Khóa luận An analysis of cohesive devices i writing application letters - Vu Thi Thu Trang

Nội dung text: Khóa luận An analysis of cohesive devices i writing application letters - Vu Thi Thu Trang

1. BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC DÂN LẬP HẢI PHÒNG ISO 9001 : 200 KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP NGÀNH: NGOẠI NGỮ HẢI PHÒNG - 2010 1
2. HAIPHONG PRIVATE UNIVESITY FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT GRADUATION PAPER AN ANALYSIS OF COHESIVE DEVICES IN WRITING APPLICATION LETTERS By: VU THI THU TRANG Class: NA 1004 Supervisor: NGUYEN THI THU HUYEN, M.A HAI PHONG - 2010 2
3. BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC DÂN LẬP HẢI PHÒNG NHIỆM VỤ ĐỀ TÀI TỐT NGHIỆP Sinh viên: Mã số: Lớp: Ngành: Tên đề tài: 3
4. Nhiệm vụ đề tài 1. Nội dung và các yêu cầu cần giải quyết trong nhiệm vụ đề tài tốt nghiệp ( về lý luận, thực tiễn, các số liệu cần tính toán và các bản vẽ). 2. Các số liệu cần thiết để thiết kế, tính toán. 3. Địa điểm thực tập tốt nghiệp. 4
5. CÁN BỘ HƯỚNG DẪN ĐỀ TÀI Người hướng dẫn thứ nhất: Họ và tên: Học hàm, học vị: Cơ quan công tác: Nội dung hướng dẫn: Người hướng dẫn thứ hai: Họ và tên: Học hàm, học vị: Cơ quan công tác: Nội dung hướng dẫn: Đề tài tốt nghiệp được giao ngày 12 tháng 04 năm 2010 Yêu cầu phải hoàn thành xong trước ngày 10 tháng 07 năm 2010 Đã nhận nhiệm vụ ĐTTN Đã giao nhiệm vụ ĐTTN Sinh viên Người hướng dẫn Hải Phòng, ngày tháng năm 2010 HIỆU TRƯỞNG GS.TS.NGƯT Trần Hữu Nghị 5
6. PHẦN NHẬN XÉT TÓM TẮT CỦA CÁN BỘ HƯỚNG DẪN 1. Tinh thần thái độ của sinh viên trong quá trình làm đề tài tốt nghiệp: 2. Đánh giá chất lượng của khóa luận (so với nội dung yêu cầu đã đề ra trong nhiệm vụ Đ.T. T.N trên các mặt lý luận, thực tiễn, tính toán số liệu ): 3. Cho điểm của cán bộ hướng dẫn (ghi bằng cả số và chữ): Hải Phòng, ngày tháng năm 2010 Cán bộ hướng dẫn (họ tên và chữ ký) 6
7. NHẬN XÉT ĐÁNH GIÁ CỦA NGƯỜI CHẤM PHẢN BIỆN ĐỀ TÀI TỐT NGHIỆP 1. Đánh giá chất lượng đề tài tốt nghiệp về các mặt thu thập và phân tích tài liệu, số liệu ban đầu, giá trị lí luận và thực tiễn của đề tài. 2. Cho điểm của người chấm phản biện : (Điểm ghi bằng số và chữ) Ngày tháng năm 2010 Người chấm phản biện 7
8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Sincerely, I would like to show my deep gratitude to many people for their enthusiasm and helpfulness to me in preparing and completing the graduation paper Firstly, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, M.A, the supervisor, who enthusiastically gave me guidance and correction for my research. Secondly, I am so grateful to all the teachers at Hai Phong Private University for their previous supportive lectures that helped me much during graduation time. Thirdly, I wish to take this opportunity to thank my parents for whatever they support and encourage me both mentally and physically during my studies. Finally, I highly appreciate all the comments from my friends, who have given me uninterrupted support by means of suggestions and corrections during my struggle for perfection of this paper of mine. 8
9. TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I: INTRODUCTION 1 1. Rationale 1 2. Aims of the study 1 3. Methods of the study 2 4. Scope of the study 2 5. Design of the study 2 PART II: DEVELOPMENT 3 Chapter 1: Theoretical Background 3 1. An overview of Business Letters 3 1.1.The Business Letters format 4 Sample of business letter format 5 1.2.Several types of Business Letter 6 2. Cohesion 16 2.1.The concept of Cohesion 16 2.2. Cohesion vs Coherence 16 2.3. Types of Cohesion 16 2.4. Grammatical Cohesion 18 2.5 Lexical Cohesion 19 2.6. Cohesive Devices 20 Chapter 2: An analysis of cohesive devices in writing application letters. 1. Application Letters 26 1.1. Definition 26 1.2. Some characteristics of Application Letters 26 1.3. Letter format 27 1.4. Types of Application Letters 30 1.4.1. Solicited Letter 30 1.4.2. Unsolicited Letter 31 2. Structure of Application Letter 34 9
10. 2.1. Kinds of sentences 34 2.2. Length of sentences 34 2.3. Paragraphs 34 2.4. Sentence order 35 2.5. Vocabulary 35 2.6. Tense, aspect and mood 35 2.7. Voice 36 2.8. Modal Makers 36 3. Grammatical Cohesion in English Application Letters 37 3.1. Reference markers 37 3.2. Substitution 39 3.3. Conjunctions 40 4. Lexical Cohesion 41 4.1. The class of “General Nouns” 41 4.2. The element of cohesive devices 42 Chapter 3: Suggestions for improving application letter writing 1. Application letters 45 1.1. The characteristics of application letters in English 45 1.2. Cohesion in English Application letters 46 1.2.1. Grammatical Cohesion 46 1.2.2. Lexical Cohesion 47 1.3. Suggestions for application letter writing 47 PART III: CONCLUSION 49 References 50 Appendixes 51 10
11. LIST OF TABLES AND FIGUES Pages Figure 1: Sample of Business Letter format 5 Figure 2: Sales letter 7 Figure 3: Inquiries letter 9 Figure 4: Order letter 11 Figure 5: Complaint letter 13 Figure 6: Refusal letter 15 Figure7 : Conventionalized Format and Style of an 29 Application Letter Figure 8: Solicited letter of application 30 Figure 9: Advertisement of Employment 31 Figure 10: Unsolicited letter of application. 33 Table 1: Type of Cohesion 17 Table 2: Grammatical and lexical Cohesion 17 Table 3: Personal reference in AL 37 Table 4: Demonstrative reference in AL 38 Table 5: Comparative reference in AL 39 Table 6: Conjunctive relations in Application Letter 40 11
12. PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Business letters are one of the ways for any business to communicate with all of its stake holders. These stake holders may include customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, management, government and the public in general. There are many types of business letters in use. Application letter is a special kind of business letter. Of all the different kinds of letter, perhaps none is more important for one‟s personal career than those letters he writes to apply for a job. Especially, application letter becomes more and more important in the current global situation. As I see it, there is a need for young people graduating from universities to be prepared for job and future that the majority of the students can master. With application letter, I wish to stress the importance of cohesive devices in writing and realize the role and contribution of cohesive devices to successful application letter. Moreover, cohesive devices can make application letter which is clearer and more logical. Basing on the above facts and other acquired information I made the decision to study more in detail about cohesive devices in writing application letters for my graduation paper, hoping that it can help me and other learners understand and practice it properly in our future working life. 2. Aims of the study This subject is to improve the using cohesive devices in writing application letters properly by: - Analyzing words, phrases and some cohesive devices in writing application letters. - Discussing some possible problems occurring in writing application letters such as: presenting without a purpose, not informing enough detailed information for company - Giving suggestions to get an effective writing application letters. 12
13. 3. Methods of the study The combinations of quantitative and qualitative approaches are applied: - To search for what the cohesive devices in application letter are. - Then to work out the links how such cohesive devices can help to improve the application letter writing. I have collected theories from another sources, from reference books, websites, sample application letters sent to international companies by both English speakers and Vietnamese. The data are described in the form of figures and then analyzed by data transforming. Attention is focused on the frequency of cohesive devices usage in application letters. 4. Scope of the study The study focus on the analysis 15 collected application letters sent to international organizations or companies abroad or in Vietnam. The other types of cohesive devices listed into grammatical and lexical cohesion are focused in the paper. 5. Design of the study The study is divided into 3 main parts: - The first part is the introduction which gives out the reason for choosing the topic, point out the aims of the study, the scope of the study as well as the methods applied. - The second part is the development which consists of three chapters 1. The first chapter deals with the theoretical background which provides readers with the knowledge of business letter, cohesive devices in writing business letters, application letters. 2. The second one focuses on the performance of cohesive devices. 3. The third chapter provides readers the findings and appropriate suggestion in using cohesive devices properly in application writing. 13
