Notice

Unit 13

Practical Styles

Official Documents

 Diplomatic Documents

 Treaty

 Proclamation

 Memorandum (memo)

 Notice

 Letters

Diplomatic Documents

 Diplomatic documents of publicity

* Unilateral statements and declarations

* News releases

* News briefings

* Joint statements

 Diplomatic documents of communication

* Formal notes

* Verbal notes

* Formal / informal diplomatic letters

* Memorandum

* Telegram

For example:

Your Excellency,

The various subjects we discussed yesterday

were all matters of very great importance. To

avoid possible misunderstanding in our talk, I have

composed a memorandum of the subjects we

covered. I beg to send it herewith to Your

Excellency and to ask you to examine it and to see

if there are any mistakes therein. I hope you will

favor me with a reply at your earliest

convenience.

I avail myself of this opportunity to express to

you my best wishes.

Charged Affaires ad.

Interim of the Embassy

Of the U.S.A.

For example:

May 18, 2006

Excellency,

I have the honor to inform Your Excellency that

I have today presented my credentials to His

Excellency Mr. xxx, Chairman of the Standing

Committee of the National People’s Congress of

the People’s Republic of China as Ambassador

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of xx Country to

the People’s Republic of China.

On assuming my duties, I wish to assure Your

Excellency of my best efforts to maintain,

strengthen and promote the friendship and

cooperation which have all along existed between

our two countries,

and I am looking forward to closer cordial relations,

both official and personal, between our two

Missions.

I avail myself of this opportunity to convey to

Your Excellency the assurances of my highest

consideration.



Ambassador Extraordinary and

Plenipotentiary of xx to China



His Excellency Mr. xxx

Minister Extraordinary and

Plenipotentiary of xx to China

Beijing

Proclamation

Sample 1



Proclamation

It is hereby proclaimed that xxx has

been elected on May 15, 2004 to the

chairman of the Students Union of our

college.



College

May 16, 2004

Sample 2

The Emancipation Proclamation

……

And I hereby enjoin upon the people so

declared to be free to abstain from all violence,

unless in necessary self-defense; and I

recommend to them that, in all cases when

allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.

And I further declare and make known, that

such persons of suitable condition, will be received

into the armed service of the United States to

garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places,

and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of

justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military

necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of

mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my

hand and caused the seal of the United States

to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this first day of

January, in the year of our Lord one thousand

eight hundred and sixty three, and of the

Independence of the United States of America

the eighty-seventh.



By the President: ABRAHAM LINCOLN

WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.

Sample 3

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W.

BUSH, President of the United States of

America, by virtue of the authority vested

in me by the Constitution and laws of the

United States, do hereby proclaim

Thursday, November 24, 2005, as a

National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage

all Americans to gather together in their

homes and places of worship with family,

friends, and loved ones to reinforce the

ties that bind us and give thanks for the

freedoms and many blessings we enjoy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have

hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day

of November, in the year of our Lord two

thousand five, and of the Independence

of the United States of America the two

hundred and thirtieth.





GEORGE W. BUSH

MEMO

I. Basic Memo Plans



1. The direct plan starts out by

stating the most important points

first and then moves to supporting

details. This plan is useful for

routine information and for

relaying news.

2.The indirect plan makes an appeal

or spews out evidence first and

arrives at a conclusion based on

these facts. This plan is best used

when you need to arouse your

reader's interest before describing

some action that you want taken.

3.The balanced plan is particularly

useful when relaying bad news, as it

combines information and persuasion.

II. Types of Memos



 Trip Reports



 Field or Lab Reports



 Progress or Status Reports



 Directives

III. Components





 Heading Segment

 Opening Segment

 Summary Segment

 Discussion Segments

 Closing Segment

 Necessary Attachments

1. Heading Segment (Header)



 TO: (readers' names and job titles)



 FROM: (your name and job title)



 DATE: (complete and current date)



 SUBJECT: (what the memo is about

highlighted in some way)

 Use conventional date formats.

 Be sure to identify yourself by

name and position.

 Subject line should summarize the

"meat" of the memo.

 Subject line should be 10 words or

less.

 Subject line is NOT a sentence - it

is a long title.

2. Opening segment



The purpose of a memo is usually found

in the opening paragraphs and is

presented in three parts:

(1) the context and problem

(2) the specific assignment or task

(3) the purpose of the memo.

3. Summary segment

If your memo is longer than a page, you

may want to include a separate

summary segment. This segment

provides a brief statement of the key

recommendations you have reached. It

may also include references to

methods and sources you have used in

your research, but remember to keep it

brief.

4. Discussion segment

 The discussion segments are the

parts in which you get to include all

the juicy details that support your

ideas.

