Practical Writing

1. Engagement Announcement1) PrinciplesAn engagement is an agreement to get married. When young people who are engaged and planning to marry, it is most likely that they make an announcement of their engagement to let their relatives, friends and even the public to know that information.An announcement of engagement usually contains:The names of the couple engaged;The date of their marriage;Sometimes, the announcement includes a description of the engaged couple2) ExamplesMARIA GAMES AND PAUL HERRERAMaria Gamez and Paul J. Herrera, both of Oxnard, are pleased to announce their engagement and plan to marry on August 28, 2004, at Santa Clara Church in Oxnard. A dinner reception will follow at the Residence Inn by Marriott at River Ridge in Oxnard.The bride-to-be is the daughter of Manuel Gamez and the late Victoria Gamez. She is a 1998 graduate of Oxnard High School. Maria is a procurement agent at Airborne Technologies, Inc., and a waitress at Outback Steakhouse.The groom-to-be is the son of Louise Herrera and the late Paul C. Herrera. He is a 1997 graduate of Santa Clara High School. Paul is a floor covering installer at Carpets Direct.The couple will honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico, and will reside in Oxnard.Ellwood-VeraKristin C. Ellwood and Alexis L. Vera, both of Seattle, Washington, joyfully announce their engagement. The couple will marry in August 2006 in Portland, OR.The future bride, daughter of Mark and Debra Ellwood of Beaverton, OR, is a graduate of the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts. She is currently a Project Designer with Interior Architects. The future bridegroom, son of Olga Vera and Ray Vera, both of Miami, FL, is a graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. He is currently an Industrial Designer with Michael Courtney Design.2. Directions1) PrinciplesDirections are instructions for doing something (such as what to do or how to do something) or getting to a place.The primary reason for writing directions is to document a process.Through the documentation in the directions, the elements of a process are defined and described, and how-to-use instructions provided.2) Examples:ROCHE VITAMINS A & EComposition: 30,000 I. U. vitamin A and 70mg vitamin E.Dosage: 3-4 chewable dragees(糖衣丸) daily as prolonged courses.Caution: Not recommended for children or pregnant women.Major indications: Functional disturbances (紊乱) and degenerative (退化) processes, especially in the middle-aged and elderly. Deafness and tinnitus (耳鸣).用水送服，每次两片。

隔八小时再服一片。

24小时内用量不得超过6片。

6-12岁儿童剂量减半。

6岁以下儿童用请咨询医师。

如发生神经过敏，不安或失眠，请减少服用剂量。

Take two tablets with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours, as required. Do not exceed six tablets in twenty-four hours.For children six to twelve years old, give half the adult dosage. For children under six years old, consult your physician.Reduce dosage if nervousness, restlessness or sleeplessness occurs.用前摇匀。

倒出适量于掌心，均匀涂抹于面部、腿部、肩部、手臂等皮肤干燥处。

注意事项：远离明、暗火源或高热处。

请置于儿童无法触及之处。

Shake well. Dispense into palm – then smooth over face, legs, shoulders, arms – where the skin feels uncomfortably dry.CAUTION: Keep away from flame, fire or extreme heat. Keep out of the reach of children.Directions for Contact Lenses (隐形眼镜) Solution (洗液)Comforatct是多用途隐形眼镜洗液。

1. 打湿。

在带上隐形眼镜之前，倒一滴Comforatct洗液，用水冲洗干净。

2. 浸透。

在专用容器里倒Comforatct洗液至一半的位置。

将镜片放于容器里，再滴数滴洗液直至将其完全浸透。

3. 清洗镜片。

滴几滴洗液于镜片上，轻轻擦拭10秒。

然后冲洗。

如此多次。

注意事项：触摸镜片前要将双手彻底洗净。

切勿将瓶尖接触到其他物体，以免污染洗液。

Comfortact is an all-purpose solution for the care of contact lenses.1. Wetting. Before inserting contact lenses in the eyes, apply one drop of Comfortact and rinse (冲洗) with water.2. Soaking. Fill contact case one-half full of Comfortact. Place lenses in case and add a few more drops to cover all surface.3. Cleaning. Apply a few drops of Comfortact to lenses and rub gently for ten seconds. Rinse and repeat.Note: Wash hands thoroughly before touching lenses. Do not let the tip of the bottle come into contact with any surface, which may contaminate the solution.3. Lost and Found1) Principle:Generally speaking, the information for something lost is short, which includes:Heading;Description of the thing(s) lost;Expression of thanks to the finder;How to contactWhen giving information for something found:Just describe the thing(s) generally but not in detail.2) Examples失物招领钱包，内有现金、学生证、图书证和电话卡。