14. - The last part is the conclusion of the study. All the information from the previous parts of the study is summarized in this part and some suggestions are offered for further study. PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1. An overview of business letters. 1.1.The business letters format. Bertha J. Naterop (1978) considered: “Business Letters is intended for students of commerce, for all those people working in business, and for those in other walks of life too. It is clear that an executive, a department manager, a salesman, a secretary or a specialist in business and technology has to write English letters, but also many people will want to buy something abroad, accept an invitation, or congratulate a friend in English.” 14
15. The business letter format. 1. The printed letter Includes name, address, telephone number of the sender, and may head contain a description of the business, trade-mark, telegraphic address, telex, etc. 2. Reference Initials, number or both. Addressee‟s reference, where known, is typed first. 3. Date line Abbreviations may be used for Jan, Feb, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec but do not write the month in figures. No mention of town. 4. Inside address The inside address is the recipient‟s full name and address. The inside address should be flush with the left margin - and the left margin should be at least one inch wide. Include the reader‟s full name and title and his or her full address, including ZIP code. 5. Attention line May also be omitted. 6. Salutation Starts with a capital letter and is usually followed by a comma. 7. Subject line May also be omitted. 8. Body of letter The body of the letter is, of course, what the letter is about. Begin the body two spaces below the salutation. Single-space within paragraphs and double-space between paragraphs. 9. Complimentary close Start the complimentary close or conventional “goodbye” a double space below the body. Use a standard expression such as yours truly, sincerely yours, or Re-spitefully yours. Only the first word of the complimentary close is capitalized, and the ex- precision is followed by a comma. Two double spaces below the complimentary close, and aligned at the left with the close, type your full name. On the next line, key in your business title if it is appropriate to do so. 10. Signature Sign your name in the space between the complimentary close and 15
16. your typed name. 11. Enclosure (if any) 1. The printed letter head MATTHEWS & WILSON Ladies‟s Clothing 421 Michigan Avenue Chicago, III. 60602 2. Reference Your ref: LE/N Our ref: HCD/RP October 21, 2005 3. Date line 4. Inside address Messrs Grant & Clarkson 148 Mortimer Street London WIC 37D England 5. Attention line Attention: Mr. P. James 6. Salutation Dear sir, Swinger import 7. Subject line 8. Body of letter We saw your women‟s dresses and suits at the London Fashion Show held in New York on October 17. The lines you showed for teenagers, the „Swinger‟ dresses and trouser suits, would be most suitable for our market. Would you kindly send us your quotation for spring and summer clothing that you could supply to us by the end of January next? We would require 2,000 dresses and suits in each of the sizes 10-14, and 500 in sizes 8 and 16. Please quote c.i.f Chicago prices. Payment is normally made by letter of credit. Thank you for an early reply. 9. Complimentary close Very truly yours, 10. Signature P. Wilson, Jr P. Wilson, Jr. Buyer. 11. Enclosure 16
17. Enc. Figure 1: Sample of Business Letter format 1.2.Several types of business letters. According to “Walter E. Oliu & etal. 1998. How to write effective on the job. Matin‟s Press”, there are almost as many types of business letters as there are reasons for writing. That is why it is important to study the principles discussed and apply them to both the situations are so common that standard approaches have been developed. There are: “sales letter, inquiries letter, order letter, complaint letter, refusal letter ” Sales letter: Direct advertising, in the form of letters to a selected group of readers, is an effective way to promote sales. Such sales letters should appeal to the potential customer. They should: - Arouse the reader‟s attention. - Create desire to make use of your offer. - Convince him that these products or services are the best ones for him. - Activate him to place an order. Almost any communication can be used as a sales letter. Announcement to customers and others or important charges can be used to make your company, your products or services better known to the public, and to attract buyers. 17
18. FARMERS FRUIT PRODUCTS Taunton, Somerset England Mr. Loretta Vasquez 1402 Broadway Sacramento, California 91400 November 2007 Dear sirs, Attract reader’s In the field of fruit preserves, English jams and marmalades have been interest regarded as the best for a century and a half. Competition has not affected their quality or attraction. Their reputation is spread by everyone who tastes them: they are recommended by word of mouth to relatives, friends and many prospective customers. Convince the quality English fruit farmers supply FARMERS with the best quality produce from of product their orchards and gardens. Fresh citrus fruits are imported from Spain and Israel all the year round. Careful selection and preserving ensure the quality of the well-known FARMERS jams and marmalades that are supplied to stores all over the world in 1 lb jars or 2 lb tins. Activate the placing Please refer to the enclosed price-list, and let us know your requirements on an order the form attached. You may be able to profit from special terms on your initial order. Delivery can be made shortly after we receive your order. FARMERS look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, FARMERS FRUIT PRODUCTS Enc. Price-list Provisional order form. Figure 2: Sales letter 18
19. Inquiries letter: An inquiry (also spelt enquiry) is sent when a business wants some information, especially about: - The supply of goods - Availability of goods - Leaflets or catalogues - Delivery times and deadlines - Quotation or prices - Method of transport - Samples - Insurance. - Terms and discounts He will save unnecessary correspondence by giving full details that are relevant. If a prospective customer approaches supplies for the first time, it is useful to tell them something about his own business, the kind of goods he needs and for what purpose they are required. In the case of customers of long standing or repeat orders, the inquiry may be very simple. Often a phone call or a post-card will do. 19
20. Mahoney and Millman, Inc. 1951 Benson Street Bronx, New York 10465 RBM Manufacturing Company, Inc. New York, New York 10 May 2, 2008 Dear Sir or Madam, Inquiry We intend to purchase a new office copier before the end of the information fiscal year. We would like to consider an RBM copier and of goods wonder if you have a model that would suit our needs. Our office is small, and a copier would generally be used by only Include detail three secretaries. We run approximately 3,000 copies a month information and prefer a machine that uses regular paper. We would like a collator, but rarely need to run off more than 25 copies at any one times. Inquiry for We would also like to know about your warranty and repair warranty service. Since our fiscal year ends June 30, 2008, we hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely yours, William Wilson William Wilson Office Manager. WW/sw. Figure 3: Inquiries letter 20
