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How to Write an Invitation Letter
Invitation letters can be divided into
two categories as formal and informal ones.
Whether to
use
formal
or
informal
invitation
depends
on
the
specific
event
and
the
intimacy
between
the
inviter and the invitee.
An invitation letter should be brief and
passionate.
After
receiving
an
invitation,
the
person
invited
should
give
a
clear
reply
whether
the
invitation is accepted or not.
An invitation
letter includes:
1) the warm invitation
2) the event
3)
the expectation that the invitee will come
A reply to it includes:
thanks + come or not + reasons
Useful sentences for an
invitation:
1) We have
pleasure in inviting you to our dinner party.
2) I am happy to invite you to visit
our college.
3) We sincerely hope that
you can attend.
4)
It would be an honor to me if you would accept our
invitation.
5)
We
would
appreciate
it
if
you
could
confirm
your
participation
at
your
earliest
convenience.
Useful
sentences for acceptance or delination:
1) Thank you
very much for your kind invitation.
2)
Many thanks for inviting us to dinner on 6th
February.
3)
I’m afraid that
I can’t attend the party because I have to …
.
4)
We are so
sorry that we cannot accept your kind invitation
because … .
4.2
Writing Practice
Directions: The Spring
Festival
is
around the
corner. Y
ou intend to invite your
foreign friend to
come to China and
spend the traditional Chinese Festival
with you. Write a
letter to
him/her.
Sample Writing
Dear Jean
，
I
have
pleasure
in
inviting
you
to
China.
Since
the
Spring
Festival
is
around
the
corner
，
I
sincerely invite you to come to China
and spend the holiday with me.
Spring Festival
is of vital
significance to Chinese people. It has a long
history and Chinese
people attach much
importance to the holiday. The Spring Festival to
Chinese is what Christmas to
the
Westerners.
If you
come
，
I am going to accompany
you to fairgrounds
，
where you
can have a close look
at some of the
Chinese traditions
and a deep insight
into Chinese culture. I would appreciate it if
you could confirm your visit at your
earliest convenience.
Best
wishes!
Sincerely yours
Wang
Li
4. Writing
4.1 Writing Skill
How to Write a Letter of
Application
The purpose of a
letter of application
is to
help the applicant obtain
the job
he
is
interested
in. It should
state clearly
what position the
applicant
wants, and should tell
what
his
abilities
are.
It
should
provide
a
quick,
clear
picture
of
the
applicant
’
s
qualifications,
accomplishment
and
aims.
It
should
present
the
applicant
to
possible
employees in the
best light.
Basic structure
The opening, in which you
?Explain how you heard about the
vacancy;
?Specify the job
you are seeking;
?Introduce
yourself.
The sales pitch,
in which you
?First
say
something
about
yourself
that
will
make
your
reader
want
to
go
on
reading;
?Then
answer
the
question
“why
you”
of
all
the
applications
or
resumes
they
have received by stating your
accomplishments and abilities;
?
Then tell them you
genuinely want to work for the
company/organization, etc.
The call for
action, in which you
?Suggest what you
will do to follow up;
?Request an interview.
The closing, in which you
?end the letter in a
business
-like manner by
u
sing “sincerely (yours)”.
Useful expressions
1) Applications for entry to a college
I am
writing to
see
whether
you
could send
me some
information about
your
college and for the application
forms…
I am writing to you
in the hope that I may obtain an opportunity to do
graduate
study in your
university…
2)
Application for jobs
I see from your
advertisement in yesterday’s China Daily
that…
I am
interested
in the post/I
should
like to apply
for the
post
you advertised
in
yesterday’s China Daily…
I
would
very
much
like
to
be
consid
ered
for
the
post
of
…
which
was
advertised
in…
I am
looking
for a
job as…, and would be
grateful
if
you
would consider
me
for such a post in your firm.
Thank you for your time and
consideration.
I can come for an
interview at any time convenient to you.
I look forward to your early reply/the
interview.
I look
forward to
hearing
from
you
and I do hope I shall
have
the opportunity
of an
interview.
