CORRESPONDENCE Introduction structures in correspondence Any form of

CORRESPONDENCE

Introduction: structures in correspondence Any form of correspondence must be clear, concise and complete, whether it is a formal letter, a letter to a friend, a Curriculum Vitae or a report, with the correct choice of words, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Sentences should be made short, and difficult words should be avoided where simple words will do. The best letters and reports will be written when the writer puts himself in the reader’s place.

Opening of a letter Dear Mr Clark Dear Sirs Messrs Dear John Dear Mrs de Vries / Dear Miss de Vries (unmarried) Dear Madam Mesdames Dear Mary Dear all

Closing a letter Awaiting your reply, we remain, Yours truly / Yours sincerely / Yours faithfully, ………………. . Meanwhile we remain, Yours truly / Yours sincerely / Yours faithfully, ………………. . Sincerely yours, / Faithfully yours, With kind regards,

Formal letter Name + address of the writer Name + address of receiver Place + date Reference number Subject Opening Content ● introduction (reason for writing the letter / general information) ● body (chronological order of information, names, specific data etc. ) ● conclusion(s) ● closing. Sender’s name (function) and signature References to enclosures.

Letter of applicant: cover letter and Curriculum Vitae The cover letter introduces you to the employer and describes your interest in the company. It should attract the employer’s attention and should “persuade” the employer to hire you. The letter should cover your job-talents and should contain a request for an interview. Express enthusiasm, but keep your letter short. Learn as much as possible about the company before sending your letter. Demonstrating your knowledge of the company and its line of business is always very helpful. Keep a copy of your letter for future reference. The cover letter should be accompanied by a Curriculum Vitae.

Cover letter Name + address of the writer Name + address of the receiver Place + date Reference number Subject Opening Content ● short introduction (How did you learn about the job that is offered? Why are you interested? ) ● reference to the enclosed CV ● closing. Sender’s name (function) and signature.

Notes: 1 – Do not go into details too much when writing your CV. Remember: there will be an interview in which you will be able to present yourself and talk about aspects and details of your plans and ideas. 2 – Use dynamic action verbs such as: accomplished, collaborated, encouraged, established, facilitated, founded, managed etc. 3 – Do NOT use the subject “I”. Example: Conducted routine inspections in engine room.

Curriculum Vitae • Family name: • First name (s): • Address, telephone number, E-mail address: • Date and place of birth: • Nationality: • Civil status: • Education and training (where and when; mention degree (s) and certificates that you have acquired): • Present position and employer (with details about work, time of entry etc. ): • Professional experience-record (include companies, dates and important aspects): • Key qualifications: Transferable skills (skills similar to the job you are applying for): • Language skills: • Additional skills (e. g. computer skills): • Membership of organizations: • “References available on request”.

3. 3 Reports Title Subtitle Date Author Organization List of contents Explanation of terms Preface and purposes (reason why the report was written) Summary of main points Body (divided into chapters and paragraphs) • introduction • relevant data and information about methods and procedures; statistics, graphs, tables, drawings etc. • causes and consequences Summary: conclusions, final opinion, judgements and recommendations References and bibliography Appendix The most important part of any report is its final summary that contains conclusions, final opinion, judgements and recommendations!

3. 4 Glossary: sentences and phrases in letters and reports Key words in the sentences that you wish to write down are in alphabetical order: Advertisement: With reference to your advertisement in Seaways (dated…. ) I hereby apply for the job/position/post of ……… Apologize: Please accept our apologies for the delay. Appear: It appears that the cargo was not delivered in time. Appear: It has appeared to us that your company still owes us money. Applicable: The conditions applicable will all be stated in the contract. Application: Thank you for your application for the position of first engineer. Apply: This applies to the agreement that we made.

Apply: I hereby apply for the position of first mate. Appointment: We hereby confirm your appointment as first engineer. Appreciate: We would appreciate a prompt delivery of our goods. Arrange: We request that you arrange a meeting. As of: As of next year our company will be residing in London. Ascertain: We have ascertained the quality of the goods delivered.

Assume: We assume that you will refund the money that we paid you. Assure: We assure you that we will do everything to avoid any problems. Attached: Please find attached the document that you requested. Available: The items that you wish to buy are no longer available. Await: Awaiting your reply, I remain, Yours Truly, …………………. . Aware: We are aware of the fact that a mistake has been made by us.

Basis: On the basis of your offer we no longer wish to work with you. behalf : On behalf of our staff we thank you for doing business with us. Business: We no longer wish to do business with you. Cancel: We hereby cancel our order. Cancelling date: We hereby declare that we regard. . . . (date) as the cancelling date for the delivery. Claim: We will lodge a claim against your company for the damage incurred by us.

Compelled: We will be compelled to purchase the goods elsewhere. Completion: We will inform you upon completion of the examinations. Compliance: Delivery of the cargo was not in compliance with what we agreed. Comply with: We will comply with your request. Concern: To whom it may concern: Confer: We will confer our position in this matter. Confirm: We hereby confirm our appointment with you. Congratulate: We congratulate you with (on) your appointment as chief mate.