21. Order letter: In comparison to the correspondence so far, placing an order is simple from the point of view of letter-writing. Very often the purchasing department or the buyer fills in an order form, although he may prefer to write a letter to make certain points quite clear. There could be special import regulations which make it necessary to complete formalities, or he may want to stress delivery instructions or other matters. Make sure that the order letter contains the following information, as it applies to the items or items you are purchasing. - The exact name and part number of the item. - Any useful description of the item: size, style, color - The quantity needed of each item. - The price of the item. - The shipping method. - The date of the order and the date by which you need the item. - The exact and full shipping address. - The method payment. 21
22. 250 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02118 Cape Cod Ornaments, Inc. 94 State Road West Yarmouth, Massachusetts 02757 February 14, 2007 Dear Sir or Madam, Name part of item I have seen your ad in the Boston Globe of Sunday, February 12, and would like to order the following weather vane: Description quantity, Model EPC-18‟‟ eagle with arrow, copper, $34.95. price needed. Method of payment I would like the weather vane sent to the above address by parcel post and charged, with any applicable sales tax and handing costs, to my VISA account (number 003 0971 A109; expiration date, 3/93). Your truly, George Mapenzi George Mapenzi Figure 4: Order letter 22
23. Complaint letter: Mistakes may occur in day-to-day business, and these give cause for complaint. There might have been a misunderstanding about the goods to be supplied; perhaps the ware house clerk made an error in addressing the parcels; sometimes a consignment is dispatched too late or delays are caused in transit; damage may have occurred during delivery; a manufacturing defect is discovered when a machine is used. The customer is understandably annoyed, yet this is no reason to write an angry letter of complain. His company may take mistakes too: firms often have to manage with insufficiently trained personnel or to contend with a staff shortage, so mistakes and accidents happen. 23
24. 21 West Main Street Cochecton, NY 11222 Dr. Linda Peters, Director County General Hospital Callicoon, NY 11203 October 9, 2009 Dear Dr. Peters, Indentity fault On the afternoon of October 8, my neighbor‟s son, Kevin Sawyer, was raking leavens in his family‟s yard when he tripped and fell. I suspected he might have broken his ankle. Thus, as the only adult around at the time, I drove him to your hospital. Explain problem When we arrived at the emergency room, and I had to help him hobble in as best I could. The effort increased his pain, yet when we were inside, the receptionist, without looking up, told us to take a number and wait our turn. We waited for more than two hours before Kevin was seen by a doctor. Expect solution to As a member of the community your hospital serves, I am outraged your satisfaction by the treatment my young neighbor received. The lack of concern was upsetting; the lack of attention could have been life threatening. All of us in Wayne county deserve better treatment, and I hope you will look into the situation to see that the suffering caused by Kevin Sawyer is never again inflicted by an employee of your institution. Yours truly, Michelle Sussman Michelle Sussman Figure 5: Complaint letter 24
25. Refusal letter: When you receive any letters (complaint letter or an inquiry letter) to which you must give a negative reply you may need to write a refusal letter. It is very difficult to write because it contains bad news. However, you can convey the news tactfully and courteously. In your letter, you should lead up to the refusal. To state the bad news in your opening would certainly affect your reader negatively. The ideal refusal letter says no in such a way that you not only avoid antagonizing your reader but also maintain goodwill. To achieve such an objective, you must convince your reader that your refusal is justified before refusing. 25
26. AGNES CAFIERO, M.D California Institute of Psychicury . 629 Seventh Avenue San Francisco, California 94120 The Honorable Nelson McKenzie The State Capitol Building Sacramento, California 91400 September 1,2008 Dear Mr. McKenzie, Begin with a Thank you for your recent request for my endorsement of your campaign Buffer for United State Senator. I am honored that you believe my name could be of value to you. The reason My professional policy, however, is to refrain from public endorsements. leading refusal In my practice, I treat patients of all political parties, and I strongly believe that it is in their best interest that I maintain a nonpartisan position. End with a Privately, of course, I allow myself more leeway. I have always been positive close impressed by your stand on the issues, particularly your support for national health insurance. I wish you all the best in your campaign and enclosing a personal contribution of $100. Sincerely yours, Agnes Cafiero Agnes Cafiero Figure 6: Refusal letter 26
27. 2. Cohesion 2.1. The concept of cohesion? The concept of cohesion is closely connected with text. It is defined as the grammatical and lexical relationship between different elements of a text. According to Yule (1996), a text is usually considered to have a certain structure which depends on factors quite different from those required in the structure of single sentence. Some among those factors are described in terms of cohesion, or the ties and connections which exist within a text. Halliday and Hasan (1976) also define cohesion in a similar way: “The concept of cohesion is a semantic one, it refers to relations of meaning that exists within the text, and that define it as a text”. They also point out that cohesion often occurs where the interpretation of some elements in the discourse is dependent on that of another. 2.2. Cohesion vs Coherence The distinction between cohesion and coherence has not always been clarified partly because both terms come from the same verb cohere which means sticking together. In fact, cohesion is the network of different kinds of formal relations that provide links between or among various parts of a text. Cohesion involves the form of language rather than the content and context, and is expressed partly through the grammar and partly through the vocabulary. Cohesion is only guide to coherence, and coherence is something created by the readers in the act of reading the text. The two categories represent the interrelated aspects that make a text or discourse coherent and different from random ones. In short, coherence is embodied by a system of cohesive devices and cohesion is mainly used to ensure coherence. 2.3. Types of Cohesion. According to Halliday and Hasan (1976), the classification of cohesion is based on the linguistic form. The type of cohesion depends 27
28. either on semantic relation in the linguistic system or on lexicogrammatical relations. In other words, the cohesive relations can be interpreted as being either lexicogrammatical in nature or semantic. It can be made clear in the following description: Nature of cohesive relation Type of cohesion Relatedness of form Substitution Relatedness of reference Reference, lexical reiteration Semantic connection Conjunction Table 1: Type of Cohesion Reference and substitution are clearly grammatical, lexical cohesion, as the name implies, lexical. Conjunction is on the borderline of the grammatical and the lexical, the set of conjunction elements can probably be interpreted grammatically in term of systems, and some conjunctive expressions involve lexical selection. However, it is better to put it in thee group of grammatical cohesion as it is mainly grammatical with a lexical component inside. As a result, we can refer to grammatical cohesion and lexical cohesion as follows: Grammatical cohesion Lexical cohesion Reference Conjunction Reiteration Exophoric Additive - Same word/repetition Endophoric Adversative - Synonym/near - Personal Causal synonym - Demonstrative Temporal - Superordinate - Comparative Others - General words Substitution Nominal substitution Verbal substitution Clausal substitution Table 2: Grammatical and Lexical Cohesion 28
