Ten new safes have been installed in the offices to replace the old ones. To avoid any troubles, please follow the booklet of directions.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Answer the Following Questions
1. What is the object of the instruction memo?
2. What are the style and the tone of the instruction memo?
Words and Phrases
1. install: set (an apparatus) up, ready for use
e.g. I won’t have oil heating installed.
2. booklet: a small book, usu. with a paper cover
e.g. Do you have a booklet of instructions for operating the computer?
3. direction: order or instructions
e.g. I couldn’t understand the directions.
4. contact: get in touch with sb
e.g. We’ll contact you by telephone.
5. president: head of a company
e.g. The president presides over the board of directors in this company.
Sample 3: Announcement Memo
Internal Memo
To: All Branches
From: Sales Manager
Date: 26 November 1999
Tour 3543----New Carrier
1. We have found a new carrier for Tour 3543. This is DTL Aviation Company.
2. All clients who still want to take this holiday must reconfirm their bookings as soon as possible.
3. They must also check in at Gatwick Airport by 0825 on the day of departure.
4. Please write to all agencies and tell them all.
Answer the Following Questions
1. What does the announcement memo provide?
2. How does the writer arrange the information?
Words and Phrases
1. internal: of or in the inside
e.g. The large organizations were forced to change their internal structure.
2. carrier: a business that carries passengers from one place to another for payment
e.g. This airline is one of America’s biggest international carriers.
3. reconfirm: make certain again
e.g. You’ll have to reconfirm the telephone message in writing.
4. check in: report one’s arrival as at an airport, etc.
e.g. You’d better check in at the airport an hour earlier before the plane takes off.
5. agency: office or person who represents a business
e.g. The firm has many agencies in the world.
Section 2: Guide for Writing Memoranda
Rules for Writing Memoranda
Writing memoranda is different from writing letters, for they have different purposes. Therefore writing memoranda has its special requirements and rules.
1. No normal greetings
Because it is a kind of internal correspondence, it is unnecessary to have the normal greetings, courtesy indications and concluding remarks found in external correspondence. The author should pay more attention to conciseness, to express himself as clearly as possible.
2. Clear subject headings
There should be a clear subject heading stating what the memorandum is about. In addition, there must be an indication about the name of the recipient and also the sender's name. Sometimes it is necessary to mention the position of both the sender and the recipient.
3. Direct indication of the situation discussed
In the first paragraph, the writer must introduce briefly about the situation discussed. Or if it serves as a reply to a recipient's request, a statement must be made suggesting the reference number, e.g. Your reference: A/55 of 3rd May, 20...
4. One point, one paragraph
Each paragraph should discuss only one aspect of the subject considered in the memorandum. Do not put more than one point or more than one topic in one paragraph.
5. Numbering each paragraph clearly
This allows the numbered paragraphs to be referred to in the following paragraph. And at the same time, the numbered paragraphs improve the readability, making it very easy for the recipient to have a general idea about the content just at one glance.
6. Be as objective as possible
The language should be as objective as possible. If a personal idea is to be made, it should be made very clearly, e.g. in my opinion, etc.
7. Request for immediate feedback
The final paragraph should request the recipient to make immediate feedbacks, indicating the content or actions and the date of the reply.
8. Brief signature
The signature may take the form of just the sender's initials written before his typed name. It is unnecessary to sign in the full name of the sender, for the recipient of the memo may know exactly who the sender is within his company.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Answer the Following Questions
1. What is the object of the instruction memo?
2. What are the style and the tone of the instruction memo?
Words and Phrases
1. install: set (an apparatus) up, ready for use
e.g. I won’t have oil heating installed.
2. booklet: a small book, usu. with a paper cover
e.g. Do you have a booklet of instructions for operating the computer?
3. direction: order or instructions
e.g. I couldn’t understand the directions.
4. contact: get in touch with sb
e.g. We’ll contact you by telephone.
5. president: head of a company
e.g. The president presides over the board of directors in this company.
Sample 3: Announcement Memo
Internal Memo
To: All Branches
From: Sales Manager
Date: 26 November 1999
Tour 3543----New Carrier
1. We have found a new carrier for Tour 3543. This is DTL Aviation Company.
2. All clients who still want to take this holiday must reconfirm their bookings as soon as possible.
3. They must also check in at Gatwick Airport by 0825 on the day of departure.
4. Please write to all agencies and tell them all.
Answer the Following Questions
1. What does the announcement memo provide?
2. How does the writer arrange the information?
Words and Phrases
1. internal: of or in the inside
e.g. The large organizations were forced to change their internal structure.
2. carrier: a business that carries passengers from one place to another for payment
e.g. This airline is one of America’s biggest international carriers.
3. reconfirm: make certain again
e.g. You’ll have to reconfirm the telephone message in writing.
4. check in: report one’s arrival as at an airport, etc.
e.g. You’d better check in at the airport an hour earlier before the plane takes off.
5. agency: office or person who represents a business
e.g. The firm has many agencies in the world.
Section 2: Guide for Writing Memoranda
Rules for Writing Memoranda
Writing memoranda is different from writing letters, for they have different purposes. Therefore writing memoranda has its special requirements and rules.
1. No normal greetings
Because it is a kind of internal correspondence, it is unnecessary to have the normal greetings, courtesy indications and concluding remarks found in external correspondence. The author should pay more attention to conciseness, to express himself as clearly as possible.
2. Clear subject headings
There should be a clear subject heading stating what the memorandum is about. In addition, there must be an indication about the name of the recipient and also the sender's name. Sometimes it is necessary to mention the position of both the sender and the recipient.
3. Direct indication of the situation discussed
In the first paragraph, the writer must introduce briefly about the situation discussed. Or if it serves as a reply to a recipient's request, a statement must be made suggesting the reference number, e.g. Your reference: A/55 of 3rd May, 20...
4. One point, one paragraph
Each paragraph should discuss only one aspect of the subject considered in the memorandum. Do not put more than one point or more than one topic in one paragraph.
5. Numbering each paragraph clearly
This allows the numbered paragraphs to be referred to in the following paragraph. And at the same time, the numbered paragraphs improve the readability, making it very easy for the recipient to have a general idea about the content just at one glance.
6. Be as objective as possible
The language should be as objective as possible. If a personal idea is to be made, it should be made very clearly, e.g. in my opinion, etc.
7. Request for immediate feedback
The final paragraph should request the recipient to make immediate feedbacks, indicating the content or actions and the date of the reply.
8. Brief signature
The signature may take the form of just the sender's initials written before his typed name. It is unnecessary to sign in the full name of the sender, for the recipient of the memo may know exactly who the sender is within his company.