Contents 1
Preface 1
Part 1 General Remarks on Practical English Writing 1
1.1 Definition of Practical Writing 1
1.2 Appropriateness and Accuracy 2
1.3 Features of Practical English Writing 4
1.3.1 Practicality 4
1.3.2 Reality 5
1.3.3 Certainty 5
1.3.4 Formality and Informality 5
1.3.5 Timeliness 5
1.4 Principles of Practical Writing 6
1.4.1 Clarity 7
1.4.2 Conciseness 10
1.4.3 Coherence 14
1.4.4 Readability 16
1.5 Personal vs.Impersonal Constructions 19
1.6 Usage of the Past and Present Tense 20
1.7 Paragraph Coherence 20
1.7.1 Common Transitional Words and Phrases 22
1.7.2 Repetition of Key Words 23
1.7.3 Linking Pronouns 23
Part 2 Letter Writing 25
2.1 An Introduction to Letter Writing 25
2.2 The Look of the Letter 28
2.2.1 Letter Placement and Design 28
2.2.2 Letter Format 33
2.2.2.1 Block Style 34
2.2.2.2 Modified Block Style 36
2.2.2.3 Modified Semiblock Style 38
2.2.2.4 Official Style 39
2.2.2.5 Simplified Style 41
2.2.2.6 Memorandum 43
2.3 The Elements of A Letter 44
2.3.1 Letterhead 45
2.3.2 Date 45
2.3.3 Inside Address 47
2.3.4 Salutation 49
2.3.5 Text 52
2.3.6 Complimentary Close 54
2.3.7 Signature 55
2.3.8 Enclosure 58
2.3.9 Copy Notation 59
2.3.10 Postscript 60
2.4 Envelopes 61
2.4.1 For Business Letters 61
2.4.2 For Personal Letters 62
2.5 Folding Inserting 63
Part 3 Sample Letters and Illustrations 64
3.1 Invitation 64
3.2 Acceptance 67
3.3 Application 69
3.4 Cover Letter 73
3.5 Appointment Interview 77
3.6 Employment Letter 80
3.7 Request Inquiry 84
3.8 Refusal 88
3.9 Complaints 91
3.10 Adjustments 96
3.11 Apologies 100
3.12 Congratulations 104
3.13 Condolence Sympathy 108
3.14 Get-Well Letters 112
3.15 Thank-You Letters 115
3.16 Recommendation 119
3.17 Letter of Introduction 124
3.18 Letter of Instruction 128
3.19 Sales Letter 132
3.20 Follow-up Letter 137
3.21 Welcome Letter 140
3.22 Sensitive Letter 142
3.23 Belated Letter 146
3.24 Letters to Family and Friends 149
3.25 Love Letters 157
3.26 Letter to the Editor 162
Part 4 Secretarial Work 167
4.1 Itinerary 167
4.2 Interview Arrangement 172
4.3.1 Regulations 174
4.3 Regulations and Rules 174
4.3.2 Rules 178
4.4 Notice and Announcement 189
4.4.1 Notice 190
4.4.2 Announcement 191
4.5 Meeting Documents 195
4.5.1 Agenda 195
4.5.2 Minutes 200
4.6 Report 206
4.6.1 Informal Report 207
4.6.1.1 Feasibility Report 209
4.6.1.2 Status/Progress Report 212
4.6.1.3 Test Report 213
4.6.1.4 Trip Report 215
4.6.1.5 Trouble Report 217
4.6.2 Formal Report 219
4.7 Proposal 232
4.8 Invitation Card 234
4.9 Questionnaire 236
4.10 Miscellaneous 237
4.10.1 Telephone Notes 238
4.10.2 Schedule 239
4.10.2.1 Daily Schedule for a Boss 239
4.10.2.2 Other Schedules 240
4.10.3 Statistics 242
Part 5 Information and Publicity 245
5.1 Introduction 245
5.2 Help Wanted 252
5.3 Homes for Sale and Rent 259
5.4 Directions 264
5.4.1 Directions for Medicine 264
5.4.2 Directions for Home Items 266
5.4.3 Directions for Getting to Place 269
5.5 Menus 270
5.6 Recipes 274
5.7 Weather Forecast 276
5.8 Public Signs 280
5.8.1 Traffic Signs 281
5.8.2 Packing Signs 283
5.8.3 General Signs 285
5.9 Lost and Found 290
5.10 Corrections 293
5.11 Obituary 295
5.12 Birth Notice 297
5.13 Engagement Announcement 298
5.14 Lonely Hearts Introductions 301
5.15 Teaching Syllabus 303
6.1 Agreements and Contracts 309
Part 6 Legal Documents 309
6.1.1 The Features of Agreement and Contract 310
6.1.1.1 Mutual Consent 310
6.1.1.2 Offer and Acceptance 310
6.1.1.3 Voluntary 311
6.1.1.4 Consideration 311
6.1.1.5 Capacity 311
6.1.1.6 Legality 312
6.1.2 Elements of Agreement/Contract 312