5. Closing segment





Close with a courteous ending that

states what action you want your

reader to take. Make sure you

consider how the reader will benefit

from the desired actions and how

you can make those actions easier.

6. Necessary Attachments

 Make sure you document your

findings or provide detailed

information whenever necessary.

You can do this by attaching lists,

graphs, tables, etc. at the end of your

memo. Be sure to refer to your

attachments in your memo and add a

notation about what is attached

below your closing, like this:

 Attached: Several Complaints about

Product, January - June 1997

Tips:

 Organize information from most to least

important.

 Use lists, boxes surrounding important

information, or asterisks (****) to

highlight details rather than all

paragraphs.

 Keep paragraphs to 4 sentences or less.

 End by reiterating the most important

points.

 Do NOT sign a memo.

Sample 1

Penn State Department of Geography

Memorandum

Date: Spring, 2001

To: Geography 100 Students

From: Amy Smith

Subject: An introduction to memo-writing



The information that follows will introduce

you to the process of writing memos. You will

find that the task of writing a memorandum is

not a difficult one if you keep these tools for

good memo writing in mind and within reach.

You can use this document as an example of

memo form and style.

Sample 2

Medical Products, Inc.

Interoffice Memo

To: Mindy Grapefruit

From: Joe Endive

Date: January 30, 2004

Subject: Request to purchase coffee

maker

copies to: George Grape

Mindy, at our department meeting last week, I

agreed to research the purchase of a coffee

maker for the department. The research has

yielded a clear preference, and I am ready to

make the purchase.

Potential uses for the coffee maker include

service for

- Group meetings

- Guests

- Coffee lovers

Consumer Reports recommended three

specific coffee makers. The models and prices

are listed in Table 1.

A survey of the department yielded an

overwhelming preference for the instant-

reserve type of coffee maker. The people in our

department feel that the need for speed and

ease of use outweighs the issue of cost.

We will all enjoy a cup or two of coffee at the

morning staff meeting.

Sample 3

Date: October 10, 2005

To: All students

From: A. Buttle

Subject: Journalist Position Available for

the Summer Semester

The student newspaper is currently

looking for a journalist for the summer

semester. Applicants should currently be

studying at the university, and should

preferably have at least two years’ writing

experience..

The successful applicant will be expected

to write two articles every week on

happenings in the city and on campus.

The position will commence at the end of

May and will last through to the end of

August. The salary for the position is

negotiable and will be based on

experience. If you are interested, please

send your resume to the campus

newspaper office.

Sample 4

Date: January 15, 2002

To: Employees In Research and

Development Team

From: Mary Silvers, Project Manager

Re: New Flex-Time Policy Beginning March

1, 2002



Plankton Engineering is offering a new flex-

time schedule to all employees. You MUST

sign up for this plan by Feb. 20, 2002, in

order to use it.



Components of the Plan

Employees must agree to:

 Work 40 hours a week (except normal

vacation time, sick leave, or holiday weeks)

 Work a minimum of 4 days a week

 Work no more than 12 hours a day

 Arrive at work no later than 9:30 a.m.

 Leave work no earlier than 3:30 p.m. (unless

you have completed 40 hours that week)

Scheduling Considerations

Employees may schedule work time as long

as it fits the above criteria. Employees who

sign up for this new flex time scheduling

must declare their work hours during the

previous week. The supervisor will take

responsibility for recording each employees

work schedule.

Employees who wish to try this new

plan must stay on it for three months

before returning to the current policy.

Employees who may want to start it

later, must wait until January of the

next calendar year to sign up.



Important Reminder

Remember - Sign up by Feb. 20 to

take advantage of the new Flex-Time

schedule

Sample 5

To: David Green, Chief of Operations

From: Tony Party , Supervisor

Subject: Comments on the “Punch-in” System

Date: March. 22, 2004

This is further to your memo dated March. 20,

2004, in which you proposed that employees adopt the

“punch-in” system.

I fully agree with you that we must increase

productivity. As far as your proposal that if the

“punch-in” system is adopted, we would have a tighter

control over the employees is concerned. However, I

don’t think so.

I personally think that, to accomplish

this, we should give the employees

more incentives to work faster. I feel

that if we ( the supervisors) could

meet with you , we could discuss

different possibilities to create such

incentive.

Your consideration of this

suggestion would be appreciated.

NOTICE

Classification

Lost

Found

Needed

For Sale

Contribution Wanted

Removal

Acknowledgements

Corrections

Seeking a spouse

Sample 1

LOST

Aug. 18, 2005

I was careless and lost a copy of

Longman Modern English Dictionary

when studying in the reading room

yesterday. Will the finder please send it

to the office of the Foreign Languages

Department or ring me up to fetch it

back.

