1.salutation: at the beginning of a letter, the recipient's name should be written in full and followed by a colon to indicate that there is more to come.
2.opening greeting: this should be written on the next line after the salutation, with a two-space indentation. It can stand alone as a paragraph.
3.body of the letter: the main content of the letter is typically divided into three sections - the lead-in, the main message, and the closing summary. Each section should start on a new line with a two-space indentation.
4.complimentary close: this is a phrase that shows respect or congratulations, such as "Yours sincerely" or "Best regards". It can be written immediately after the main message or on a separate line with a two-space indentation. Additionally, the phrase that corresponds to the complimentary close, like "Sincerely" or "Kind regards", should be written on a new line and aligned with the top of the page.
5.signature: at the bottom right corner of the letter, write the sender's name, which is referred to as the signature. Before the signature, it is common to include a title or relationship.
6.date: the date of writing the letter can be written on a separate line below the signature or after the complimentary close. It is typically written in full, including the day, month, and year.
In Chinese culture, politeness is a virtue that is reflected in all aspects of social life. This includes simple acts of consideration, such as yielding the right of way while walking, holding open doors for others, or maintaining silence during lectures. Beyond these social courtesies, language also embodies politeness. This lecture will primarily discuss the norms of polite language use, exploring how to apply it in workplace emails. The discussion will be based on the concept of face-to-face work and the politeness theory proposed by Brown and Levinson in 1987. Real-life case studies of English emails written by business professionals, software developers, and school teachers will be analyzed to demonstrate appropriate expressions of politeness in formal professional communication.
