Formal letters, finance

Formal vs. Informal letters

Formal letters – we use formal not colloquial English

• we can’t use contractions and phrasal verbs

• in the 1st paragraph we write why we are writing

• the letter starts with the address on the left

• the date is written on the right side of the page

• in a letter to a person you write “Dear Sir or Madam”

• the letter is closed with “Yours sincerely of faithfully” and signature

Parts of formal letters

1. Sender’s address

2. date

3. recipient’s address (to the left side)

4. salutations

5. content

6. close

7. signature – name printed under your signature

Informal letters – we can use less formal, colloquial English

• we can use contractions and phrasal verbs

• if we can write some other information we forgot to mean we can attach PS below the signature

• some people write letters only at special occasions and feats

• people usually send postcard on Christmas or on Easter

Parts of informal letters

1. Sender’s address

2. date

3. salutations (Hi, hello)

4. Body of letter

5. close (see you soon)

→ Individual paragraphs: Salutations, introduce yourself, you can write and describe an enclosing photo of your family, where you study, we write that we are looking forward to the person, some questions on the family of the person, clove (-best wishes, signature)

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND THE CZECH BUSSINESS LETTER:

• the name and address of the addressee are on the right

• the date is written in the following format 2.5.2017

• the paragraphs sometimes start after five or so empty types

• the number of house comes after the name of the street

• post code in the Czech comes before the name of the town

Finance

• money helps people to exchange good and services

• before money people used the barter system to exchange their products. Barter was the direct change of good. Now we used paper, metal or plastic money.

• Banknotes are paper money. Coins are metal money.

Methods of payment – credit or debit card, cheque, hire purchase, standing order, interest-free credit, cash, bank loan, mortgage, cashless payment.

Advantages of cash: it is easy

cashless payment – we don’t have to have money in our own wallet or purse. We can have internet banking and it is very comfortable way of paying.

hire purchase – you don’t need to have the whole sum, you can pay it gradually

credit (debit) card – you don’t need to carry cash in your wallet and when somebody stole you your card and doesn’t know your pin, he can’t gain your money.

Disadvantages of cash – it is a bit dangerous to have money move cash in your own wallet, somebody can steal it

hire purchase – very often you have to pay some interest

credit (debit) card – not everywhere you can pay by your card and so you need to withdraw some money and not everywhere is a cash machine of your bank

Methods of financing housing – mortgage, building savings loan, rent payment, standard financing

Advantages of mortgage – the flat or the house is yours. You can buy your own house or flat and you don’t have to have the whole sum for buying a house or flat right away