1 QUESTIONS FOR END OF TERM ASSESSMENT COURSE ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS PART I Course content Understanding Question 1 (25 points) Make a comparison between a business letter and an email, regarding aspect.
Trang 2QUESTIONS FOR END-OF-TERM ASSESSMENT
COURSE: ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS
PART I Course content Understanding
Question 1 (25 points): Make a comparison between a business letter and an
email, regarding aspects as follows:
- structure of a letter and email
- functions
- language styles
and others if possible
There are several differences between a business letter and an email Firstly, in terms of structure, a business letter is very important in terms of form and everyone must ensure all 5 content steps: opening, greeting, body, ending, signature and envelope Compared to a business letter, an email has a simpler layout, including a salutation, body, and conclusion Furthermore, functionally, a business letter is a formal method of communication between two or more parties for purposes such as complaining, explaining, applying for a job, buying or selling, developing a relationship or solving a problem subjects In contrast, email is used for quick and efficient sharing of basic information, marketing - advertising and negotiation, travel booking Also, when it comes to stylistic language, while the tone of an email is often less formal, business letters can present the message in a classic, structured, and demanding style Finally, writing a business email requires less formality than a letter, and is simpler and less expensive to convey than a business letter
Request to write a business letter, business letters are usually quite formal in style A conversational style is, therefore, not appropriate and you should avoid contractions, for example Try to use verbs in active, not in
Trang 3passive forms as this will make your letter more dynamic You should also avoid writing sentences that are too long and that include complicated or unnecessary language A straight forward letter will get your message across more effectively than a long wordy one There are certain the applicant’s address- the recipient’s address; conventions concerning the correct way to address people and to close your letter Letters always start with Dear followed by the correct form of address Letters are usually closed in standard ways At the end of your letter you should include a short sentence like I look forward to hearing from you, or please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further information Below that, you should put a closing phrase: Yours sincerely (formal, for letters beginning Dear + name) or yours faithfully (formal, for letters beginning Dear Sir/Madam)
Request to write an email, subject line: Subject Lines are Headlines The Subject Lines should be short and give some specific information about the contents of your message Salutation: As in letter writing, the salutation can be formal or informal, depending on how well you know the person you are writing to Opening sentence: This is used to explain why you are writing Conclusion: This is where you tell the reader what kind of response, if any, you expect Close: like the salutation, this can vary from formal to very informal and name only (or initials) is also common when writing to close colleagues
Question 2 (25 points): What is a memo? How to write a memo?
A memo (memorandum: a brief note or a reminder to someone in the same company) is a hard-copy (sent on paper) document, used for communicating inside an organization, usually short, contains To, From, Date, Subject Headings and Message sections, does not need to be signed, but sometimes has the sender's name at the bottom to be more friendly, or the sender's full name to be more formal
The memo is an important form of professional communication- a sort
of internal (within the organization) business letter Memos are often brief (or
Trang 4they are supposed to be) and tend to be formal but can also be somewhat flexible in format depending on the organization and purpose The basic function of a memo is to solve a specific problem by making the reader aware
of specific information Memos are useful in situations where e-mails or text messages are not suitable Memo writing is something of an art form A memo is a short, to the point communication conveying your thoughts, reactions or opinion on something
As with all writing, memo writing needs a structure With memo writing, shorter is better Memo contains To, From, Date, Subject Headings and Message sections:
- A 'To' section containing the name of the receiver For informal memos, the receiver's given name For more formal memos, use the receiver's full name If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very formal
-A 'From' section containing the name of the sender For informal memos, the sender's other name For more formal memos, use the sender's full name If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name
-A 'Date' section To avoid confusion between the British and American date systems, write the month as a word or an abbreviation
-A Subject Heading
-The message, unless the memo is a brief note, a well-organized memo message should contain the following sections: (1) situation - an Introduction
or the purpose of the memo; (2) problem (optional); (3) solution (optional); (4) action - this may be the same as the solution, or be the part of the solution that the receiver needs to carry out; (5) politeness - to avoid the receiver refusing to take the action you want, it is important to end with a polite expression; (6) signature (This is optional)
PART II Writing Skills
Trang 5You have decided to take your family on a holiday.
Question 3 (15 points): Write an email to the travel agency to book a trip in
response to the advertisement below
Suntours Holidays
Experience the welcoming culture of the Greek islands Suntours Holidays offers you a once-in-lifetime opportunity to visit the unspoilt island of Kefalonia Stay at recently renovated Casa Stanoupolos Hotel, just five minutes from the beautiful blue waters of the Aegean Each room has a balcony with a view of the beach, and a private bathroom The hotel has two pools and a Jacuzzi, as well as its own highly rated restaurant, where you can enjoy some of the island’s more traditional meals You can also visit one
of the local villages, where life continues as much as it has ever been for the past few hundred years
Holidays include all flights and transfers, as well as a choice of one of two exciting tours: either a two-hour boat trip to nearby Turkey, or a change to snorkel in the pristine waters of the undersea national park
Call (451) 555 4873 for more information on this fascinating vacation opportunity
From: nguyenvana@gmail.com
To: suntoursholidays@gmail.com
Subject: Booking a seven day trip from 18th to 24th of July
Hello Suntours Holidays Agency,
Trang 6I am Nguyen Van A I am writing you this email with the desire to book a trip
to the Greek island
I read an advertisement for a trip to Greek islands I found it a really great place to stay In the near future, my family and I want to take a trip there So
we would like to reserve a seven-day trip from the 18th to 24th of July for my family, including four adults and two children
Please provide us with information about the nearest flights In addition, for the transfer service, we will choose to take a two-hour boat ride to nearby Turkey
Confirm the booking and contact with me by email:nguyenvana@gmail.com
if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch
Best wishes,
Nguyen Van A
Question 4 (35 points): You feel disappointed about the trip because the
holiday was not as it had been advertised Write a letter to the travel agency
to complain about what spoiled your holiday
Nguyen Van A
192 Tran Thai Tong Road
Ha Noi, Viet Nam Tel/Fax 2233 5669
26 July 2021
Mr N Tran Manager Suntour Holidays Agency
99 Nguyen Trai Road
Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Dear Mr Tran
Re Order No 196897
Trang 7I'm Nguyen Van A, who signed up for a trip with 4 adults and 2 children, took part in a tour in the Greek island from 18th to 24th of July I feel really disappointed for the last trip, everything is not as advertised your company described
Firstly, we had to pay an extra 20 dollars to the hotel staff each for travel and transportation throughout the trip This is not included in the contract although the travel destination is included in the itinerary
Secondly, guest rooms at the hotel are not equipped with telephones to call the reception Wifi network service is not available, we have to use the phone network to be able to connect to the network
Moreover, food service at the hotel is not as promised At the time we were traveling but the hotel was repairing the restaurant area, we did not eat a meal
at the hotel but did not receive a refund
Lastly, according to the trip schedule, we have not been able to attend some tourist attractions such as green parks, dry deserts but your company has not explained this
I look forward to hearing from you by return and assuring us that it is the correct answer Please respond to me by email nguyenvana@gmail.com or by
my phone number +84xxxxxxxxx
Yours sincerely
Nguyen Van An
Nguyen Van An