6．The Parentheses括号

Parentheses are used to set off supplementary or explanatory material that is not essential to the sentence．Do not use them around any material that is essential．They can also be used mechanically in outlines or in numbered series to enclose numbers or lines．

括号一般用来表明补充性的或注释性的成分，与主要内容关系并不密切，表示条目的数字或字母一般也放在括号中。

Read the explanation on parallel construction(see page 70)．

The old movie(filmed in 1939)is frequently shown on television．

Follow these steps in taking the test:(1)read all of the directions，(2)fill in the information asked for on the first page，(3)answer as many items as you can，and(4)go back to the items that caused trouble．

Notes

1．memo，or memorandum：a short informal note or report on some deal or event；an informal written or typed message to someone in the same office，or organization，sent in place of a letter备忘录；内部通报

memo/memorandum of deposit保管备忘录；memo/memorandum of satisfaction清偿备忘录

2．company director：a director of a limited liability company，not of a government department公司董事

3．estimate：a statement of probable costs of supplying certain stated goods or services，made in the hope of getting an order估价单；also to work out，to arrive at a probable figure估算

The builders estimate a delay of three weeks．

The estimated cost of production is $ 20 per article．

4．feedback：information given by managers to employees or customers about the results of their work or for new products，price，qualities，etc．反馈

5．query：an enquiring，an uncertainty or doubt质询，怀疑

I will pay the invoice when my query on it has been settled．

The reporter put a query to the president about his intentions．

6．GM：the shortened form of General Manager总经理

7．Kuala Lumpur：capital of Malaysia吉隆坡

8．Jakarta：capital of Indonesia雅加达

9．tabulate：to arrange facts，figures，information，etc，in the form of a table制表

Please tabulate the following numbers of the sales record this month．

10．minutes：（always in plural form）an official or typed record of business done，including decisions reached，at the meeting会议记录

11．pertinent：connected directly，relevant相关的

He inquired about the pertinent information about our new product research plan．

12．verbatim：（Latin：in the same word）repeating exactly the same words逐字逐句的

A verbatim report of a speech usually gives the exact words used by the speaker．

13．adjournment：the act of putting off a meeting until a later time or to another place休会

The adjournment of the hearing was announced by the president．

The committee adjourned to the dining room for lunch．

14．motion：a proposal put forward for discussion at a formal meeting．If it is voted upon and agreed，it becomes a resolution动议

The persons who made the motion surely would vote for it．

A dropped motion is one that is not put to the vote．

15．call to order：to ask the members to quiet down so as to hold a meeting；keep in order（保持安静）开会；保持秩序

The chairman called the meeting to order．

Despite the attempts to call them to order，the audience continued to stamp．

16．cost-benefit analysis：a systematic method of examining and valuing a planned course of actions，to decide whether it is worth the cost成本效益分析

17．versus：（Latin：against）a formal way of showing which party brings a lawsuit against the other对（诉讼）

Jones versus Smith means Jones is suing Smith．

Review Exercises

Ⅰ．Identify the words，phrases，and clauses that should be set off by commas in the following sentences．

1．Jerry says that he will meet with us on Monday not on Wednesday to finish this schedule．

2．Mona suggested therefore that we try to standardize these specifications．

3．Justin does nevertheless expect a large turnout for the grand opening．

4．Mrs．Wang stressed the time-saving techniques of the software of course．

5．Because Eric and Rhonda were using the computer terminals we had to wait until one was free．

6．Mr．Janus as you suggested bought the microprocessor with the 48K memory．

7．Barbara will train you to use these keyboards if you really want to learn．

8．Jordon is convinced nevertheless that the capital expenditure for automation cannot exceed $2．2 million．

Ⅱ．Use commas as needed to separate adjectives in the following sentences．

1．Mary promised to submit a detailed comprehensive report by Friday．

2．We certainly agree that inventorying is a difficult tiresome job．

3．Evelyn bought a modern successful ice cream store．

4．The original warehouse is a run-down shabby old building．

Ⅲ．Insert any missing commas in these sentences．Circle any commas that are not needed．

1．I saw table lamps，and floor lamps at the home furnishings exhibit．

2．By 2013，air pollution laws will be very strict．

3．I heard Mr．Lee close the door but I did not hear him open it．

4．We thought，that we would receive the contract by July 31 and that we would complete the building by December 1．

5．David wanted to finish the work before five o'lock but he could not do so because of the power failure．

6．Because he has worked late every day this week he is determined to finish early on Friday．

7．Mr．Scott selected either Friday July 10 or Friday July 17 for the sales meeting．

8．She talked with Mrs．James Miss Evens and Mr．Ball before she made a decision．

9．It is a dependable foolproof method．

10．Yes I think I would like a new green car like that one．

11．My cousin who graduated from the university last year has an exciting new job in Washington．

12．Anyone who could pass the company's very demanding test deserves an A!