29. 2.4. Grammatical cohesion Reference: According to Halliday and Hasan (1976), reference is semantic relation and “since the relationship is on the semantic level, the reference item is in on way constrained to match the grammatical class of the item it refers to”. The two authors also distinguish situational and textual reference very clearly by contrasting exophora and endophora, as follows: They then conclude that reference items may be exophoric or endophoric; and if endophoric, they may be anaphoric or cataphoric. Theses two authors also indicate: “There are items in every language which have the property of reference”. In English, those items belong to anaphoric and cataphoric reference. The first consists of items which point the readers or listeners backward to a previously mentioned entity, process or state of affairs. The second, on the other hand, points the readers on listeners forward further into the text in order to identify elements to which the reference items refer. Also according to Halliday and Hasan, there are three types of reference: personal, demonstrative, and comparative. The first is reference by means of function in the speech situation, through the category of PERSON, such as: I, me, you, we, us (noun/pronoun); mine, my, yours, your, one’s (determine); The second is reference by means of location, on a scale of PROXIMITY, such as: this, these, here, now (near proximity); that, those, there, then (far proximity); or the (neutral proximity). The last is indirect reference by means of IDENTITY or SIMILARITY, such as same, identical, equal, identically, (identity-general comparison); similar, additional (general similarity-general comparison); other, different, else, differently, otherwise (difference); better, more, so, equally (particular comparison). Substitution is a relation in the wording rather than in the meaning and within the text. It is the use of substitute word or phrase to avoid 29
30. repetition. Most of the substitutes are pro-forms within sentences, which can be used across sentences. There are three types of substitution: nominal substitution, verbal substitution, and clausal substitution. Substitutes may be pro-forms for nouns (one/ones); pro-forms for adverbials (there, like it, like that ); pro-forms for predicate and predication (do so, do it, do that, so do/does); pro-forms for the direct object clause (that, so ). According to Halliday and Hassan, nominal substitution includes: one, ones, same, verbal substitution consists do and clausal substitutes are so, not. Conjunction: conjunction differs from substitution and reference in the fact that it is not a device for reminding the reader of previously mentioned entities, actions, and states of affairs. It is not in the kind of anaphoric relation. But it is a truly cohesive device because it signals relationships that can only be fully understood through reference to other parts of the text. There are 4 types of conjunctions: temporal, causal, additive, adversative. Followings are some examples of conjunctive relations: - Temporal: then, next, after that, just then, at the same time, finally, at last, at once, soon, after a time, next time, on another occasion, - Causal: so, then, hence, therefore, consequently, for this reason, account for this, as a result, with this in mind, for, because, on this basis, to this end, arising out of this - Adversative: yet, though, only, however, nevertheless, despite this, in fact, actually, on the other hand, at the same time, instead of - Additive: and, and so, nor, furthermore, in addition, besides, alternatively, incidentally, by the way, that is, I mean, in other works, for instance, thus, likewise, similarly, in the same way, by contrast, 2.5. Lexical cohesion Lexical cohesion embraces 1 distinct though related aspects: Reiteration: includes repetition, synonym and/or near synonym, superordinate, and general words 30
31. 2.6. Cohesive Devices: Linking Adverbials We use linking adverbials to explicitly state relationships between sentences, paragraphs, and ideas. The result is increased cohesion of text. Linking adverbials can show 6 different categories of relationships: -Enumeration and addition -Summation -Apposition -Result/Inference -Contrast/Concession -Transition Enumerative Linking Adverbials Enumerative linking adverbials can be used to show the order of pieces of information. Enumeration can follow logical or time sequences, or they can simply be used to move on to the next piece of information. A few enumerative linking adverbials are - Ordinal numbers . First, second, third, etc. - Adverbs . Finally, lastly - Phrases . For one thing, to begin with, next Example: This new structure must accomplish two special purposes. First, as a part of overcoming the division of Europe there must be an opportunity to overcome through peace and freedom the division of Berlin and of Germany. Second, the architecture should reflect that American's security remains linked to Europe. 31
32. Additive Linking Adverbials Similar to enumerative linking adverbials, additive linking adverbials link items together. They state explicitly that two items are similar to each other. Examples of additive linking adverbials include - Also - Similarly - By the same token - Further (more) - Likewise - Moreover Example Feedback tends to be used to stabilize systems, not to randomize them. Similarly, natural systems would probably evolve to avoid chaos. Summative Linking Adverbials Summative linking adverbials explicitly state that the text is concluding. They often signal that the author will summarize the information he or she has already presented, hence the name "summative." Some summative linking adverbials are: - In sum - In conclusion - To conclude - All in all - Overall - To summarize We often see these types of linking adverbs in conclusion or at the end of sections. Example: To conclude, we may place the three notions of saliency in an ordered relation as follows. 32
33. Appositive Linking Adverbials Appositive linking adverbials can show that the following piece of information is a restatement of the previous information by expressing it in a slightly different manner to make it more explicit. A few examples of appositive linking adverbials are with this function are - Which is to say - In other words - That is In addition, appositives are used to introduce an example that is the equivalent of the first piece of information. - For example - For instance - Namely - Specifically Example I looked into my Being, all that lovely light and rotting nerve, and proceeded to listen. Which is to say, I looked out deep into that shimmer of past death and new madness. Result/Inference Linking Adverbials Result/inference linking adverbials demonstrate to readers that the following textual element is the result or consequence of the previous information. A few examples of result/inference linking adverbials are - Consequently - Thus - As a result - Hence - So - Therefore 33
