Business writing

Sunday, 24 May 2015

Monday's Assignment

Good morning everyone,

There is an idiomatic expression in English that describes one of the cultural norms of business writing in North America. The expression is “in a nutshell,” which means to present the facts briefly and concisely without a lot of unnecessary details. So when someone says, “Just give me the facts in a nutshell” or “Please get to the point,” they are asking for a summary of the facts in the most concise way possible.

This week's theme is Business Writing. First thing we need to understand all the acronyms and abbreviations that people use in workplace correspondences.

Task 1:

Write the meaning of each of the common email emoticons listed below. Search the Internet

for other emoticons used in email and add them to your list.

Possible search term: emoticons

1. : )                                        6.

2. ; )                                        7.

3. : (                                        8.

4. : o                                        9.

5. :-<                                       10.

Task 2:

The following acronyms and abbreviations are commonly used in business writing.

Write their meanings and explain when you would use them.

1. asap : as soon as possible                 6. Att. : attachment                       11. c/o

2. FYI  : for you information                              7. Encl.: enclose                    12. n/a

3. TTYL                                  8. Cc                            13. i.e.

4. FAQs                                   9. Bcc                          14. w/

5. BTW                                   10. e.g.                        15. tks.

Task 3:

Imagine the following scenario. Then write an email message for this situation below. Decide whether the style is semi-formal or informal.

You have received an email from a team member requesting a report on the progress of a project.

You were away on holidays for two weeks and still need more time to collect and process the information.  

Write an email in response and include the following:

• confirm receiving the request

• explain the reason for the delay in submitting the report

• suggest a new deadline

• end the message appropriately

Hi Sam,

It‘s nice to hear back from you and I look forward for our meeting to discuss our project. Anyway, I’m on holiday with my family for two weeks. I’ll try my best to finish our project as soon as possible. I am wondering if Monday, June 16 at 9am is suitable for you at our workplace. I’m sorry for any inconvenient. Please contact me!

Loves,

Melissa