Monday's Assignment

Good morning everyone,

There is an idiomatic expression in English that describes one of the cultural norms of business writing in North America. The expression is “in a nutshell,” which means to present the facts briefly and concisely without a lot of unnecessary details. So when someone says, “Just give me the facts in a nutshell” or “Please get to the point,” they are asking for a summary of the facts in the most concise way possible.

This week's theme is Business Writing. First thing we need to understand all the acronyms and abbreviations that people use in workplace correspondences.

Task 1:

Write the meaning of each of the common email emoticons listed below. Search the Internet

for other emoticons used in email and add them to your list.

Possible search term: emoticons

1. : )         smile                    6.:D :=D :-D :d :=d :-d     

2. ; )         wink                           7.;( 7. ;-( ;=(                 crying

3. : (             sad                         8.:* :=* :-*               kiss

4. : o          surprise                   9.:P :=P :-P :p :=p :-p     cheeky, embarrassed

5. :-<            mad                     10.|-) I-) I=) (snooze)           sleepy

Task 2:

The following acronyms and abbreviations are commonly used in business writing.

Write their meanings and explain when you would use them.

1. asap        as soon as possible     6. Att.    attachment            11. c/o  care of

2. FYI        for your information     7. Encl.    enclose               12. n/a  not applicable 

3. TTYL    talk to you later            8. Cc     carbon copy          13. i.e. in other words

4. FAQs     frequently ask questions  9. Bcc blind carbon copy      14. w/ without

5. BTW     by the way                     10. e.g. for example             15. tks. thanks 

Task 3:

Imagine the following scenario. Then write an email message for this situation below. Decide whether the style is semi-formal or informal.

You have received an email from a team member requesting a report on the progress of a project.

You were away on holidays for two weeks and still need more time to collect and process the information.  

Write an email in response and include the following:

• confirm receiving the request

• explain the reason for the delay in submitting the report

• suggest a new deadline

• end the message appropriately

Hi Sam,

I have received your email. It was nice to discuss the progress of project. However, I am on holiday with my family for two weeks. So I still need more time to collect and process the information, but I will finish as soon as possible. I am available next three more weeks; I am wondering it is convenient for you to meet me at our class on Tuesday, June 20, at 1pm to discuss our project. I am sorry for that. Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Loves,

Melissa