商务英语写作期末复习

111The Principles of Business Writing

Consideration: You-Attitude

Conciseness

Correctness

Courtesy

Clarity

Completeness

Concreteness

Credibility

Pragmatic Analysis of the Principles of Business Writing

Cooperative Principle

Politeness Principle

The Theory of Face-work

Face-Threatening Acts

Principle of Least Effort

Principle of Economy

Consideration: Consideration focuses on “you”(the reader) instead of “I”or “we”(the writer). You-Attitude emphasizes reader benefit ，The You Attitude is positive ，You-Attitude protects the reader’s ego （use an impersonal expression or a passive verb to avoid assigning blame）You-Attitude expresses appreciation

for (not annoyance with) your readers，You-Attitude applies psychology to humanize our messages （You can buy in your own language, but you have to sell in the language of the customer）

1Conciseness：Conciseness means omitting unnecessary words and expressions so that your writing gets to the point, avoiding unnecessary repetition and wordy expression, including only relevant facts (with courtesy), and organizing effectively.

2 avoid Wordiness：Avoid redundancy（unnecessary repetition. ），，Avoid awkward repetition，Avoid complicated word choice by using plain language

Correctness Correctness means

giving accurate facts and figures and

using the correct level of language

including only accurate facts, words, and figures

using acceptable writing mechanics

Correctness is achieved by

using formal language for scholarly works, top level government documents and legal documents. Correctness is achieved by

Avoid using words that you feel will impress the reader，avoiding substandard, ungrammatical words and spellings,

using accurate facts and figures, using the correct word,

using correct sentence-level grammar

avoiding discriminatory expressions - sexism, race, and personal characteristics.

Courtesy Courtesy means

being sincerely tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative, omitting expressions that irritate, hurt, or belittle, answering mail and phone messages promptly and granting and apologizing good-naturedly.

Clarity （Use plain, everyday, natural, conversational speech，You can buy in your own language, but you have to sell in the customer’s language，Sometimes confusion is caused by being long-winded. Confusion is sometimes caused by jargon and buzz words.

Clarity means

being clear by choosing short, conversational language and using visual aids

constructing effective sentences & paragraphs,

being straight-forward, avoiding jargon & buzz words 流行语

achieving appropriate readability

including examples, illustrations, & other visual aids when desirable.

Completeness Completeness means

answering all questions asked so that you accomplish your goal in ONE letter without needing following letters, giving something extra, when desirable and checking for the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, and why) and other essentials (how)

Concreteness Concreteness means

using specific facts and figures so that your meaning is clear

putting action in verbs (avoid passive voice or hiding action in nouns)

choosing vivid, image-building words --use active verbs, avoiding adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases and

giving specific information the reader needs (such as due dates, dollar amounts, phone numbers). Being concrete means

being specific, definite and vivid rather than vague and general.

Three rules for concreteness are

using specific facts and figures

putting action in verbs and

choosing vivid, image-building words.

Credibility Credibility means:

1）Being ethical and honest: Honesty is the best policy? No! Honesty is the ONL Y policy.

2）Avoiding exaggeration - in claims, resumes, and in all your business doings