4.2 Writing
Practice
4.2.1 Learn to Write an
Application Letter from the Example
Directions:
Y
ou
want
to
apply
for
the
following
job:
waiter/waitress
required
for
evening work. Write a letter to Mr.
Henry (the boss) to:
1)
show your interest in the position,
2)
explain why
you would be suitable for the job,
3)
look forward
to the possible interview with him.
Do
not sign yo
ur own name at the end of
the letter. Use “Li Ming” instead.
Do not write the address.
Dear Mr. Henry
,
I
am
writing
to
express
my
interest
in
your
recently
advertised
position
for
a
waitress.
Enclosed
with
this
letter
is
my
resume,
which
further
details
my
previous
work experience and
qualifications.
First,
not
only
do
my
qualifications
and
work
experience
make
me
a
perfect
candidate for the
job, my personality is well suited to working as a
waitress. Second, I
am a
very
friendly person
who can quickly establish rapport
with people of all
ages.
Last, the
fast-paced
environment of
waiting on tables suites
me
well because
I
thrive
on working under pressure.
I
would
like
to
meet
with
you
at
your
earliest
convenience,
and
to
discuss
the
possibility
of
working
at
your
restaurant.
Thank
you
for
your
consideration
of
my
application. I look
forward to meeting you in the near future.
Y
ours sincerely
,
Li Ming
4.2.2
Write a Letter as Required
Directions:
Being
a
volunteer
for
the
2008
Beijing
Olympic
Games
is
your
strong
wish.
Write a letter about 150 words to the Beijing
Olympic Committee to
1)
state your application to be a volunteer,
2) describe your
qualifications,
3) express
the appreciation of an interview.
Do
not sign your own name at the end of the letter.
Use “Li Ming” instead.
Do
not write the address.
Sample Writing
Dear Sir or Madam,
I
am
writing
to
express
my
great
interest
in
the
“Olympic
V
olunteer
Rec
ruitment”
launched recently by the Beijing
Olympic Committee, and
I would
like
to apply as a qualified
candidate.
As I am an
English
major,
my
fluency
in both
Mandarin and
English, as
well as
my basic command of
French, guarantees that I meet the language
requirement for the
various
volunteer positions. More
importantly, I have been an
enthusiastic participant
in
many
international
exchange
programs
―
which
are
reflected
in
my
attached
resume
―
and
therefore,
I
believe
my
communication
skills
make
me
competent
for
such a post.
Should you grant me an interview, I
would be most grateful.
Y
ours
truly
,
Li Ming
4. Writing
4.1 Writing Skill
How to Write an Ordinary
Letter
Letters are important
means of communication. Generally speaking, there
are
two types of letters, business
letters and personal
letters. By
“business” we do not
mean buying,
selling, or exchanging goods with people or
companies but important
matters we have
to discuss or deal with. Business letters may be a
recommendation, a
job/school
application, an inquiry
, an answer, an
invitation, a complaint, etc. in other
words, all letters which are not
“personal” are “business” letters.
Generally speaking, an English letter
is mainly composed of the following parts:
1. The
heading
（发信日期及写信人地址）
The
heading
gives
the
full
address
of
the
writer
and
the
date
of
the
letter.
It
is
usually
written or typed in the upper right-hand corner of
the first page.
The British
may put a comma after each
line
in the
heading and end the address
with a period, but the Americans do
not:
British
American
Ms.
Jennifer Stone,
Ms. Jennifer Stone
20 Fairview Drive,
20 Fairview
Drive
Eastbourne, BN18 2BU,
Eastbourne, BN18 2BU
England.
England
2.
The inside
address
（收信人姓名职称机构及地址）
The inside address, which is often
omitted in personal letters, gives the name and
full address of the addressee. It goes
above the salutation. As in the heading, the use
or nonuse of end punctuation depends on
the preference of the writer.
3.