34. Example: I once acquired a set of recordings of a Bach piano concerto. I was very fond of it, but my mother was forever criticizing my poor taste Consequently, I now hardly listen to Bach. Contrast/Concession Linking Adverbials Contrast linking adverbials signal differences or alternatives between two pieces of information. Examples include - On the other hand - In contrast - Alternatively - Conversely - By comparison - Instead Example: Administration officials, notably the White House Chief of Staff and Deputy Treasury Secretary, were irked by his independence. On the other hand, Taylor reportable is well-regarded by Treasury officials for his low-key, out-of-the-limelight style. Linking adverbs of concession, on the other hand, demonstrate that the following pieces of information signal a reservation concerning the previous information. Examples include - Though - Anyway - However - Nevertheless - In any case - In spite of that Example: Now that the lawyers have taken over, science will never be able to reach a verdict, and anyway it no longer matters. Transition Linking Adverbials Transition linking adverbials signals that the following item will not directly follow the previous item. However, this does not mean that the information is not related at all, just that is not directly related. 34
35. Examples include - Now - Meanwhile - By the by - Incidentally - By the way Example: I'm coming by yesterday, and he goes oh by the way I'm coming to the cinema on Saturday with you, I said, you what! Cohesive Devices: Coordinating Conjunctions Writer use coordinators (also called coordinating conjunctions to stack elements of a sentence. These coordinators indicate that the elements have the same syntactic role, meaning that they are on an equal level. The three main coordinators are - And - But - Or (and negative nor) Notice that each coordinator signals a specific relationship. - And → addition - But → contrast - Or → alternative Example They may imply the same sequence of uplift, erosion, and subsidence, or they may reflect a fall and rise of global sea level. Cohesive Devices: Subordinating Conjunctions The use of subordinators (also called subordinating conjunctions) contributes greatly to the cohesion of a text. Unlike coordinators, these words and phrases introduce ideas that are dependent to the main clause in a sentence. There are three types of subordinators: - Simple 35
36. - Complex - Correlative The exercises in the following pages will familiarize you with the first two types of subordinators and give you a little practice using them. Simple Subordinating Conjunctions Simple subordinators consist of single words that introduce dependent clauses. This means that they the following clause depends on the preceding clause. Simple subordinators can belong to three classes: - Adverbial clauses . After, as, because, if, since, although, whether, while - Degree clauses - As, than, that - Complement clauses - If, that, whether Adverbial and degree clauses both signal a particular relationship between the clauses. Oh the other hand, complement clauses do not carry much meaning. Instead, they function to signal structural dependency. Complex Subordinating Conjunctions Complex subordinators are phrases made up of two or more words. Complex subordinators perform the same function as simple subordinators. Examples of complex subordinators include - As far as - As long as - Given that - On condition that - Provided that - supposing that - Now that - Except that - So that - Even though 36
37. CHAPTER 2: AN ANALYSIS OF COHESIVE DEVICES IN WRITING APPLICATION LETTERS 1. Application letter. 1.1. Definition. An Application Letter is a special text that has a clearly communicative purpose and their own style. It is a sales letter in which the authors are both salesperson and product, for the purpose of an application is to attract an employer‟s attention and persuade him to grant an interview. Therefore, application letters require the write to express him accurately in a language that is plain, clear, courteous and readily understood. Making a successful application for a job is not only a matter of writing correct English but also using the right sort of language. It is important not to be too aggressive and colloquial, but also not to sound impractical and use rhetorical phrases. Application letter have some linguistic features, which have become the golden rules to be successful and effective. They must be: clear, concise, complete, correct, courteous, concrete All of these rules are aiming at making the letter communicative, personal, and friendly as well as building and sustaining the goodwill of the reader of application letters. 1.2. Some characteristics of application letters. Application letters are written for no other reason than to earn the reader‟s goodwill so that they have very personal characteristics that make one different from the others. It is an opportunity to present a prospective employer with a favorable and desirable picture of sender‟s personality, background, and experiences. It requires a highly specialized style of writing, which can be seen in the distinguished register and genre. Genre: a genre is a culturally and linguistically distinct form of discourse. As mentioned above, communicative purpose, audience, and conventionalized style and format of the text are features related to genre, 37
38. but it is communicative that shapes the genre and gives it internal structure. A letter of application sells the sender‟s qualification, it belongs to business correspondence genre, and therefore it attempts to sound “businesslike”. While business letters vary in tone from familiar to formal, they all sound natural. Application letters aim at winning the reader with words whereas the reader here is no other than Personnel Manager or the like. Register of Application Letter: Application letters are registered by mixture of language: official, formal and expressive. All of these make it a unique kind of text as mentioned above. Field: The field of application letters is nothing than the field of business. For this, the language used in application letters tends to be standard, regular but flexible. Mode: The mode of application letters is in the form of formal written discourse. Tenor: The tenor of application letters is Interpersonal relationship which is the relationship between writers and readers because we are working on written discourse. This relationship is indeed between applicants for employment and Personnel Manager of companies or organizations. 1.3. Letter format. Letter appearance is the physical condition of a letter that makes the first impression on the reader. Although the job of formatting will be facilitated by a word processor, it is necessary to control the organization of message and remain ultimately responsible for the final appearance of letters. It means that three things could be kept in mind are typing, paragraphing and white space. A model letter includes 7 compulsory parts in the blocked style: 38
39. Letter head/ sender’s address: The sender‟s address is written on the top right-hand side of the page. It is not usual to write the sender‟s name before the sender‟s address. Dateline: the date is written below the sender‟s address or below the addressee, separated from it by a space. The month and the date should not be written in figures as they can be confusing and the month should not be abbreviated as it looks untidy. Addressee/ inside address: this is written below the sender‟s address and on the opposite side of the page. It includes the name and address of the person to whom the letter is written in following order: (1) The person‟s title and name (2) The person‟s position in the company (3) The name and address of the company However, in some case (1) and (2) can be left out. Salutation: while “Dear Sir”, “Dear Madam” or “Dear Sir or Madam” is acceptable, it should be otherwise used an individual‟s name whenever it is known. When the reader‟s name is not known, the person‟s title is the next best term in the salutation. Body: this is the actual message of the letter. We will analyze its structure deeply in the later part of this chapter. Complimentary close: if the begins with “Dear Sir”, “Dear Madam” or “Dear Sir or Madam”, it will close with “Your faithfully”. If the begins with a personal name “Dear Mr. Tames” it will close with “Your sincerely”. Americans tend to close formal letters with “Yours truly” or “Truly yours”. And the complimentary close tends to be put on the left. Signature: sender‟s name is always typed after handwritten signature. Signing with given name or including the title will help to identify the sex. Blocked style of letters and open punctuation is favored because it saves time and is therefore more efficient than many other formats. Within 39
