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Canton Fair will be held in Guangzhou. One colleague tells me that every time the company will invite many old and new clients to come to Canton Fair and visit the company. This time is without an exception.

As Ms. Zhou was on a business trip, this morning, Ms. Lin, the Sales Manager, asked me to write some invitations to the clients, and list their names respectively. This is the first time for me to write invitations, but I don’t think it’s a difficult task! For an invitation, I think you just specify the date, time and place of the occasion, and express your warm welcome, then that’s finished!

So I quickly started and quickly finished. I’m satisfied with my job and then I showed it to Ms. Nagle. What would Ms. Nagle think of it?

off New Bond Street,

Canton Fair will be held in the Pazhou Exhibition Gallery, Guangzhou, China on October 15-20, 2014. Welcome to Guangzhou and visit us! Our Canton Fair Booth is No. G-K105 and K106.

It would be a great pleasure to meet you at the exhibition.

From this invitation, we can see that Cindy is a good student, she knows the format of letter-writing very well and uses the Full Block Format to write the invitation. The tone of her invitation is warm and cordial, which is very important in writing invitations.

But unfortunately, inviting clients to attend such a formal occasion, we usually write formal invitations instead of writing invitation letters, which are different from invitation letters in form. Furthermore, the tone is warm but too casual in formal invitations. Though invitation-writing is comparatively simple, it is not necessarily less important type of writing for social communication. So it would be better if she could start reviewing what she has learned from the basic process of invitation-writing.

On many occasions business firms need to perform special functions to publicize a certain event such as the opening of a new branch office, carrying out promotional activities, the celebration of the anniversary of companies, and etc. Invitations should be sent out to all guests for their presence.

Invitation can range from a casual one to a formal one according to the relationship you have with the invitees and situations.

Compared with informal invitation letters, formal invitations have their own strict layout. However, with the increasing simplification of social events, current formal invitations are no longer as strict as it used to be.

It is customary that:

● Formal invitations are typed on A5 or A6 good quality paper or decorative card. Often they are specially printed and enclosed in envelops.

● Formal invitations are written in the third person, stating the nature of the event, name of the host, giving the exact time and date, and the venue.

● Dress requirement for the occasion (if necessary) is usually specified on the lower left-hand corner of the invitation.

● Formal invitations often require a reply with RSVP (please reply) at the bottom right. Some invitations have Regrets only placed immediately before the address of the sender at the bottom left: it means those who are unable to attend are required to reply.

● The tone of formal invitation should be made cordial and courteous with words carefully chosen to convey the hospitality and seriousness of the post.

Informal invitations are usually presented in the form of a letter, known as a letter of invitation. The form of invitation letters is fairly flexible, depending on the situation and the relationship between the writer and the receiver.

● Informal invitations usually have a heading, an inside address, a salutation, and a signature.

● Informal invitations are more personal and intimate. The writer may use the first person to refer to himself as I and to the addressee as you.

37 Broadway Street Karachi, KA. 96587

When you attend Dingbat Association Conference in San Francisco next week, Mr. Fremont invites you to stop at Booth 22 at the Moscone Center.

We’re excited about what our innovative new line of Doodads could do for your company, and we welcome the chance to show you in person.

Rod LaRoque and I will be there to demonstrate hot new applications of our classic Gizmo, and to introduce our Thingamajig, which has gotten raves in all the trade papers.

We are looking forward to seeing you in San Francisco!

P.S. Bring the enclosed card and we’ll swap it for a free mini-Gizmo.

Always send written invitations for formal events such as business gatherings, formal dinners, and special occasions like showers, weddings or events honoring someone.

If guests are not from your local area, include a map to location of event.

Send anywhere from 8 to 2 weeks in advance depending on formality of occasion. Weddings require the longest lead-time（筹备时间）；Casual dinners and brunches require the least.

After receiving an invitation, you must make a response to it as soon as possible. You may choose to accept it or decline it, but it would be very impolite to ignore an invitation.

Invitations should be answered in kind. Formal invitations should be answered formally, informal invitations informally and oral invitations orally.

If you decide to accept an invitation, you must write a letter to show your interest. At the beginning of a response letter you should thank the sender for the invitation. Then you should show your willingness to accept it.

In case you cannot accept an invitation for some reason, you should still write a response letter to show your regret. The tone of the response letter should be polite and sincere.

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY　　　　　　　　　　　　12 May, 2014

M 1560a Li Ka Shing Tower

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

I am very pleased to accept your kind invitation to the dinner party in honor of Mr. Liao Yalin, to be held at Capital Plaza on Friday, May 20. It will indeed be an honor to meet the senior directors of your company and I am looking forward to this opportunity.

Thank you very much for the invitation.

Reply to Formal Invitations

● Formal invitations should be written in the third person, there should be no heading, no salutation, no complimentary close, no inside address, and no inside address.

● Avoid all abbreviations except Mr., Dr., Mrs., and Messrs. Numbers occurring in date should preferably be spelled out.

Reply to Informal Invitations

● Thank the recipient for inviting you.

● Say that you are delighted to accept the invitation.