6.2 Certificates and Credentials 329
6.2.1 Certificate of Honor/Recognition 329
6.2.2 Graduation/Degree Certificates 332
6.2.3 Notarized Certificates 336
6.2.4 Other Certificates 338
6.3 Last Will and Testament 341
6.4 Power of Attorney 343
6.5 Warranty 359
6.6 Miscellaneous 361
Part 7 Personal Information 365
7.1 Resume 365
7.1.1 Resume Design 365
7.1.1.1 Sections in Resume 367
7.1.1.2 Types of Resume 368
7.1.1.3 Designs of Resume 368
7.1.2 General Layout and Detail Format in Resume 370
7.1.2.1 General Layout 370
7.1.2.2 Detail Format 370
7.1.3 Special Sections in Resume 371
7.1.3.1 Highlight-summary Section 371
7.1.3.2 Objective-goal Section 371
7.1.4 Amplification Page 372
7.1.5 Tips on Resume Writing 372
7.1.6 Samples 375
7.1.7 Cover Letter Accompanying Resume 378
7.2 Self Introduction/Recommendation 379
7.3 Personal Statement 383
7.3.1 Tips on Personal Statement Writing 385
7.3.2 Samples 386
7.4 Notes 389
7.5 Visiting Cards 390
Part 8 Research Paper 392
8.1 Research Process 392
8.1.1 Choosing a Topic 393
8.1.1.1 Subject Area 393
8.1.1.2 Limitation ofthe Topic 393
8.1.1.3 Statement of the Topic 394
8.1.2 Preparing a Working Bibliography 395
8.1.3 Collecting Information 400
8.1.3.1 Critical Evaluation of Sources 401
8.1.3.2 Note Taking 402
8.1.4 Outlining the Paper 403
8.1.4.1 Thesis Statement 404
8.1.4.2 Principles of Organization 404
8.1.4.3 Type of Outlines 406
8.1.4.4 Outline Formats 407
8.1.5 Writing the Paper 409
8.1.5.1 The First Draft 409
8.1.5.2 Revision 410
8.1.5.3 Format 410
8.1.5.4 Final Editing 411
8.1.5.5 Proofreading 411
8.1.6 Avoiding Plagiarism 412
8.1.6.1 Quoting Accurately 412
8.1.6.2 Paraphrasing Accurately 414
8.2.1.1 Abstract 416
8.2 The Parts of a Research Paper 416
8.2.1 The Front Matter 416
8.2.1.2 Approval Sheet 417
8.2.1.3 Title Page 418
8.2.1.4 Outline/Table of Contents 420
8.2.1.5 Preface 421
8.2.1.6 Acknowledgements 422
8.2.1.7 List of Tables,Figures and Diagrams 422
8.2.2 The Text 422
8.2.2.1 Organization of the Text 422
8.2.2.2 Section Title and Heading 423
8.2.3 Reference Materials 424
8.2.3.1 Notes 424
8.2.3.2 Bibliography 427
8.2.4 Bibliographic Citation 428
8.2.4.1 Notes on Bibliographic Citation 428
8.2.4.2 Examples for Entries(MLA Style) 429
8.2.5 References-cited Format 434
8.2.5.1 Author-Year Format 435
8.2.5.2 Author-Number Format 436
8.3 Main Differences Between MLA,APA and Chicago Styles 438
8.4 Proposal 440
8.5 Acknowledgements 446
Part 9 Note Taking 451
9.1 Introduction 451
9.2 Suggestions 452
9.3 Active Listening and Selectivity 453
9.3.1 Lecturer's Teaching Style 454
9.3.2 Features of the Lecture 455
9.3.2.1 Introduction and Conclusion 455
9.3.2.2 Repetition 456
9.3.2.3 Linking Expressions 457
9.3.2.4 Rephrasing Ideas 458
9.3.2.5 Elaboration 459
9.4 Note-taking Formats 459
9.4.1 Cornell Note-taking System 459
9.4.2 Mind Maps 462
9.5 Strategies for Note Taking 463
9.5.1 Pre-class Strategies 463
9.5.2 In-class Strategies 465
9.5.3 After-class Strategies 467
9.6 Time to Take Notes 468
9.7 Shortcuts to Taking Notes 469
9.7.1 Use of Abbreviations 469
9.7.2 Use of Symbols 475
9.7.3 Use of Numerals 476
9.7.4 Examples of Using Abbreviations and Symbols 477
10.1 An Overview of Punctuation Marks 478
Part 10 Punctuation Marks 478
10.2 Functions of Punctuation Marks 482
10.2.1 Periods 482
10.2.2 Exclamation Mark 483
10.2.3 Question Mark 484
10.2.4 Comma 484
10.2.5 Semicolon 487
10.2.6 Colon 488
10.2.7 Dash 489
10.2.8 Parentheses 490
10.2.9 Quotation Marks 491
10.2.10 Brackets 493
10.2.11 Ellipsis Marks 494
10.2.12 Apostrophe 495
10.2.13 Slash 496
10.2.14 Hyphen 497