商務(wù)信函的英文書(shū)寫(xiě)規(guī)則(3)2

字號(hào):

(四)理解和運(yùn)用商業(yè)術(shù)語(yǔ)
    一般常用的商業(yè)用語(yǔ)用字簡(jiǎn)潔,意義明確,使用得好,工作進(jìn)行得順利,使用得不好,就會(huì)引起混亂,誤解,甚至產(chǎn)生不必要的糾紛,如:
    You ask very short delivery for your order.
    寫(xiě)信的人原意是說(shuō)“你們要求趕快交你們的定貨?!?BR>    可是short delivery不是快點(diǎn)交貨的意思,而是“短交”的意思,這就用錯(cuò)了商業(yè)術(shù)語(yǔ)。因此,應(yīng)該說(shuō):
    Your require quick(prompt) delivery of your order.
    (五)合適的寫(xiě)作技巧或方法,以及正確運(yùn)用其他的六個(gè)"C"
    (1)、非英語(yǔ)國(guó)家的人學(xué)英語(yǔ)中普遍的弱點(diǎn)之一是不能正確地拼寫(xiě)(spelling)每一個(gè)英文字。拼寫(xiě)正確與否是一個(gè)很重要的問(wèn)題。有時(shí),一不小心,拼寫(xiě)錯(cuò)了,會(huì)誤大事或出笑話(huà)。 你想買(mǎi)靴子,英文應(yīng)該是BOOTS,要是拼寫(xiě)成BOATS就變成你想買(mǎi)船了。
    怎樣才能正確地拼寫(xiě)?的辦法是讀得仔細(xì),注意每個(gè)字的正確拼法及字母排列。要注意
    音節(jié)(syllables)
    字根(roots)
    前綴(prefixes)
    后綴(suffixes)
    有人就此寫(xiě)了首打油詩(shī)做了個(gè)“總結(jié)”
    I before E
    Except after C
    Or when sounded as A
    As in neighbor or weigh.
    其基本意思是說(shuō)除了在字母C之后或是發(fā)音是[ei ]之外,通常是I在E之前?,F(xiàn)舉例說(shuō)明:
    (a) ie [發(fā)音i:]
    achieve, grieve, retrieve
    believe, niece, shield
    brief, piece, shriek
    chief, pier, siege
    field, pierce, thief
    fiend, relieve, wield
    fierce, reprieve, yield
    (b) ei [發(fā)音i:]
    ceiling, conceive, deceive, perceive, receive
    (c) ei [發(fā)音ei]
    feint, obeisance, sleigh
    freight, reign, veil
    inveigh, rein, weigh
    neighbor, skein, weight
    例外:
    either, fiery, foreign, friend, heifer, height, inveigle, leisure, seize, sovereign, weird.
    又如以ceed, cede,和sede結(jié)尾的動(dòng)詞中,只有三個(gè)普通的動(dòng)詞以ceed結(jié)尾,即:exceed,proceed和succeed結(jié)尾的,如:acced, concede, intercede, precede, recede.
    名詞的復(fù)數(shù)形式也得注意,否則也要出錯(cuò)。不過(guò)如何把名詞的單數(shù)變成復(fù)數(shù)還是有規(guī)律的。
    (a)絕大部分的名詞從單數(shù)變?yōu)閺?fù)數(shù)時(shí),只要在詞尾加個(gè)""就行了。如:
    hat, hats; acrobat, acrobats; banana, bananas.
    (b)單數(shù)名詞的字尾是s, ch, x或z的復(fù)數(shù),通常是加es, 如:mass, masses; patch, patches; tax, taxes; buzz, buzzes.
    (c)以y結(jié)尾的y前是輔音字母的單數(shù)名詞變復(fù)數(shù)時(shí),把y去掉改為I再加es,如:city, cities;community, communities.
    (d)以y結(jié)尾的y前是元音字母的單數(shù)名詞變復(fù)數(shù)時(shí),只要在字尾加s, 如:money, moneys.
    (e)以o結(jié)尾的而o前是元音字母的單數(shù)名詞,在字尾加s就變?yōu)閺?fù)數(shù),如:radio, radios.
    (f)以o結(jié)尾的而o前是輔音字母的單數(shù)名詞變成復(fù)數(shù)時(shí),應(yīng)加es, 如:
    buffaloes, calicoes, cargoes, dominoes, echoes, embargoes, heroes, jingoes, mosquitoes, mottoes(mottos), mulattoes, potatoes, tomatoes, tornadoes, torpedoes, volcanoes.
    但有例外如:
    banjos, bolos, cantos, contraltos, dynamos, gigolos, octaves, pianos, quartos, silos, solos, sopranos, zeros.
    (g)絕大多數(shù)以f結(jié)尾的名詞,從單數(shù)變?yōu)閺?fù)數(shù)時(shí),把f換成v再加上es,如:half, halves, scarf, scarves(or : scarfs) ; self, selves ; sheaf, sheaves ; thief, thieves ; wolf, wolves.
    但有例外如:
    beliefs, chiefs, dwarfs, griefs, handkerchiefs, hoofs, mischiefs, roofs, staffs
    (h)專(zhuān)有名詞一般在字尾加s,構(gòu)成復(fù)數(shù),但以ch, s, x或z結(jié)尾的專(zhuān)有名詞,則要加es如:
    the Kellys, the six Marys, the Finleys, the Harrises, the Foxes, the Heinzes.
