『英文商务写作』信函、便签和邮件的开头和结尾

『英文商务写作』信函、便签和邮件的开头和结尾

Starting and Finishing Letters, Memos & Emails
信函、便签和邮件的开头与结尾

In letters, memos and emails, clear beginnings and endings are very important. These are the first and last things that are read, and are therefore likely to leave the greatest impression on the reader.
在信件、备忘录和电子邮件中，清晰的开头和结尾非常重要。 这些是阅读的第一和最后的内容，因此可能会给读者留下最深刻的印象。

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Starting Well
一个好的开局

Your first sentence should be clear, concise and written in modern English. This is easily done if you can avoid three common errors.
你的第一句话应该清晰、简洁并用现代英语书写。 如果您可以避免三个常见错误，这并不难。

■ Error 1: Writing an Incomplete Sentence
■ 错误1：句子书写不完整

All these sentences are incomplete:
所有这些句子都不完整：

×	Further to your letter of 3 June concerning the trustees of the P F Smith 1994 Settlement.
×	With reference to our previous communication notifying you of the transfer of the administration of the above policy to National Mutual with effect from 9 May.
×	In response to your letter to John Hui dated 19 April.
×	Regarding your claim for attendance allowance.
×	Referring to your letter of 10 January about delayed frequency allocations.

Each statement needs to be continued and completed, inserting a comma instead of a full stop.
每个语句都需要继续并完成，插入逗号而不是句号。

For example:
例如：

✓	Further to your letter of 3 June concerning the trustees of the P F Smith 1994 Settlement, I am pleased to enclose the form you requested.
✓	Regarding your claim for attendance allowance, I need to ask you for some more information.

Alternatively, you could insert a main verb at the start to complete the sentences:

✓	Thank you for your letter of 3 June concerning the trustees of the P F Smith 1994 Settlement.
✓	I refer to your claim for attendance allowance.

Other verbs that will do a similar job include ‘I acknowledge’, ‘I confirm’, and ‘I write to explain’. These alternatives are preferable for another reason; they use personal words like ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘we’.
其他类似的动词包括“我承认”、“我确认”、“我写信解释”。 出于另一个原因，这些替代方案更可取； 他们使用诸如“我”、“你”和“我们”之类的个人词。

Don’t be afraid to write a one-sentence paragraph at the start of a letter, memo or email.
不要害怕在一封信、备忘录或电子邮件的开头写一个句子的段落。

✓	Thank you for your letter of 13 April 2003.

If you are taking the initiative, rather than responding to an enquiry, these phrases may be helpful to get your first sentence off to a good start:
如果您采取主动，而不是回应询问，这些短语可能有助于让您的第一句话有一个良好的开端：

✓	You are warmly invited to…
	You may be interested in…
	This is an opportunity to…
	Now is a good time to consider…

Or you could ask a question – preferably one to which the reader will answer yes:
或者你可以问一个问题 – 最好是读者会回答『是的』问题：

✓	Does your office have old and outdated law books gathering dust in corners? Would you like to create some extra space for yourself, and see those books go to a good cause at the same time? If so…