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Unit 5 Questions Based on English Business Correspondence

In this educational section, we are going to share some most important Questions Based on English Business Correspondence and the syllabus prescribed mentioned here: Importance of Business Letters, Parts and Layout; Application, Contents of good Resume, guidelines for writing Resume, Calling/ Sending Quotation, Order, Complaint, E-mail, and Tender.

 

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1. What is a resume? Write the importance of a resume?

 A resume is a selective record of an individual’s. It is a written document that summarizes ones’ professional and educational achievements, qualifications, skills, experiences. It should not be longer than two pages. It is needed for a person who is seeking a job or any other official work. Since numbers of job seekers and employers are increasing, resumes are needed for applicants to differentiate & distinguish themselves, and prove their suitability for the applied post.

    

2. How open punctuation is different from closed punctuation and mixed punctuation?

Punctuation

1. Open Punctuation: No commas and full stops are used in any part of the letter except in the main body. None of the elements (except the main body) of the letter are punctuated.
2. Mixed Punctuation: Comma is put after date, salutation and complimentary close and full stop follow the last line of the inside address.
3. Closed Punctuation: Each & every element of the letter is punctuated.

Main part of the letter is punctuated.

3. Define a letter of inquiry

Letter of inquiry- The letters that are written for collecting information about job seekers, prices, products, and services before awarding jobs, granting credit, making contracts and giving promotions are known as letters of inquiry. An inquiry letter is also written by a potential customer, on the lookout for a product or with a desire to avail the service offered by a seller or an organization. It is neither a contract nor does it entail any contractual obligation between the two. It is actually a preliminary exercise that may lead to a contract. These letters are written to a third party seeking information about either a job or a company that wishes to make a business relationship.

Questions Based on English Business Correspondence

4. List at least any three complimentary closes. Which and why do you prefer them?

Complimentary closes are the courteous leave-taking by which the writer ends the letter. The main three complimentary closes are:

Yours sincerely

Yours truly

Yours faithfully

 

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5. Describe in short the information that must be included in a quotation letter.

A quotation letter is a reply/response to any inquiry letter. It plays important role in business. There are two types of quotation letters one is asking/inviting letter and second is sending the letter. While drafting any quotation letter one must consider the following points:

 

1. One must reply any quotation letter without delay.
2. Quote the Prices of specifically required goods
3. To specify the Mode of payment
4. Mode of transportation
5. Clearly mention all Terms and conditions
6. If there are any Offers, discounts, do mention them
7. And last but not least mention all the taxes too.

 

6. Write the importance of ‘You’ attitude in a business letter.

You-attitude is a style of writing that places the writer in the position of the reader, allowing a clear view of the situation from the reader’s perspective. The writer then communicates in a manner sensitive to the reader’s needs. It is a writing style that emphasizes readers rather than the writer. To write a business letter writer should considerate the reader’s desires, problems, circumstances, emotions, and probable reactions. The written form of any Business letter must be ‘you viewpoint’ instead of ‘I or we viewpoint’ which emphasize the reader’s interest and help to win the reader’s mind and attention

 

7. What is the email writing etiquette?

The basic principles of writing an e-mail are as following:

1. The tone of your email should always be professional.
2. Always use proper salutations in your email.
3. Fill in the subject line with the topic of your email.
4. No more than two attachments, and provide a logical name.
5. Send or copy others only on a need to know basis.
6. Beware of the “reply all.”
7. Keep it short and get to the point
8. Know your audience
9. Always include a signature
10. Your e-mail is a reflection of you
11. Respond in a timely fashion
12. It is unprofessional to send emails with spelling errors, punctuation errors and other types of grammatical or technical mistakes. Such errors make it appear as though you do not possess adequate writing skills. Use the spell check feature of your email program to correct misspelled words, and always proofread your composition before hitting the “Send” button.

Questions Based on English Business Correspondence

8. Why planning is necessary before writing a business letter?

The Business Letter will be the first impression that you make on someone, therefore, a business letter should be very concise and to the point. Each letter in the business writes to meet certain or different objectives It should be specific and accurate. When a letter is well planned there are fewer chances of anything going wrong. During planning the business the writer must have a clear idea of what and how to write and the irrelevant point must not be mentioned.

 

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9. Write a letter and place an order  for the following items with the classic Furniture, New Delhi:

Office chairs                                300

Wooden tables                             200

Steel almirahs                                50

 

PLACING THE ORDER (Semi/ Indented Block Layout)

 

TRIVENI ELECTRONICS LTD.

INDORE, M.P.

 

22 Dec, 2015

 

 

The Classic Furniture,

New Delhi.

 

Attention line- Mr. M.N. Shukla(Sales Manager)

 

Subject: Placing the order.

 

Dear Sir

Thank you for your letter no DC/193/2015 on dated…… .

