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Showing posts from October, 2016

Computers & Information Technology

N.B.  The British spelling 'programme' is no longer used to refer to a computer program,  although it is still correct in other phrases e.g. 'television programme'. Word Meaning adware A software application which displays unwanted pop-up advertisements on your computer while in use.  Adware is often installed at the same time as free software or shareware. application Any program designed to perform a specific function directly for the user.  Microsoft Word, Outlook or Adobe Photoshop are examples of application programs. bloatware/fatware Pre-installed software that occupies a lot of space, leaving little memory for storing personal data. browser A program or tool such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Google that enables you to browse or surf the World Wide Web and view internet sites. bug A defect or fault in a program that prevents it from working correctly.  Bugs are caused by mistakes or errors made by those who write the program. cache A sort of fast memo

Business English resources

Apologising (US: Apologizing) We are sorry for the delay in replying to ... I regret any inconvenience caused (by) ... I would like to apologise for the (delay, inconvenience)... Once again, please accept my apologies for ... Orders Thank you for your quotation of ... We are pleased to place an order with your company for.. We would like to cancel our order n° ..... Please confirm receipt of our order. I am pleased to acknowledge receipt of your order n° ..... Your order will be processed as quickly as possible. It will take about (two/three) weeks to process your order. We can guarantee you delivery before ...(date) Unfortunately these articles are no longer available / are out of stock. Prices Please send us your price list. You will find enclosed our most recent catalogue and price list. Please note that our prices are subject to change without notice. We have pleasure in enclosing a detailed quotation. We can make you a firm offer of ... Referring to payment Our terms of payment ar

Useful phrases for writing business letters

Salutation • Dear Mr. Brown • Dear Ms. White • Dear Sir • Dear Madam • Dear Sir or Madam • Gentlemen Starting •  We are writing - to inform you that ... - to confirm ... - to request ... - to enquire about ... • I am contacting you for the following reason... • I recently read/heard about ..... and would like to know .... • Having seen your advertisement in ..., I would like to ... • I would be interested in (obtaining / receiving) ... • I received your address from ----- and would like to ... Referring to previous contact • Thank you for your letter of March 15. • Thank you for contacting us. • In reply to your request, ... • Thank you for your letter regarding ... • With reference to our telephone conversation yesterday... • Further to our meeting last week ... • It was a pleasure meeting you in London last month. • I enjoyed having lunch with you last week in Tokyo. • I would just like to confirm the main points we discussed  on Tuesday. Making a request • We would appreciate it if

Writing Business Letters

If writing a business letter takes you much longer than in your own language, here are a few guidelines that you may find helpful. Plan before you write. Look up words you need before you start. Note the points you want to make, and order them into logical paragraphs. Tone Write as you would speak in a business conversation. The tone should be friendly and polite. Names Make sure you check the gender of the addressee (the recipient), as well as the correct spelling of the person's name and title. Use   Ms . for women and   Mr . for men. You can use  Mrs . for a woman if you are 100% sure that she is married. Dates To avoid any confusion,   write   the month instead of using numbers (e.g. January 15th, 2012  or 15 January 2012). Be concise and clear. The easier it is to read a letter the better. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and simple. Use straightforward vocabulary to avoid any misunderstanding. Ask direct questions. Rewrite any sentence that does not seem perfectly clear. I

Advertising

Word Meaning advertisement Item of publicity to promote a product or service in newspapers, magazines, on TV, etc. advertising agency Marketing services firm that assists companies in planning advertisements. AIDA Attention, Interest, Desire, Action - the aim of all advertising. benefit Advantage of a product or service. billboard Signboard for advertising posters. broadsheet Newspaper printed in a large format. campaign organised course or plan of action. circulation Average number of copies of newspapers or magazines sold over a period of time. classified ads Small advertisements in newspapers or magazines, divided into categories. commercial Advertisement on radio or television. coupon Part of a printed advertisement to be used to order goods or samples. direct mail Advertisement sent by post to prospective customers. double-page spread Advertisement printed across two pages in a newspaper or magazine. editing Reviewing or rewriting in order to make suitable for publication. eye-cat

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Word Meaning Ltd limited mo month N/A not applicable NB Nota Bene  (it is important to note) no number PA personal assistant p.a. per annum  (per year) Plc public limited company pls please p.m. post meridiem  (after noon) p.p. per pro  (used before signing in a person's absence) PR public relations p.s. post scriptum PTO please turn over p.w. per week qty quantity R & D research and development re with reference to ROI return on investment RSVP repondez s'il vous plait  (please reply) s.a.e. stamped addressed envelope VAT value added tax VIP very important person

BUSINESS ENGLISH VOCABULARY

Word Meaning @ at a/c account AGM annual general meeting a.m. ante meridiem  (before  noon) a/o account of  (on behalf of) AOB any other business ASAP as soon as possible ATM automated teller machine (cash dispenser) attn for the attention of approx approximately cc copy to CEO chief executive officer c/o care of  (on letters:  at the address of) Co company cm centimetre COD cash on delivery dept department e.g. exempli gratia (for example) EGM extraordinary general meeting ETA estimated time of arrival etc et caetera  (and so on) GDP gross domestic product GNP gross national product GMT Greenwich mean time  (time in London) i.e. id est  (meaning : 'that is') Inc incorporated IOU I owe you IPO initial public offer Jr junior K thousand lb pound (weight) £ pound (money/currency)

words and expressions

Word Meaning Cage sandals A type of sandal with a lot of thin straps. Captcha Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart. A distorted image of letters and numbers used to ensure that a response is not generated by a computer, in order to prevent spamming. Carjacking Blend of 'car' and 'hijacking'. When a car driver is forced to give up his vehicle or drive to a destination designated by the attacker. Carnapper A person who steals a car. Catfish  A person who sets up a false profile on a social networking site in order to deceive others or for fraudulent purposes. Charticle Blend of ‘chart’ and ‘article’. A news article that is composed primarily of a chart, image or graphics with just a brief text for additional information. Chatroom Areas on the internet where people can communicate by exchanging typed messages Chick lit Books, usually featuring female character