40. the body, the general rules of punctuation are applied, but outside the body, the only letter parts to be followed by punctuation marks-comma-are the salutation and complimentary close. 1. Letter head/ 8 Albion Road sender’s address London SW7 1 ST 2. Date line May 7,2009 3. Addressee/ inside Ms. Harriet Finlay address Grayling Communication Ltd. London NW 19 MH6 4. Salutation Dear Ms.Finlay, 5. Body I was very interested to see your advertisement in the Daily Telegraph this morning for a secretary. I believe I have the appropriate qualification and experience for this post, and I am therefore enclosing my curriculum vitae. While I enjoy the job I am doing at present, I haven‟t very much opportunity to deal with people from outside the office, as I had in my previous job, and the post you advertise seems very attractive to me for this reason. Word processors have not yet been installed at the office where I am working, but I have been attending evening classes for the last three months in order to gain experience with them, and believe I have made progress. I hope that you will take my application into consideration, and look forward to hearing from you. 6. Complimentary close Yours sincerely, 7.Signature Angela Coxon Angela Coxon Figure 7: Conventionalized Format and Style of an Application Letter 40
41. 1.4. Types of Application Letters. There are two types of application letter: A SOLICITED letter and An UNSOLICITED letter. 1.4.1: A SOLICITED letter is sent in response to a help-wanted advertisement. Because such a letter will be in competition with many, perhaps several hundred others, it must be composed with distinction. 3333 Imperial Way K-10004 Freetown Fredonia Mr. Charles Fox European Sales Office ACME Atlantic Ltd 45 Pentonville Road London EC2 4AC 13 May 2009 Dear Mr. Fox, I wish to apply for one of the positions described in your advertisement „Work in Bermuda‟ in this week‟s Daily Planet. I am 25 years old and a Fredonian citizen. I am at present working for Fredonian Enterprises, and as you know, we have been doing business with ACME Atlantic for a number of years. My recent work has involved working in a team in the export department of my firm and I have developed confidence and skill in dealing with foreign buyers on the telephone and in writing, mainly using English. My Fredonian is fluent, I speak and write reasonably good English and I can also handle business correspondence in German and Italian. As you will see from my enclosed CV, my qualifications are good, and I think you will agree that my experience and language skills will help me to make a valuable contribution to your firm and you will find that I am an enthusiastic and resourceful employee. I am available for interview at any time except for June 12th to 21st. My daytime phone number is 287 8889 extension 333. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Jean Muster Jean Muster Figure 8: Solicited Letter of Application 41
42.  At the same time it must refer to the advertisement and the specific job advertised. Work in Bermuda ACME Atlantic are a well-known and respected trading company. We handle imports directly from manufactures in 35 different countries, often to our own specifications, and currently export to 46 different countries worldwide We are looking for enthusiastic people to work in our office in Bermuda on temporary 3-, 6- and 9- month contracts. Applicants must be able to speak and write at least one foreign language fluently and can be nationals of any country. Experience in import/export will be an advantage, but as special training will be available this is not essential. The main requirements are a willingness to work as a member of a team, to cope with pressure, to use the telephone in a foreign language and in English and to be prepared occasionally to work long hours when necessary. There are several posts available and long-term prospects are good, though initially all successful applicants will be contracted for a maximum of 9 months. The salary we will offer is excellent. We will pay for your return air fare and provide adequate accommodation at a nominal rent. Please apply in your own handwriting, enclosing your resume, to Charles Fox, European Sales Office, ACME Atlantic Ltd, 45 Pentonville Road, London EC2 4AC. Figure 9: Advertisement for Employment. 1.4.2. An UNSOLICITED letter is sent to a company for which sender would like to work though he knows of no particular opening. Sender may write an unsolicited letter using someone‟s name. The advantage of this type of application letter, however, is that there will be little competition and sender can define himself the position he would like to apply for. Also, sender can send out as many of these letters as he wishes, to as many companies as he is aware of, it is a good idea, though, to find out the name of a specific person to whom the letter can be sent - a more effective approach than simply addressing a letter to “Personnel”. 42
43.  In fact, when conveying studies of samples and letters collected for this thesis, we realized that they are mainly solicited and take nearly 90% of all. Besides, all the unsolicited letters are written using someone‟s name, who is in an important position and kept informed reliably of the vacancies, as shown in the following examples: “I am writing to you on the recommendation of Mr. Dugger, your European Manager.”  These facts may be resulted from the development of information and communication technology that helps to make advertisements for vacancies appear everywhere at any time. Advertisements for recruitment are one active way to update and expand the image and reputation of companies. Moreover, application letters answering to an advertisement concentrate on a specific post and take rather short time to get replied, and the most important thing here is the reply is almost certain to be sent to the candidates. 43
44. 25-29 Queens Boulevard Bayside, New York 11202 Ms, Loretta Vasquez The Vasquez Travel Agency 1402 Broadway New York, New York 10032 June 15,2009 Dear Mr. Vasquez, This month I completed a two-year course of study in Travel and Tourism at the Bowker Business Institute, and my placement counselor, Mr. Robert Feiner, Suggested I apply to you for a position as assistant travel agent. As you will see from my enclosed resume, I have taken courses in nearly every aspect of the travel industry. I have participated in workshops simulating computer and telephone operations, and I have had extensive practice in ticketing and reservations. My work experience, moreover, has helped me develop an ability to deal with the public, a valuable asset for a travel agency. Not only as a sales assistant, but even as a stock clerk, I have learned to be customer oriented; I have found that courtesy and a smile keep business flowing smoothly. I would like very much, Mr. Vasquez, to put my skills to work for your travel agency. I‟m available for an interview Monday through Friday during business hours. You can reach me at 8884-7788. Yours truly, Leslie Warden Leslie Warden Figure 10: Unsolicited Letter of Application. 44
