今天我們來學(xué)習(xí)禮貌守則的最后一個(gè)P——professional。
Being Courteous: How To Be Professional
So far, you've learned three ways to make your writing
more courteous. You've learned how to make your sentences polite, positive and
personal. You also need to learn how to use the fourth "P" to make your writing
professional.
Did you know that modern business English includes many
standard expressions?
Many phrases in English are standard. That is, they don't
change. If you know these phrases, you can use them again and
again.
And when you use these standard expressions, your writing
will look more professional.
However, you need to use these expressions correctly, or
your writing will look very unprofessional. Look at this
sentence.
"I am appreciate if you send me
the documents."
The person who wrote this sentence tried to use a
standard expression. However, they didn't use it
correctly.
It should be:
"I would appreciate it if you
could send me the documents."
You can use the table below to learn some of the standard
expressions in English business correspondence.
STANDARD
EXPRESSIONS |
To begin a
letter
We are writing to enquire about
...
We are writing to request
...
I refer to your letter of ...
Thank you for your letter of ...
|
To
request
We would be grateful if you could
...
We would appreciate it if you could
...
Could/Would you please
...
Would you mind -ing ... |
To ask for
clarification
It is not clear whether
...
We are not sure if ...
We would be grateful if you could clarify
this. |
To clear up
misunderstandings
We were under the impression that
...
We were led to believe that
...
There appears to be a misunderstanding about
... |
To apologise/express
regret
I am afraid that ...
We are very sorry that
...
We sincerely apologise for
...
Please accept our apologies for
... |
To
confirm
I would like to confirm the arrangements for
...
We will wait for your confirmation before going
ahead.
|
To make
suggestions
May I suggest that ...
One possible solution would be to
... |
To explain/give
reasons
This is because ...
This is due to ... |
To refuse
politely
I am afraid that we are unable to
...
We are aware of the problems, but unfortunately,
...
We appreciate your point of view, but
...
I'm sorry that we are unable to ...
|
To close a
letter
We look forward to hearing from
you.
I look forward to receiving your
reply...
We hope to hear from you
shortly.
I hope this information will help
you.
If you would like any further information, please
call me on/at ... |
You can practise writing professional sentences by doing
the exercise below.
There are five business situations below. For each
situation, choose the correct standard expression(s).
Some situations have more than one correct answer.
1. Request someone to send a catalogue of their
products.
A. Would you mind to send a catalogue of your
products?
B. Could you please send a catalogue of your products?
C. Would you mind sending a catalogue of your
products?
D. I would request a catalogue of your
products?
2. Suggest that someone refer to the "Quick Guide" for
information.
A. Please refer to the "Quick Guide" for
information.
B. Please reference the "Quick Guide" for
information.
C. May I suggest that you refer to the "Quick Guide" for
information?
D. May I suggest you to refer to the "Quick Guide" for
information?
3. Refer to a fax you received on 9
March.
A. Your fax of 9 March
refers.
B. Thank you for your fax of 9 March.
C. Thank you for your fax on 9
March.
D. I refer to your fax of 9
March.
4. Close a letter politely.
A. I look forward to hearing from you.
B. In anticipation of your
reply.
C. Eagerly awaiting your
reply.
D. I hope this information is helpful.
5. Ask for clarification of a meeting
time.
A. I am not clear for the meeting
time.
B. It is not sure for the meeting
time.
C. It is not clear whether the meeting
time.
D. I am not sure about the meeting
time.
Keys:
1. BC 2.
AC 3. BD 4. AD 5. D
我們已經(jīng)了解了being courteous 的四個(gè)P 原則:polite,positive,personal,professional。下一節(jié)我們將對(duì)本章所講述的內(nèi)容作一次總結(jié)練習(xí)。
(來源:中國物流論壇 實(shí)習(xí)生江巍 英語點(diǎn)津 Annabel 編輯)
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