    (i)字母,數(shù)字,記號(hào)或其他作這種用途的字的復(fù)數(shù)形式是在字尾加"s",如:three m’’s; two’’s; if’’s and and’’s.
    (j)某些外來(lái)字還保留其原來(lái)的復(fù)數(shù)形式:
    agendum------agenda    focus----------foci
    alumna-------alumnae    locus----------loci
    alumnus------alumni    hypothesis-----hypotheses
    analysis-----analyses   larva----------larvae
    axis---------axes     parenthesis----parenteses
    bacterium----bacteria   phenomenon-----phenomena
    basis--------bases    radius---------radii
    chassis------chassis   stratum--------strata
    crisis-------crises    tableau--------tableaux
    datum--------data     thesis---------theses
    復(fù)合名詞的復(fù)數(shù)通常是其中的主要字用復(fù)數(shù)形式,如:
    fathers-in-law; hangers-on; passers-by; by-standers; solicitors general; attorneys general(or: attorney generals); major generals; Knights Templar.
    但也有都用復(fù)數(shù)形式的,如:
    nanservant, menservants; woman-servant, women-servants
    以上例子說(shuō)明,英語(yǔ)的拼寫(xiě)是有一定規(guī)律的,只是多加注意,便可以逐漸掌握其規(guī)律。但是,任何規(guī)律都有其相對(duì)的例外,這就需要特別下工夫。
    有人把這些不規(guī)則的內(nèi)容編了一首打油詩(shī),現(xiàn)轉(zhuǎn)錄下來(lái),供參考。
    We’’ll begin with a box and the plural is boxes,
    But the plural of ox should be oxen not oxes.
    Then one fowl is a goose but two are called geese,
    Yet the plural of mouse should never be meese.
    You may find a lone mouse or a whole set of mice,
    But the plural of house is houses not hice,
    If the plural of man is always called men,
    Shouldn’’t the plural o a pan be called pen?
    If I speak of a foot and you show me your feet,
    And I give you a boot would a pare be called beet?
    If one is a tooth and whole set are teeth,
    Why should not the plural of booth be called beeth?
    Then one may be that and three would be those,
    Yet hat in that plural wouldn’’t be hose.
    And the plural of cat is cats and not cose.
    We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
    But though we say Mother we never say Methren,
    Then the masculine pronouns are he, his, and him,
    But imagine the feminine, she, shis, and shim.
    So English I fancy, you all will agree,
    Is the funniest language you ever did see.
    (2)、正確使用大寫(xiě)(Capital Letter)
    一般在每一句,每一個(gè)直接引語(yǔ),每一行詩(shī)的第一個(gè)字要大寫(xiě),人的稱(chēng)呼或頭銜,書(shū)名等要大寫(xiě),專(zhuān)有名詞要大寫(xiě),月名,星期幾要大寫(xiě),代詞I要大寫(xiě)。這是使用英語(yǔ)必須具備的起碼的知識(shí)。因此,大寫(xiě)使用的正確與否,也是英語(yǔ)水平問(wèn)題。
    除了上述一般大寫(xiě)規(guī)律以外,在商業(yè)書(shū)信英語(yǔ)中的大寫(xiě),還有其本身的特點(diǎn),現(xiàn)說(shuō)明于下:
    (A)North, South, East, West
    這四個(gè)字作為一般方向用時(shí)小寫(xiě), 但是當(dāng)它們作為一個(gè)地理概念表示北方地區(qū),南方地區(qū),東方地區(qū),西方地區(qū),或?qū)S械牡孛?lián)用時(shí),就必須大寫(xiě)。
    例:Cotton is the principal crop in the South; it is also grown extensively in the Southwest and in the Sou thern California
    (棉花是南部各州的重要作物,西南各州和加利福尼亞南部也廣泛種植。)
    (B)商品名稱(chēng)
    從語(yǔ)法上講,一般的商品名稱(chēng)(非專(zhuān)有名詞)沒(méi)有必要大寫(xiě)。在商業(yè)書(shū)信中為了強(qiáng)調(diào)()或要促使對(duì)方注意,商品名稱(chēng)常常大寫(xiě)。
    例:We have seen your advertisement in the "Textile World" and should be glad if you would send us patterns of Ladies’’ Woolens with your best terms.
    (我們看到你們?cè)?織物界"雜志上的廣告,請(qǐng)寄婦女用毛織物樣本并告惠的價(jià)格條件。)
    (C)文件名稱(chēng)
    例:we have quoted our best terms on the enclosed Price List.
    (我們已隨函寄送價(jià)目表報(bào)惠價(jià)格條件。)
    ( D ) 公司,團(tuán)體,城市名稱(chēng)省略時(shí)大寫(xiě)
    例:The Company will pay you $100 annuity.
    該公司將付給你年金100美圓。
    (E)職務(wù)名稱(chēng)
    例:There is enclosed a letter from Mr. H.A.Anderson, President, National City Bank of New York.
    (同函俯上花旗銀行行長(zhǎng)安得遜先生所寫(xiě)書(shū)信一封。)
    (F)船名
    例:We have shipped the goods by the m.v."London Maru" of OSK.
    (貨已由大阪輪船公司的“倫敦丸”輪裝運(yùn)。)