昨天下午主教学楼前丢失。

请到电台认领。

校广播电台Please Come to Claim the PurseAnyone who lost a purse at the gate of Main Teaching Building yesterday afternoon, in which there are some money, student card, library card and phone card, please come to the Radio Station to claim it.The Radio Station of the UniversityA Boy MissingA smart boy, named Wang Wei, aged 7, in blue coat and jeans, got lost on the late afternoon of April 4, 2006 when he went home from school. He is 1.09 meters tall, with black hair, a moon face, rosy cheeks, big eyes and a very small scar on chin. He speaks with Yangzhou accent.Whoever meets him or knows him whereabouts or has any information about his location is begged to advise his family or ring them up. The phone number is ******.We will thank the finder in person.4. Appointment and Interview1) Principles:a. ask for an appointment:identify yourself;explain why; mention a benefit;suggest a length of time; offer possible dates, time, and places;mention visitors’ names;provide your address, phone number, email address;express your appreciationb. agree to have an interview:Say “yes”;Repeat the purpose, date, time, place and length of meeting;Express you r pleasure or thanks, like “I look forward to discussing this issue with you.”c. confirm arrangements made in person or by telephone:Refer to your previous discussion;Repeat the meeting specifics – date, time, place, purpose;Close the letter with an expression of pleasured. postpone or rearrange an appointment:Mention the original date, time and place;Apologize for the inconvenience;State your alternatives and ask for confirmation of the new time.e. refuse a request for an appointment:Thank the person;Say “no” politely and neutrallyf. cancel arrangements:Repeat the time, date and place;State that you must cancel the appointment;Briefly explain the reason;Apologize for the inconvenience;Offer a substitution action if appropriate.2) Examples:Dear Mr. Maggio:I’ve received your letter of August 15 requesting an appointment to see me about your company’s computer software.We have been using the IBM line of software for all our business needs for the past ten years, and we are very satisfied with it. I don’t see a meeting benefiting either of us.Thanks anyway.Yours truly,Dear Laura Appleton:Our longtime supplier of plastic tubing has recently informed us that they are discontinuing their plastic tubing division. Our vice-president of purchasing will be visiting several plastic tubing manufacturers in your area next week.Would it be possible for you to schedule a meeting and plant tour for him on Thursday or Friday of next week? Enclosed are data on our projected needs for plastic tubing, our production schedules and delivery requirements that may be helpful to you in preparing for his visit.Thank you.Sincerely yours,Dear Moulin,I have to cancel the meeting we set up for Saturday, June 26, at 3:00 p.m., as we’ve got a little trouble at the Valliscourt plant. I should be back on June 30 and will call you then to set up another appointment.Thanks for understanding.Sincerely,5. Complaints1) Principles:State the incident or problem.Provide factual details. E.g. for a problem with merchandise/ with a rude inefficient service person/ with airlines.Include relevant documentation if there is, such as sales slip receipt, warranty or guarantee,previous correspondence, picture of damaged item, repair or service order, canceled check contract or paid invoice.Tell why it is important to resolve your problem.State clearly what you expect from the company or the person, such as refund, replacement, exchange or repair.Suggest a deadline for the action, if necessary.Give your name, address and home and work telephone numbers.Close your letter with confidence in solving the problem to your satisfaction. (e.g. I am sure you will find a solution to the problem; I am confident that you will want to replace this defective answering machine.)2) Examples:Dear Sir:I am writing to make a strong complaint about the impolite treatment that my guests, my wife and I received when we visited your restaurant last Saturday evening.On booking a table for four by telephone on Tuesday we were assured that there would be ample room for us despite the fact that you had only been open for a few days and were already heavily booked.We appreciate that there must be great demand for restaurant meals at this time of the year in such a popular and historic area but we were not expecting such an ill-mannered reception on the part of your head waiter.Our Spanish guests are currently touring London and were looking forward to a traditional English dinner in such a charming and picturesque setting. Our hopes for an enjoyable evening out were immediately ruined whey your head waiter informed us that he had received no booking in our name and, consequently, no table was reserved for our party. My wife and I protested at this and asked to speak to the Manager, who, we were told, was unavailable.Your staff then offered us a table which we all had to share with another couple and no effort was made to smooth over the unpleasantness we had experienced. We also had to wait some considerable time before the menu was brought to us and our order taken.I trust you will give this complaint your prompt attention as the whole embarrassing incident was a great disappointment to our guests and sets a very bad example of English hospitality.Yours faithfully,Dear Sir:We have been renting Apartment 208 at 3466 Chicago Avenue for the past four years and have been pleased with our situation until just recently, when new tenants moved into Apartment 308.We have spoken to Mr. Wang and Mrs. Yang about the frequent parties, arguments and loud noises after 11:00 pm., and we have also asked the building manager to do what she could. However, we think you need to look into this situation yourself.Please let me know what we can expect.Sincerely yours,6. Recommendation1) Principles:Begin your recommendation by giving the full name of the person that you recommend.State the connection with the person and how long you have know him or her.Focus on the person’s job experience a nd skills.State generally the person’s character.Close your letter with a summary statement reaffirming your recommendation of or confidence in the person.Offer to provide further information, if appropriate.2) Examples:To whom It May Concern:I am privileged to write in support of my dear friend and student, Dan Peel. Mr. Peel studied in my classroom and laboratory program for close to three years, during which time I witnessed his tremendous growth and development. This development came out not only in the area of scientific achievement and discovery but also in maturity and character as well.Mr. Peel entered Whitman at the young age of 16, a precocious high school graduate. At first, he had difficulty accepting his place as young and less experienced lab member. But soon, he learned the valuable trait of humility and enjoyed the opportunity to learn from his older peers and his professors.Mr. Peel quickly learned to manage his time, work in group situations under strict deadlines and recognize the importance of a strong work ethic, persistence and intellectual integrity. He has long since become the most valuable member of my student-lab team and a role model for his newer classmate.I recommend Dan Peel to your program with absolute, confidence. He has made me proud, as his teacher and friend, and I am sure he will continue to do so as he grows in your program and beyond.Thank you for the opportunity to recommend such a special and impressive young man.Sincerely yours,Dear Sir,I have known Monica Stone for five years, first as a student in my earth sciences and biology classes and later as her adviser for an independent study in biology. I am currently helping him with an extracurricular project.Ms. Stone is one of the brightest, most research-oriented students I have encountered in eighteen years of teaching. Her achievement test scores only begin to tell story. She has a wonderful understanding of the principles of scientific inquiry, a passion for exactitude (精确), and a bottomless curiosity.I consider Monica Stone a promising student in terms of both intelligence and ability. In view of her previous performance in this department, I am firmly convinced that she will be a successful graduate student in your school.Yours truly,。