We are pleased to place an order for the following items on the terms and conditions agreed upon. Please send the items and include all the texts in your bill:

 

1. Item Description                     Quantity
2.   Office chairs                                300
3. Wooden tables                             200
4.  Steel almirahs                               50

 

Please send the items within 20 days of placing the order by road transport. We shall make the payment by crossed cheque as desired by you soon after the arrival and inspection of the items.

 

Yours Faithfully

R.N.Sharma

Purchase Officie

 

Encl:

1. Detail list of the items
2. Copy of terms & conditions

 

 

 

10. As the head of the Institute of Technology & Science writes a complaint letter to a supplier in Bombay demanding the replacement of the defective electronic gadgets.

Complaint Letter

 

Indore Institute of Science & Technology

M.P.

 

22 Dec, 2015

 

JAYCO ELECTRONIC LTD.

Bombay

 

Attention line- Mr. M.N. Shukla

 

Subject: Complaint letter

 

Dear Sir

This is to inform you that today we have received the consignment of electronic gadgets which were ordered by us.  We feel sorry to inform you that after checking it we found some gadgets are defective/non-working condition. This defect may be due to transportation or some technical problems.

 

We are sorry to say that we are put to great losses due to this. So we are sending the defective/nonworking gadgets back to you and you are requested to make immediate arrangements for replacement as per terms & conditions.

 

Kindly look into the matter & take the necessary action the complaint so that we can have more business in the future too.

 

Yours sincerely

M.N. Mishra

Purchase Officie

 

Encl:

1. Detail list of the items
2. Copy of terms & conditions

 

Technology

11. What are the basic elements of any business letter?

LAY OUTS OF BUSINESS LETTERS

1. Heading- It contents complete details of writer’s/ buyer’s organization like full name of the organization in all letters capitals, complete postal address along with pin code no. & contact no. , e- mail id and websites
2. Date- Put the date on which the letter was written in the format Month Day Year i.e. August 30, 2003. Skip a line between the date and the inside address (some people skip 3 or 4 lines after the date).
3. Reference no.- it is the combination of both numbers and digits.It is used to identified the department ,  its section or a particular file name  from where the letter is sent.
4. Inside address- The address of the person you are writing to along with the name of the recipient, their title and company name, if you are not sure who the letter should be addressed to either leave it blank, but try to put in a title, i.e. “Director of Human Resources”. Skip a line between the date and the salutation.
5. Attention line- addressing to a firm or company is marked by the name of the person or designation or department. It is like underlined.
6. Subject – Subject line is the title of the lette. Makes it easier for the recipient to find out what the letter is about. Skip a line between the subject line and the body.
7. Salutation – Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. Last Name:, Dear Director of Department Name: or To Whom It May Concern: if recipient’s name is unknown. Note that there is a colon after the salutation. Skip a line between the salutation and the subject line or body.
8. Main body- The body is where you write the content of the letter; the paragraphs should be single spaced with a skipped line between each paragraph. Skip a line between the end of the body and the closing.
9. Complimentary close- Let’s the reader know that you are finished with your letter; usually ends with Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Thank you, and so on. Note that there is a comma after the end of the closing and only the first word in the closing is capitalized. Skip 3-4 lines between the closing and the printed name, so that there is room for the signature.
10. Signature- Your signature will go in this section, usually signed in black or blue ink with a pen. The printed version of your name, and if desired you can put your title or position on the line underneath it. Skip a line between the printed name and the enclosure.
11. Enclosures- If letter contains other document other than the letter itself your letter will include the word “Enclosure.” If there is more than one you would type, “Enclosures (#)” with the # being the number of other documents enclosed that doesn’t include the letter itself.
12. Identification marks:- If someone other than yourself typed the letter you will include your initials in capital letters followed by the typist’s initials in lower case in the following format; AG/gs or AG:gs

 

12. What are the essential features of a good/ effective business letter?

The most important element of writing a good letter is your ability to identify and write to your audience. If you are addressing your letter to the department of human resources, avoid using highly technical terms that only engineers would understand, even if your letter is addressed to an engineering company, chances are that the personnel in human resources do not have an engineering background.

The next element is that you make sure your present your objective in a clear and concise manner. Don’t be vague about your objective, most people will not have the patience to sit there and guess at the meaning of your letter or the time to read a long-winded letter, just get to the point without going into unnecessary details.

Another important element to remember is to remain professional. Even if you are writing a complaint letter, remain polite and courteous, simply state the problem(s) along with any other relevant information and be sure to avoid threats and slander.

1. Study of reader’s mind
2. You attitude
3. Planning of the letter
4. Brevity
5. Accuracy
6. Polite language
7. Courtesy
8. Clarity
9. Completeness
10. Reader orientation
11. Avoid use of jargons

 

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