● Confirm the date or other details about the meeting or visit.

● Ask for more information.

● Express your appreciation again at the end of the letter.

Situation: Guangdong Institute of Science and Technology is going to have its 30th anniversary celebration, which is to be held at the Rotary Hall of the Institute at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, 8 October, 2014. They are going to invite Professor Zhang Hai, a professor from Shenzhen Polytechnic to attend the celebration. Write a formal invitation to Professor Zhang.

1. Consider what information you should specify, and choose the formal style and tone all through the letter.

Opening: Request　the　pleasure　of

Request　your　presence

2. Formal invitations are written in the third person, stating the nature of the event, name of the host, giving the exact time and date, and the venue.

3. And in case a reply is required, with RSVP at the bottom right.

Every business letter is written for a specific purpose. Normally, business letters perform three functions. Some are designed to influence readers’ attitudes and actions, including sales letters for promoting products or services. Some are intended to inform, such as responses to request letters, place orders, or make complaints. Others are intended to entertain the readers, that is, to establish and retain their goodwill or good relationship with them. In short, business letters are used to keep business going smoothly, efficiently, and productively.

A business letter, like a formal personal letter, contains the heading, the inside address, the salutation, the body, the closing, and the signature.

The heading of a business letter normally consists of the letterhead and the date line. The letterhead, different from that of a personal letter, is professionally designed and printed on the stationery of most companies, which not only saves the writer time, but also conveys a favorable image of the company concerned.

The letterhead contains the name of the company, printed in big letters, plus the full address of the company, typed in small letters. Many letterheads also include the telephone number, fax number, e-mail address and website etc. of the company.

The date line is just below the letterhead. The date may be written on the left, in centre, or on the right.

The inside address, that is the receiver’s address, is normally omitted in an informal personal letter, but written beneath the heading, flush at the left, in a formal personal letter. It normally includes the name of the receiver, the street address, the name of the city and the postal code. If the letter is sent to another country, the name of the country must be written. There is a single spacing after the heading and before the inside address. Another line is skipped after the inside address and before the greeting.

The salutation is typed flush with the left margin below the inside address. In a very formal letter, you always need to address the reader with his/her surname, such as “Dear Mr. Jones”, “Dear Ms. Davis”. If you have a close relationship with the receiver, you can use his or her first name such as “Dear Claire” or “Dear Bill”.

If you do not know the name and the gender of the receiver, you may use “Dear Sir or Madam”. Sometimes, it is necessary to use titles such as “Messrs” for the plural of “Mr.”or “Mmes”, for the plural of “Mrs.”.

The Body of the Letter

The body is written as text. It contains the message you want to pass to your reader. A business letter is never handwritten. Depending on the letter style you choose, paragraphs may be indented. Regardless of format, a line should be skipped between paragraphs, between the greeting and the body, and between the body and the close.

The Complimentary Closing

The complimentary closing is a courteous way of bringing a letter to an end. It must agree in tone with the salutation. It is either at the left margin or its left edge in the center, depending on the style that you use. It begins at the same column the heading does. The block style is becoming more widely used because there is no indenting to bother with in the whole letter.

The signature is handwritten in the space between the complimentary close and two lines down the typed name. Sign the name in full and intelligible script and the signature is usually followed by the typed name and job title.

A successful businessman is always a successful person first. Anyone who wants excellent business relationships must try to foster an excellent social relationship. From time to time, business people should write or reply to letters of invitation, praise, thanks, congratulations, condolence, and letters for other social purposes. They need to encourage their co-workers, appreciate the help and contribution of different people, and to congratulate other people’s achievement.

Of all the types of social correspondences, the following are considered the most common ones:

● Letter of Thanks: To express appreciation and good will.

● Letter of Congratulation: To congratulate the success or good luck of the recipient.

● Letter of Apology: To remedy something that has not been properly said or done.

● Letter of Praise and Appreciation: Demonstrate a special effort to express a compliment. Make people feel special with words of recognition, sensitive awareness, and admiration or gratitude. Employees work harder when they feel appreciated.

● Letter of Recommendation: To make recommendations for the letter bearer’s career.

● Letter of Condolence: To express sorrow or concern for the deceased with a heart-warming letter of condolence.

doodads: n. 小摆设

thingamajig: n. 某件东西

flush: adv. 齐平地，直接地

foster: v. 培养，促进

letter bearer: 被推荐人

A. Vocabulary for Letter Writing

The Complimentary Close

B. Vocabulary for Invitations

A. Formal Invitation

President/Mr. and Mrs.... request(s) the pleasure/honor of your company (the company of Mr. and/Mrs. ...) at a reception/dinner,/a cocktail party/a buffet dinner/banquet/a tea party/a party dance at (place) at (time) on (date).

Mr.... request, the honor of Mr./Miss...’s presence and reception to be held at ...

B. Accepting the Formal Invitation

Mr. and Mrs.... thank... for this kind invitation to (event) to be held at (place) at (time) on (date),(month), (year), and has/have pleasure in accepting.

Mr.... accepts with pleasure/honor the kind invitation of Mr./Mrs. to (event) to be held at (place) at (time) on (date), (month), (year).