Loser,

Mary

Sample 2

Contributions Wanted

This magazine is mainly intended for

college students. It is published on the

fifteenth of every month in Beijing.

Contributions in all forms or styles are

warmly welcome, e.g.

Technical and scientific writings;

essays on phonetics, grammar and

language; Speeches and lectures;

Contributions are expected to be within a 3000-

word limit. They should be written clearly and

legibly on one side of paper, double spaced,

with a proper margin. Manuscripts in English

must be type-written printed in ink.

Translated works should be accompanied with

the original. Quotations must be noted their

sources.

Contributions should be sent directly to the

editorial board. For address please refer to the

back cover.

Editorial Board of “College English”

Sample 3





SEEKING A SPOUSE

John, a young bachelor of 29, graduate of

xx University, bridge engineer in xx Institute,

non-smoker, non-drinker, own home with pool,

interested in sports, music and outdoor life,

seeks honest, quiet, warm and sincere

female. Photo appreciated. All letters and

phone calls are to be answered. Visits

unnecessary. If interested, please contact:

Tel No: 13954215367

Sample 4





CAUTION: Passengers traveling on this

ferry are cautioned against disembarking

before the ferry is properly moored and

the gangplank is in position. Passengers

disregarding this caution are hereby

informed that they do so at their own risk.

Passengers are also requested to stand

clear of the gangway whilst the ferry is

moored.

Sample 5

ASSOCIATED PRE-LAW STUDENTS

Presents

SUSAN JANSON

Associate Dean Arizona State University

ARMANDO RIVERA

Associate Dean University of Arizona

Deans Janson and Rivera will be present

to explain the admission process to the

University of Arizona,and Arizona State

law schools. Special Elections will be held

before meeting. All interested students are

welcome.

Wednesday, June 9, 2005

7:00 p.m.

Sample 6

NOTICE

April 30, 2005

Tomorrow being May Day, there will be no

school. All the teachers, staff members and

students are expected to take part in the

celebrations to be held in our school. Classes

will be resumed as usual on May 8.

Dean of Studies

Letters

Dear Sir,

I am applying for undergraduate admission to

your university for the Fall Semester of 2008. I

sent all the required application materials few

months ago, but have not received reply to date.

There are several schools which have accepted

my application, and I am waiting for your decision

so that I can choose which school to attend. As

the new academic year is not far away, I would

greatly appreciate the results of my application

being forwarded to me at your earliest

convenience.

Yours sincerely,

(Signature)

Dear Sir or Madam,

This letter is to reply to the questions regarding

insurance in your letter dated Jan, 26, 2008. It

was only then that I learned I must purchase an

insurance policy in order to conform to ASUO

policy.

Please be advised that I would like to purchase

the ASUO sponsored insurance plan for

international students. Do I have to purchase this

before I leave Beijing, or can I purchase it upon

arrival at your campus? Please advise me of the

proper procedure.

Sincerely yours,

(Signature)

Dear Dr. Simpson,

I am very happy to learn of my admission to your

two year program for an M.S. Pharmacy. It has

long been my ambition to undertake such studies.

In order to lessen the financial burden of my

parents, I would like to be able to obtain some

form of financial aid in the form of a teaching

position or a research assistantship. I hope for

your favorable consideration of my request.

Would you please advise me of the possibilities,

and should you require any documents, please

inform me as soon as possible.

Thank you in advance.

Sincerely yours,

(Signature)

Dear Sir,

I have been offered a place in your Intensive

English program. Now, I am writing to inquire

whether you have received a money order of $

100 in U.S. dollar for the required fee. Besides, I

would like to know whether you have booked an

accommodation place for me. Shall I be able to

move in to the residency hall once I report my

arrival on campus? If there is any necessary

document that I have to submit to complete the

application procedure for accommodation,

please do not hesitate to let me know.

Thank you very much for your kind assistance.

Sincerely yours,

(Signature)

Dear XXX,

Many thanks for your kind letter of June 28,

informing me that your university has decided to

offer me a place on the full-time MA in Arts

Education and Cultural Studies program for the

2008 Entry. I am writing to confirm that I am very

pleased to be one of your postgraduate students.

In regard that your offer requires me to attend an

eight-week Pre-sessional English Language

Course, I intend to take two language courses

that will be from July 28 to September 19. due to

the urgent timing for me to prepare the necessary

documents for travel, please fax me the official

letter of acceptance at +886-2-3847265 as soon

as possible

Your kind assistance to my application

is very much appreciated. I look forward

to hearing from you soon.

With best wishes!

Sincerely yours,

(Signature)