, commission
Cr. =credit, creditor
Dr. =debit, debtor, doctor
e.g. =(exempli gratia) for example
® =registered trademark

The Seven “C’s” of Style to write a letter

1. Conversational. Write the way you speak. Get rid of
stilted phrases. Why say “due to the fact that” when you
can say “because”? Would you normally say “the aforementioned
information”? Why not “the information” or, if
you need to refer to a point, “the previous information”?

2. Clarity. The goal of clarity is that the reader understands
precisely what you are saying. The language of your letter
should be adapted to the recipient. This means that
you write in a matter-of-fact, conversational tone. Use
specific examples the reader can relate to. Don’t assume
that your reader understands the jargon of your trade.
Remember, most letters will be read by people other than
the recipient of the letter. These people may be unfamiliar
with the technical language or jargon you use. Clarity
also means organizing your letter so each paragraph deals
with only one main idea and presenting your ideas in a
logical order. Your letter should not be a collection of
random ideas. It should be single-minded in its purpose.

3. Concise. A concise letter eliminates all unnecessary
words. Why use four words, “in as much as,” when you
can use one word, “because”? This is not to say that you
can’t write long letters, but the longer the letter, the more
ineffective it becomes. It is better to write a short letter
with attachments than a long, detailed one. Short letters
are read and remembered; long letters are skimmed and
filed.

4. Complete. Make sure you have included all the
information the reader needs to know. (Don’t include
details that are interesting but not relevant.) The biggest
problem with leaving out information is that the reader
has to make assumptions. For example, don’t say,
“When we last spoke about the situation,” when you can
say, “When we spoke on June 8 about hiring a new
administrative assistant.”
Remember that the reader can’t read your mind. The
reader can only guess at what you left out.

5. Concrete. Use specific terms that cannot be
misunderstood. Don’t say, “The large order that we
requested has not arrived.” Say, “The order for 10,000
basins that we requested on May 3, 20XX, has not
arrived as of June 20.” Identify names and numbers.
Write about what people can count or do. Include what
people can see, touch, smell, taste or hear. In other words,
make your language tangible. Make it concrete.

6. Constructive. Use words and phrases that set a positive
tone. Constructive words are like smiling when you greet
someone. They leave a good impression. Words such as
“failure,” “you neglected” and “error” tend to distance the
recipient from the writer. Words such as “agreeable,”
“proud” and “success” help create a positive tone.

7. Correct. The last step in writing any business letter is to
proofread it. You automatically check your image in a
mirror before going out or meeting someone. The letter
you send is your image on paper. If it is riddled with
spelling, grammatical and typographical errors, it will
detract from what you are trying to get across. The
reaction will be, “He can’t spell,” or “She doesn’t know
how to type.”
If you have a secretary, don’t assume your secretary
knows how to spell or punctuate. Luckily, most do, but
proof your own letters. Why? Because it is your name
that is signed at the bottom of the page, not your secretary’s.
You will be the one who looks bad.

Sample Number 1. La siguiente carta deberá ser completada por el Cuarto Ciclo Business Letters - T. Noche. Fecha de entrega viernes 19 de setiembre.

Your Company Logo

and Contact Information

.................................

Brian Eno, Chief Engineer
Carolina Chemical Products
3434 Pond View Lane
Durham, NC 27708


............. Mr. Eno:

Enclosed is the final report on our installment of pollution control equipment at Eastern Chemical Company, which we send with Eastern's Permission. Please call me collect (ext. 1206) or email me at the address below if I can answer any questions.

dale su margen necesario y completa con los datos que faltan.

................................

................................

President