C. Informal Invitation

We are now planning to celebrate... and should be honored to have you as our guest, if you could manage it.

We shall be glad if you will join us at...

We would like to invite you to...

You are invited to be guest at...

It is indeed an honor for us to invite you to lecture/give a keynote speech in...

You are warmly (cordially) invited to attend a reception (party, etc.) at (place) on (date) at (time).

D. Accepting Informal Invitation

I am pleased to accept your kind invitation to...

I am delighted to accept your kind invitation to...

It is with great pleasure/gives much pleasure to accept your kind invitation to...

Thank you very much for your kind invitation to... We would be pleased to come.

E. Declining an Invitation

Mr. and Mrs.... regret that a previous engagement prevents their acceptance of Mr. and Mrs....’s kind invitation to dinner.

Thank you for..., but regret being unable to attend your..., owing to...

Much to my regret, I am unable to accept your kind invitation.

Thank you for your kind invitation to..., but unfortunately I have another engagement on that day.

Please accept my sincere regrets for not being able to join you. I certainly hope you will understand.

Please accept my sincere apologies, due to a previous arrangement, I will not be able to join you.

Unfortunately, my schedule will not allow me to attend the reception.

I wish I could be at your reception but I am afraid on that day I have some schedule conflicts.

Choose the right terms in the box to label the parts of the following business letter.

A. salutation　　　　　　　　B. main paragraph　　　　　　 C. sender’s address

D. letterhead　　　　　　　　E. signature　　　　　　　　　F. job title

G. introductory paragraph　　H. receiver’s address　　　　I. reference initials

J. (typed) signature　　　　 K. closing　　　　　　　　　　L. date

Chief Executive Officer

Great Wall Plastic Ltd.

20 Xiongguan Road (West)

Jiayuguan, Gansu 735100, China

We are delighted to receive your letter of 31 October 2013.

Encouraged by the policy regarding the development of West China, we have been seeking for a partner for joint venture and planning to set up a number of chains in Gansu Province. We are considering sending two representatives to your company for the negotiation at the beginning of December 2013.

Thank you for your kind cooperation.

Translate the following sentences.

1. My family and I would feel honored if you could come.

2. We have decided to have a party in honor of the occasion.

3. We would be looking forward to your participation in the party.

4. Please confirm your participation at your earliest convenience.

5. I thank you for the invitation and hope that my topic will be informative and stimulating to your group.

7. 敬备菲酌，恭请光临。

8. 谢谢您邀请我们共进晚餐。

9. 我期望您会在百忙中光临。

10. 我们期待您的光临。

Read the fol lowing sente nces and w rite O for the sentences that can be used in the opening part; write C for the sentences that can be used in the closing part; write N for the sentences that can’t be used in either situation mentioned.

_____ 1. Are you free after work on Friday to join a few of us for dinner?

_____ 2. I urge you to look over the enclosed materials and consider this special invitation.

_____ 3. It will be good to see you again.

_____ 4. Thank you very much for inviting me to speak at your conference.

_____ 5. I’m pleased to invite you to acquire the Golden American Bank Card.

_____ 6. We shall expect you at about 8:00 p.m.

_____ 7. We are wondering if you could come to my birthday party.

_____ 8. We are offering a valuable program with industry-wide application and speakers who are recognized experts in their field.

_____ 9. We hope you will be with us and will be able to stay for the reception afterward.

_____ 10. We are so sorry that we cannot accept your kind invitation for Thursday because of another engagement.

Mark the letters of the following sentences which are consistent in style and tone with the phrases or sentences given.

1. Are you free after work on Friday to join a few of us for dinner?

a. Please let us know as soon as possible.

b. I am looking forward to your early reply.

2. It is a great honor for me to invite you to our Christmas Party on Friday, December 20.

a. Think about it and give me a call by this weekend.

b. I do hope you will be able to spare the time to share the occasion with us.

3. I am most pleased, on behalf of the organizing committee, to invite you to come to the International Conference on Micro-manufacturing.

a. I am particularly anxious to have you join us.

b. With their help, we’re sure this weekend is going to be a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

4. Thank you in advance for taking any action necessary on the contents of this letter.

a. It is my pleasure to invite your country to send a tripartite delegation to the Sixth European Regional Meeting convened by the International Labor Organization.

5. The President and the Board of Directors of Far East Trading Co., Ltd. request the pleasure of your company at a banquet to be held at the Ambassador Hotel, Taipei, at 6:00 p.m., on April 1.

Compose a letter of invitation in full block style with the sentences given.

1. About 200 participants are expected to come from all over the province.

2. It is my pleasure to formally invite you to attend the annual seminar “On Stocks and Stock Exchanges” on Monday, September 11, 2006, at Xiangjiang Hotel.

3. More details on the seminar will be available three weeks from now.

4. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon, and I hope that you will start to make your plan for the seminar.

5. Therefore, it will be a valuable opportunity to exchange information and meet colleagues and experts in this field.

a. According to the Intern　Student　Story, write a formal Invitation for Cindy to invite Mr. John Herr to Canton Fair.