Consequences: The consequences will be for your account. Consider: We are considering (contemplating) a new approach. Contact: Please contact as soon as possible. Conversation: During our telephone conversation on…. Convinced: We are convinced that we will not make this mistake again. Co-operation: Our cooperation with you has not led to the expected results. Costs: Please inform us about the costs of delivery of the materials that we have ordered. Count on: You may count on our support.

Damage: Damage suffered will be paid by those responsible. Decide: We have decided to sign the agreement. Decide: This has led us to decide to agree with your proposal. Declare: We hereby declare that we were unaware of the dangers. Default: We hereby declare you in default. Delay: The delay was caused by extremely adverse weather. Delivery: Delivery according to arrangements made by contract will not be possible. Demand: We demand you to inform us about your plans. Developments: Developments have shown that transportation can be much cheaper. Discount: We can offer you a discount of 8% in case of an early payment. due to: Due to the adverse weather we sustained damage to cargo and ship.

Effective: The arrangement will be effective from January 13. Effort: We thank you for your efforts. Emphasize: It must be emphasized that you will not be held responsible. Enclosed: Please find enclosed a copy of the contract / my Curriculum Vitae / …. End: To this end we have decided not to cooperate anymore. Expect: We expect that the cargo will be delivered in time. Expenses: Expenses made due to late delivery to be paid within one month.

Fact: In view of the fact that we cannot be held responsible, we …. . Following: Following our telephone conversation I hereby inform you that… Following: The following information must be regarded as confidential: Forced: We have been forced to cancel our deal. Forward: I am looking forward to meeting you. Please be advised that the goods will be forwarded to you by the end of this week. Hereby: I hereby declare that…. Hoping: Hoping to hear from you very soon, I remain, Yours Faithfully, …. . However: However much we regret it, we cannot agree with your proposal. However: However, if you do not meet our demands, we will…….

In case of: In case of damage to the cargo, we cannot be held responsible. In spite of: In spite of our efforts, the cargo was severely damaged. In the event of: In the event of damage to the cargo, please contact our office. Inconvenience: We hope that this will not cause any inconvenience. Indicate: As we have indicated during our conversation, we Inform: We regret having to inform you that there will be a short delay. Information: For further information please refer to our office. Informed: We will keep you informed. Insist: We insist on receiving a copy of the document. Interested: We are very interested in your services. Interview: The interview will be held on……… Invite: We hereby invite you to attend our meeting on…. .

Kind: Please be so kind to confirm this. Kindly: We kindly request you to confirm as soon as possible. Looking forward: We are looking forward to hearing from you. Make reservations: I would like to make reservations for a single room. Meet: This does not meet our demands. Mention: As mentioned before, we will not be able to attend the meeting. Notify: We hereby notify you of the fact that minor damage was caused. Opportunity: We will have the opportunity to meet and discuss our plans. Order: We would like to order the following goods:

Participation: Our participation in this project will not be continued. Payment: Payment of the damage has been postponed. Penalty: This is to inform you that the penalty for late delivery will amount to 1000 € per w. w. d. Policy: Our policy is aimed at services of high quality. Postpone: The meeting will be postponed. Prefer: We would prefer to have someone else handle the matter. Previous: We refer to our previous correspondence. Previously: As we previously informed you, …. .

Proposal: Your proposal to meet this very week will be accepted. Propose: We propose to have a meeting by the end of this week. Protest: We protest to the quality of the cargo delivered by your company. Provide: We will provide you with the latest information. Ready: The goods are ready for dispatch. Receipt: We hereby confirm receipt of your letter dated…… Recent: In recent years we have proven to be a trustworthy company. Recommend: We recommend a second opinion from an expert.

Records: Our records show that you still have not paid your debts to us. Refer: For further information please refer to our manager. Reference: With reference to your advertisement I inform you that…. Referring: Referring to your letter dated…. Refuse: We refuse to pay for expenses for which we are not responsible. Regret: We regret having to inform you that some damage was caused. Remedy: We will remedy the mistake. Reply: Thank you for your reply dated…. Report: The report will be forwarded to you. Request: We request you to deliver the goods to the following address: Resort to: We will have to resort to methods that will harm our relationship. Response: In response to your letter I have to inform you that… Response: Thank you for your response to our advertisement. Responsible: You hold you responsible for this damage.

satisfaction The affair was settled to our satisfaction. see to it Please see to it that delivery will be prompt. service We can offer you our free service during the warrant period. services We would like to offer you our services. settle We will settle this matter to your satisfaction. should Should you wish to contact us please write to…. state We emphatically state that we cannot be blamed for the incident. stipulate We stipulate for (that) this is not our responsibility. sympathize We sympathize with you in this loss.

Thank: We thank you for your letter Transfer: We request that you transfer the amount to our account. Trust: We trust that all will be received in good order. Undersigned: We the undersigned declare, that …………. Unfortunately: Unfortunately we will not be able to render this service. Urge: We urge you to settle the count presently. Urgently: We urgently request you to get into contact with us. Validity: The period of validity will expire in one week.

Willing: We will be quite willing to render you this service. Wish: We no longer wish to do business with you. Wishes: Please inform us of your wishes. Worsen: The situation has worsened. Would like: We would like to get into contact with you.