45. 2. Structure of Application letters. 2.1. Kinds of sentences. The study of application letters shows that common trend is to use complex and compound sentences. A paragraph often consists of one or two sentences so it conveys a lot of information in a sentence. The following is a typical starting paragraph of application letters: “I wish to apply for one of the positions described in your advertisement „Work in Bermuda‟ in this week‟s Daily Planet, as I believe I have the the qualifications and experience you require.” Our analysis of 70 sentences taken from surveyed application letters shown that simple sentences account for approximately 35% while the rate of 65% is for compound and complex sentences (46/70 sentences). In addition, most of simple sentences are extended. 2.2. Length of sentences. Many linguists‟ surveys show that the easiness and difficulty on reading a text is related to the length of sentences. Although the average length of each sentence in application letters is of 35 words- means rather long- discourse of application letters is fairly easy to read. This resulted from the principles to make a successful letter: clear, concise, informative, correct, courtesy, concrete, conversational, constructive and conventional as the above- mentioned. The shortest sentences in 15 selected letters vary from 4 to 15 words/ sentence whereas it is from 21 to 47 words/ sentence for the longest ones. 2.3. Paragraphs. In order to help the reader to comprehend the letters, it is very common for applicants to put each separate idea in a separate paragraph. The body of application letters usually started by attracting attention, continued by describing one‟s qualification, assured the employer that he is the right person for the job and concluded by requesting an interview. So almost application letters have three or more paragraphs divided as followed: (1) First paragraph: mentions the specific job and how it is heard. 45
46. (2) Middle paragraphs: consist of one or more paragraphs describing qualifications and training, experiences, and personal abilities. (3) Final paragraph: requests for an interview and restates how to contact. 2.4. Sentence order As surveyed, most of the sentences in application letters begin with subject accounted for 75% from which the rate of over 50% is taken by subject “I”. This is suitable with linguists‟ research on cultural Thought Pattern that the English, in writing, often begin with the main ideas first, or they normally think of “who, what” in advance. For the case of application letters, the writer focuses on demonstrating himself so that “I” is used repeatedly. The percentage of 25% is for other structures of sentence beginning with adverbial phrase, if- clause The following examples will be the good illustration: Adverbial phrase: “As well as speaking fluent English, I also have a very good working knowledge of French and I can also handle business correspondence in German and Italian.” 2.5. Vocabulary It is important to get the right tone in application letters. This means that words should aim for a “neutral” tone, avoiding pompous or rhetorical language as well as informal or colloquial language. For this reason, the use of idioms and metaphors as well as “federalese” words has not been found in any application letters. And yet, to create a constructive outlook for application letters, the structures such as: “I was very interested ”, “I believe ”, “I look forward to ” etc can be seen in every letter. 2.6. Tense, aspect and mood. A great deal of attention has recently been paid to the relationship between tense- aspect choices and overall discourse constraints. In other words, regular correlation exits between discourse types and certain tense and aspect choices in the clause. For example, one of the basic functions of the present, which is very frequently used in application letters, is to 46
47. express current relevance relating to present effects of changes and accomplishments occurred in the past. The writer of application letters exploits the present perfect to demonstrate his education and word experience leading to the conclusion that he is now is very suitable for the post applied for. Besides, through working on 15 selected letters, we realized that imperative sentences are used sometimes added to the declarative ones, which are the main occurrences in application letters. The imperatives can be counted for 6 occurrences and are often related to the resume or curriculum vitae, for instance:“As you will see from my enclosed CV, my qualifications are good, and I think you will agree that my experience and language skills will help me to make a valuable contribution to your firm and you will find that I am an enthusiastic and resourceful employee. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss this with me future.” 2.7. Voice Style of application letters should not be so simple that it becomes discourteous. It is suggested that the passive voice should be one of stylistic devices for formal style documents including application letters. However, the study among selected letters shows completely contrary results. The body part of most application letters is often written in active voice and with the repeated use of subject “I”, as in following example: “As you will see from my enclosed resume, I have taken courses in nearly every aspect of the travel industry. I have participated in workshops simulating computer and telephone operations, and I have had extensive practice in ticketing and reservations.” The passive is rarely used as we could realize only four cases of passive voice during the study of selected letters for the thesis, as follows: “If this is possible, I can be reached at (84) 3657-348 during the afternoon and evening.” 2.8. Modal Markers. Mc Carthy states: “Discourse analysts have demonstrated that modality is fundamental in the creation of discourse; all messages choose some degrees of modality, even if it is only to make a neutral choice of bald assertion.” Modality can be expressed by prosodic factors, such as intonation and stress; lexical factors, such as modal adjectives and adverbs, modal 47
48. verbs, modal lexical verbs that occur in such constructions as I think that, I believe that, I suppose that, and nominal constructions; grammatical strategies such as mood and tense; paralinguistic factors, such as hesitation, facial expressions, body gestures, eye movements, Due to the fact that the mode of application letter belongs to written discourse and it is written with a neutral tone, modal markers in application letters have been mainly seen through vocabulary. During the study of collected letters, we recognize the repeated appearance of modal verbs will, would, can, could, may, should mostly would and modal constructions I think that, I believe that, I am confident that, I am sure that, All of these markers aim at making letters courteous, constructive with high degree of certainty while writer is trying to demonstrate himself and persuade that he or she will be the most suitable for the post. 3. Grammatical Cohesion in English Application Letters 3.1. Reference markers. As mentioned in previous chapter, there are three types of reference: personal, demonstrative, comparative. However, we identify types of reference in the language on the criterion of reference potential without regard to the endophoric/enophoric distinction because a systematic account of the difference types of reference and their place in the linguistic system have to be based on the generalized concept on reference and not on the particular concrete form that it takes when incorporated into the text. Personals Frequency Function Pronoun Determiner Solicited Unsolicited Class Head Head Modifier Masculine He/him His His 2 3 Feminine She/her Hers Her 0 0 Singular Specific Neuter It (its) Its 3 2 Plural They/them Theirs Their 1 2 Table 3: Personal Reference in Application Letters. 48