The salutation
(
称呼
)
The
salutation is a greeting to the addressee. It is
written flush with the left
margin two
spaces below the inside address. The British tend
to use a comma after the
salutation and
the Americans, a colon, especially in a business
letter. The first name
(Christian name)
may be used in friendly personal letters. But in
the salutation of a
business letter,
the surname of the addressee is used, as in the
following examples:
Dear Professor/Prof. Smith:/,
Dear Mr./Dr. Stein;/,
Dear Ms. Santos;/, (or Dear Miss
Santos;/,)
Dear Ms. Singh;/, (or Dear
Mrs. Singh;/,)
In letters
to organizations, or to persons whose names you do
not know, the
following greetings are
used:
Dear Sir: (or
Dear Madam: or Dear Sir or Madam: if you do not
know the sex of
your addressee)
To whom it may concern: (only for
testimonials and things of that knid)
Dear
colleague:
(to
a
person
who
is
of
the
same
profession
as
the
writer,
and
usually used when you are sending a
circular to many people)
4.
The body
(
本文
)
In the body
of the letter, all paragraphs should begin flush
with the left margin
(the block style)
or begin with an equal indention (the intended
style), and the letter is
usually
single-spaced within the paragraph and double
Spaced between paragraphs.
5.
The
complimentary close (
结束语
)
The
closing
of
a
business
letter
consists
of
three
parts:
complimentary
close,
signature,
and
the
typed
name.
In
the
complimentary
close,
only
the
first
word
is
capitalized.
The
close
is
followed
by
a
comma.
The
conventional
complimentary
closes
in
business
letters
are:
“Y
ours
truly,”
“Y
ours
sincerely
,”
“Sincerely
yours,”
“Sincerely,” “Cordially yours,”
“Y
ours
cordially
,”.
The
close
of
a
personal
letter
is
of
a
more
free
choice.
“Affectionately,”
“Fondly
,”
“Y
ours
with
love,”
“With
best
wishes,”
“Love,”
“Y
ours,”
“As
ever,”
etc.,
can
be
used apart
from
“Y
ours
sincerely
,”
“Y
ours truly,” etc.; which
one of
these
you
use depends on your exact relationship
with the addressee.
The
closing
can
be
put
either
on
the
right-hand
side
or
left-hand
side
of
the
page. Some
writers even
prefer
to
have
it
in the
middle or two spaces
below
the
last
line of the letter.
6.
The signature
(
写信人署名签字
)
In a
business letter the handwriting signature is
placed between the
complimentary close
and the typed name of
the writer, and
the writer’s official
capability is
indicated after the typed name.
In
a
personal
letter,
you
may
sign
your
full
name.
Your
first
name,
or
even
a
nickname
in
accordance with
your relationship
with the addressee.
If
you send
along
with your letter such things as a
resume, a check, a receipt, etc., write
Enclosure(s)
or
Enc.
to
remind
the
addressee
that
besides
the
letter,
there
is
another
material
in
the
envelope.
If
you
happen
to
have
something
additional
to
say
after
you
have
finished
the
letter,
you
may
begin
with
P.S.
,
w
hich
stands
for
“
postscript
”,
and
then
write
what
you wish to add.
4.2 Writing Practice
4.2.1 Be familiar with the format of
the English letter.
Directions: Read
the following letter carefully. Try to get more
familiar with each part
of an English
letter.
English
Department
Beijing Foreign Studies
Univ.
Beijing, 100081
China
Sept. 5, 1993
Editor
Newsweek
International
444 Madison
Avenue
New Y
ork,
NY 10022
U. S. A.
Dear Editor:
I
read
in Newsweek (September 14, 1987)
that an
updated second edition of
the
unabridged
Random
House
Dictionary
of
the
English
Language
is
being
published.
I
would be
very grateful
if
you could
give
me
some
information on
where
and
how I
can
get
a copy of the dictionary and
if there
is a
less expensive edition
than
the one
described.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Lin Huafeng
4. Writing
4.1 Writing skill
How to Write the Letter of Thanks
The
letter
of
thanks
is
to
extend
appreciation
and
gratitude
to
individuals,
organizations
or
government offices
for
their regards, support,
help, reception,
etc
. It
should
include
from
top
to
bottom:
the
date,
a
salutation,
the
body
of
the
letter,
a
closing
and the name of letter sender.
Date
（日期）
It shows when you write the letter.