You already know how important it is to speak good English in an international working environment. If you work for a company which does business abroad, you probably read and write a lot of English, too. Writing, just like speaking, is communication. In our letters and emails we need to express many things: authority, gratitude, dissatisfaction, etc. Expressing ourselves well and with the correct level of formality is a skill.

Do you have that skill? Ask yourself these questions:
Do you present yourself in a professional manner when you write? What image do you give to the people who read your letters and emails?

In short, you want to give a professional image when you write to your customers and business partners. To get you started, we've prepared some lists of standard phrases. Take a look at:
1/ Opening Lines
2/ Closing Lines
3/ Dear Sir and Yours Faithfully

Opening lines
Why do we need an opening line in a business letter or formal email?- to make reference to previous correspondence- to say how you found the recipient's name/address - to say why you are writing to the recipient.

10 Good Opening Lines:

With reference to your letter of 8 June, I ...
I am writing to enquire about ...
After having seen your advertisement in ... , I would like ...
After having received your address from ... , I ...
I received your address from ... and would like ...
We/I recently wrote to you about ...
Thank you for your letter of 8 May.
Thank you for your letter regarding ...
Thank you for your letter/e-mail about ...
In reply to your letter of 8 May, ...

Closing lines:

Why do we need a closing line in a business letter or email?

- to make a reference to a future event.

- to repeat an apology.

- to offer help.

10 Good Closing Lines:

- If you require any further information, feel free to contact me.
- I look forward to your reply.
- I look forward to hearing from you.
- I look forward to seeing you.
- Please advise as necessary.
- We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.
- Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
- Once again, I apologise for any inconvenience.
- We hope that we may continue to rely on your valued custom.
- I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.

When 'Yours faithfully' and when 'Yours sincerely' in a business letter?

When the recipient's name is unknown to you:
Dear Sir ... Yours faithfully
Dear Madam ... Yours faithfully
Dear Sir or Madam ... Yours faithfully

When you know the recipient's name:
Dear Mr Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Mrs Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Miss Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Ms Hanson ... Yours sincerely

When addressing a good friend or colleague:
Dear Jack ... Best wishes / Best regards

Addressing whole departments:
Dear Sirs ... Yours faithfully

Read more "Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely ?"

Colour Idioms

black and white thinking of everything or judging everything in a simple way and seeing it as either good or bad
♪ The situation isn't as black and white as it seems; it's much more complicated.
black out to darken by putting out the electric lights or covering over the windows
♪ Londoners had to black out their windows during the war so that the enemy aircraft could not see the city.

black out to lose consciousness
♪ He blacked out after standing up for three hours in the parade. First aid staff attended to him.

blue in the face to be very angry or upset; to be excited and very emotional
♪ She argued with her husband until she was blue in the face but he wouldn't see her point of view.

green to be inexperienced and/or immature
♪ He's a bit green - he still believes that someone is going to come and help him out of his situation. He doesn't realise he has to do it himself.

the grass is always greener (on the other side) when a place that is far away or different seems better than the place where we are now
♪ He must be crazy to leave the company; he's got a great job and a great salary. He really should stay where he is but he can't see it - the grass is always greener on the other side.

green with envy to be very jealous and full of envy
♪ I was green with envy when I heard that she was going on holiday to Spain for a week while I had to stay and work.

in the red to have debts
♪ The company has been in the red for two years now. We now owe over $500,000 to our suppliers and the bank.

red tape excessive bureaucracy
♪ Many businesses complain about the amount of red tape that they must deal with in former Eastern-bloc countries.

out of the blue when something happens without a warning, by surprise
♪ His decision to leave the company came completely out of the blue. No one expected it at all.

Read more "Colour Idioms"

a/c - account
attn. - (for the) attention (of)
B/E - bill of exchange
B/L - bill of lading
CC - carbon copy
CF. - compare (Latin: confer)
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
CPT - carriage paid to
CWO - cash with order
D/A - documents against acceptance
DDP - delivery duty paid
DDU - delivery duty unpaid
DES - delivered ex ship
DN - debit note
D/P - documents against payment
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
p.p. - on behalf of
PTO - please turn over
RE - with reference to, regarding
RRP - recommended retail price
SAE - stamped addresses envelope
VAT - Value Added Tax
ZIP (code) - zone of improved delivery (US)

Read more "Business English Abbreviations"

Business Grammar, Style & Usage
Alicia Abell
Aspatore Books | 140 pages | CHM | 0.9 MB

Based on the actual writing and speaking styles of leading business executives worldwide, this book features easy-to-follow instructions and techniques for preparing polished written documents and writing and speaking in an articulate manner. Focusing on how leading business professionals really communicate, the basics of writing and speaking, including traditional grammar and speaking dos and don'ts, are covered. Examined are the particular styles in which business professionals communicate with each other and how to develop a personal professional style. Featured are special sections on writing memos, offer letters, e-mails, and other business documents that business professionals need to master.

Download here:

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Business Communication Games
Angela Lloyd, Anne Preier
Oxford University Press | 128 pages | PDF | 6 MB

Photocopiable games and activities for students of English for business.
Download:

depositfiles.com

or
Rapidshare.com

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Business Communication Games
Angela Lloyd, Anne Preier
Oxford University Press | 128 pages | PDF | 6 MB

Photocopiable games and activities for students of English for business.
Download from :

Depositfiles.com

or
Rapidshare.com

Read more "Business Communication Games"

Oxford Business English Dictionary
for learners of English CD-ROM
Oxford University Press | Software │ CDR | 168 MB

A dictionary designed for learners who need to understand, speak, read and write English for business.Key featuresVocabulary from the main areas of business, including: accounting,banking, computing, finance, import and export, international trade,law, management, sales, shipping and the stock exchange. Clear explanations of over 4,000 business words and phrases that are easy to understand but contain enough detail to make them useful for both students of business and experienced business people. Speciallydesigned for quick and easy access. On the left-hand side of every page there are definitions and examples of words or phrases; on the right there is a separate language information column containing abbreviations, pronunciation, collocations (words commonly used with the headword), American variants, and notes on grammar and usage. Over5,000 authentic examples, invaluable in helping learners with the English needed in real business situations. Many are based on the British National Corpus.Comprehensive cross-reference system leading learners to information about related words and helping with vocabulary building.

Download Oxford Business English Dictionary :

Part 1
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