Signature

Always sign your letters by hand, in ink and in the same style. One must not sign Eric Castle on one occasion and E. Castle on another.

A signature must not carry a title. Do not, for example, sign as Mr. J. Plaft or Professor R. Butler. There is one exception to this: a woman writing to a stranger should indicate whether she is married or single and may do so by adding (Mrs.) or (Miss) in brackets in front of her signature thus:

(Miss) Alice H Brooks.

If a married woman in business wants to be known by her unmarried name she must of course be addressed as Miss, e.g. Dear Miss Thompson.

Because many signatures are not clear, it is good modern practice to type the name of the signer and to place his signature immediately above it, thus:

H.W. Webster

(From: Model Business Letters by L. GARTSIDE)

1. Answer the following questions:

1. What are the parts of the business letter?

2. What is the difference between the English and American ways of writing the date?

3. What is the difference of writing the inside address in English and in Russian?

4. How do the English and the American write the opening salutation?

5. What does the letterhead comprise?

6. Why is it important to spell the names correctly?

7. When are the warmer and more friendly greetings preferred? What are they?

8. What questions should one be able to answer before one begins to write or dictate a letter?

9. What is the complimentary closure?

10. What should one remember when signing a business letter?

11. Which parts of the business letter are optional?

2. Find the English for the following:

- заголовок письма (шапка),

- внутренний адрес,

- (вступительное) обращение,

- содержание письма,

- текст письма,

- заключительная формула вежливости,

- вложения (приложения),

- наш индекс,

- ваш индекс,

- нижний левый угол,

- приветствие,

- соответствовать случаю,

- ограниченная ответственность,

- замужняя и незамужняя женщина.

3. Suggest the Russian for:

Yours faithfully,

Yours sincerely,

formal openings, unnecessary remarks,

each new point of your letter,

sign your letter by hand, unmarried name, immediately above,

at the head of the letter,

placed at the boot (of the letter), to state the company’s business,

keep your sentences and paragraphs short,

a matter of tradition,

to refute the relations between the parties.

Write the following dates in English.

3.01.1988, 9.03.2001, 9.12.1991, 1.09.1989, 7.10.2013, 2.11.1990, 4.5.2000. What is the American practice of writing the same dates?