13．I think that your position in the board is not stable．

14．It was Jane's father not her mother who visited her recently．

15．The letter was returned because it was addressed to Springfield Ohio instead of Springfield Illinois．

16．We hope Mrs．Bell that you will continue to be one of our satisfied customers．

17．The report that Mrs．Leslie submitted，has been lost．

18．The beautiful，valuable，antique，ring was on display in the shop．

Ⅳ．Put correct punctuation marks in parentheses of the following sentences．

1．Several well-known speakers are in the program tomorrow，including Marcia Steinbeck()director of marketing for Panorama Tours()Adrian Welch()publisher of several magazines()and Jeffrey Ulster()senior designer for P＆M Clothing．

2．Our warehouse is closed for inventory during the next two weeks()consequently()we cannot ship this order until April 20．

3．The Glynn Corporation has a virtual monopoly on these products()Hebner Industries has recently presented a strong challenge，however．

4．Ellen tried to do all that she could to save the Denton account()for instance，she developed a creative direct-mail campaign．

5．Yuri Urskoff is our representative in the United States()he has been selling food products for our firm since last spring．

Ⅴ．Insert any missing commas and semicolons in these sentences．

1．When I saw the advertisement for the sale in the paper I planned to attend for I thought there were many bargains advertised．

2．Many of the national parks are closed because of the drought as a matter of fact more parks are closed than are open．

3．Friday July 1 Friday July 8 and Friday July 15，2014 are all possible dates for conducting the balloting．

4．No conjunction is used in this sentence to connect independent clauses therefore a semicolon is used to separate the clauses．

5．Our company produces many fine products it has，in fact，a reputation for quality merchandise．

6．Mr．Scott paid his license fees before the due date that is August 1．

7．I cannot wait any longer for your answer I assume that you are not interested in the job．

8．At the next meeting the president plans to introduce a new motion to raise dues by 10 percent．

Ⅵ．Insert the missing quotation marks，colons，dashes，parentheses in the following sentences．

1．Mr．Daw dictated，Dear Mr．Dun;but his secretary transcribed，Dear Mr．Fun．

2．Many of the dividends came from large corporations that is，General Motors，Exon，and International Business Machines．

3．Many large corporations for example，General Motors，Exon，and International Business Machines have paid dividends for many years．

4．I heard him ask，Is Mrs．Hanna in?

5．The directions for assembling the toy read all of the directions before you begin putting the toy together，check to see that the carton contains all of the parts，and fit the numbered parts together．

6．I do not think，Mrs．Steele dictated，that you want your policy to lapse．Therefore，I suggest that you send us your check immediately．

Writing Practice

Ⅰ．The following sentences are taken from memos that are not clear or concise．Rewrite them to make them better．

1．We have come to the decision that it is not possible for this offer to be accepted by our company．

2．In view of the fact that we will lose a big contract next year，expenses will have to be cut by our company．

3．In the event of a retailer finding our shirts unsatisfactory，we should make arrangements for them to be collected and replacements sent without delay．

4．In spite of the fact that we are losing orders to our competitors，we have no intention of lowering our prices．

5．The reason why our sales are going down is because of the lack of staff in the promotion department．

Ⅱ．Mr．J．Mendels，the Personnel Manager of International Trading Company Ltd．，wants to issue a memo to all the staff to explain the granting of annual leave in the coming year．Look at his notes below．Then write out the memo in his name，using numbering，tabulating and underlining．

To help you plan your annual leave，I would like to clarify the company's policy as follows:

You should apply at least two weeks in advance if you intend to take leave longerthan 14 days;you should submit a proposal on how your duties can be shared by others．We expect five rush periods next year，and we need to set a quota for each．

1 Jan．to 15 Jan．—Maximum leaves，5;5 Feb．to 20 Feb．—Maximum 4;20 March to 30 March—Maximum 6;1 May to 10 May—Maximum 5;15 Dec．to 24 Dec．—Maximum 2．

Applications for leave during rush periods will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis until the quota is filled．

Ⅲ．You are Betty Arthur，the Fire Safety Officer in the Welcome Garment Factory．In a recent fire drill，you were upset to learn that some of the workers did not take the fire drill seriously．Company regulations state that when the fire alarm sounds，all workers should leave the building immediately and report to their supervisor in the courtyard．However，in the drill，some workers went down to the basement to collect their belongings from their lockers．Others failed to report to their supervisors．

Write a memo to all staff to remind them of the regulations．Make sure they know that the fire regulations are for the safety of the staff．

Ⅳ．As secretary to the Labor Grievances Committee of the Slate and Johnson Luggage Company，you must prepare the minutes of the monthly meeting held on September 23．Use the following notes you took at the meeting to complete the minutes．

1．Called to order 4 p．m．，employees'cafeteria，by Mr．Falk．

2．Presiding:Mr．Falk;Present:Mr．Baum，Ms．Dulugatz，Mr．Fenster，Ms．Liu，Ms．Sun;Absent:Ms．Pen

3．Correction made in minutes of previous meeting(August 21):Ms．Dulugatz，not Ms．Penn，to conduct study of employee washroom in warehouse．Approved and corrected．

4．Mr．Fenster presented results of survey of office employees．Most frequent complaints agreed on．Fenster to arrange to present these complaints to Board of Directors．

5．Report on condition of warehouse employee washrooms presented by Ms．Dulugatz．Accepted with editorial revision．

6．Adjourned 5:15 p．m．Next meeting at the same time and place on October 22．