49. This table shows that the writer of both types of application letters taken into consideration here seldom use the personals of the other roles like he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its and they, them, their, theirs. The use of singular feminine pronouns and determiners even marks zero in 15 selected letters. It is similar to the above analysis of exospheric reference in that the writers prefer using you to indicate readers or receivers and I to talk about them. The use of singular determinative masculine he, him, his is only in unsolicited letters. However, we can realize 2/5 unsolicited letters use this group to refer anaphorically to the referent person as in the example below: “I am writing to you on the recommendation of David McLean, Assistant Manager in your securities department. A year ago, Mr. McLean was on a banking course here with me in Hannover, and he suggested that I should contact your company and mention his name. He told me that you often employ people from other countries on a one-year basis, if they have had banking experience.” And, the writers sometimes use it, (its) or they, them, their to refer back to the job advertised or to their experiences. Demonstratives Frequency Function Head Modifier Adjunct Solicited Unsolicited Class Non- Neutral The 86 15 selective Near This/these This/these Here (now) 16 2 Selective Far That/those That/those There/then 5 1 Table 4: Demonstrative Reference in Application Letters Table 4 shows that neutral demonstrative the is greatly preferred in all application letters. The is used exophorically where the situation makes it clear what referent is intended, and the anaphoric and cataphoric uses of the ate likewise more readily interpretable if we relate them to its meaning as an exophoric deictic. The uses of near demonstratives are preferable to far demonstratives in both types of letters with the number of occurrences of 16 & 2 compared to 5 & 1. Among 26 occurrences of participant demonstratives this/that, these/those, a remarkable number of occurrences is used to refer 49
50. anaphorically to preceding text, next comes to extended text and last to following text. This is resulted from the fact that selective nominal demonstratives occur extensively with anaphoric function in all varieties of English including application letters. Comparatives Frequency Frequency Frequency Function Deictic/ Solicited & Solicited & Adjunct/ Solicited & Epithet Class numerative unsolicited unsolicited submodifier unsolicited Same equal Identity 1 Identically 0 identical Similar So similarly Similarity 0 such 0 0 General additional likewise Otherwise Other Difference 1 Else 0 different Differently More fewer Com. Adj & Com. Adj & less further; adv, so- as- adv, so- as- Specific 1 1 2 so- as- + more- less- more- less- quantifier +adj +adv Table 5: Comparative Reference in application letters As we can realize in Table 5, it seems that the writers are not interested in using comparatives in their application letters. And among a very small number of occurrences, specific demonstratives tend to be used more frequently than general ones. We must say that comparison is to make distinguishing between/among people and things; therefore, the use of comparison seems to make the language more rhetorical. It is not suitable for application letters which aim at demonstrating the writer himself in a neutral and natural way. This is the reason why writes of application letters do not regularly exploit comparatives in their writing. 3.2. Substitution Halliday and Hasan have listed the items that occur as substitution as follows: - Nominal: one, ones, same. - Verbal: do - Clausal: so, not. 50
51. The study of 15 selected application letters has shown really surprising results. Verbal and clausal substitution marks zero in the statistic data. Nominal substitutes are one, ones and same always function as a Head of a nominal group and can substitute for a Head of a nominal group only. However, in 15 application letters, we have not realized any substitutes of ones and same. Only 6 nominal substitutions, in which one is a determiner, have been found in some letters. The case of substitution in application letters can be explained that the writer aims at avoiding confusion in correspondence with the use of plain and understandable language. Therefore, except one, none of other substitutes can be found. 3.3. Conjunctions Mc Carthy considers: “A conjunction does not set off a search backward or forward for its referent, but it does presuppose a textual sequence, and signals a relationship between segments of the discourse.”There are several kinds of conjunction: single-word conjunctions, phrasal and clausal ones. In the following part, we continue our study on different types of conjunction, classified by Halliday and Hasan, such as: Additive, Adversative, Causal, Temporal, and others. External/internal Internal (Unless otherwise specified) (Frequency) (Frequency) Additive, simple: Complex, emphatic: Apposition Comparison and(90) In addition(1) Additive Or(7) Furthermore(1) Moreover(1) Besides(1) Adversative „proper‟: Contrastive: Correction Dismissal Adversative but(5) At the same time(1) However(1) Causal general: Reversed causal: Conditional (also Respective So(2) For(1) external) Causal Therefore(4) Because(1) Thus(1) Temporal, simple: Complex (external only): Internal temporal „Here and now‟: Previously(2) Soon(1) Here(1) Temporal At this time(2) Most Recently(2) Lately (1) Table 6: Conjunctive Relations in Application Letters 51
52. Table 6 shows that additive conjunction and occupies thee biggest number of all the others. The total number of and in 15 application letters proves that this conjunction plays a remarkable part in the cohesion of the discourse. It may be explained simply basing on its function, which links not only words together but also bigger units of language like phrases, clause, sentences or even paragraphs. Or appears seven times in all the application letters and it is often used in the final paragraphs, for instance: “If you have any questions or wish to make an appointment to meet with me, you may contact me by email ( ) or by telephone ( ). I look forward to the opportunity of meeting with you to discuss this matter further.” Or “Should you require further information or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above address or telephone number.” For the complex additive, we have found in addition, furthermore, moreover and besides but only one occurrence for each in all collected application letters. Adversative analyzed in terms of Adversative „proper‟ and Contrastive consists of some words only: but, however, at the same time. The general causal therefore is rather preferred by the authors of application letters for its appearance of four times in 15 letters, while general causal so, thus and reversed causal for, because are the same as the case of the complex additive. Temporal is rather diversified with some of the conjuncts such as: previously (simple temporal), soon, at this time (complex temporal), and here, most recently, lately („here and now‟ temporal). One thing should be noted here is the absolute omission of Apposition and Comparison in Additive; Correction and dismissal in Adversative; Conditional and Respective in Causal; and Internal temporal. 4. Lexical cohesion 4.1.The class of ‘General Nouns’. This group of words considered as the borderline between grammatical and lexical cohesion, which has cohesive function. Those 52
53. items are small sets of nouns having generalized reference within the major noun classes. Though they are neglected sometimes in descriptions of English, they play a significant part in verbal interaction. Therefore, we believe that this source of cohesion cannot be ignored when analyzing cohesive relations of discourses. When looking through all the application letters selected for the research, we can easily realize that some general nouns are used repeatedly. The list is as below Noun Frequency Noun Frequency Advertisement 6 Qualification 2 Information 5 Skill 8 Experience 28 Interview 6 Education 3 Application 5 4.2.The element of cohesive devices. Cohesive devices are typically single words or phrases that basically make the text hang together. By analogy, they are much like the seams in our clothing which keep items like jackets and trousers together. Three elementary examples of cohesive devices are reiteration, word repetition, synonyms, near-synonyms and pronouns. - Reiteration: the use of general nouns, however, is not independent but relates to their occurrences in the context of reference. From the lexical point of view, we can consider general nouns as a special case of a general phenomenon: reiteration, which is defined by Halliday and Hasan as “a form of lexical cohesion which involves the repetition of a lexical item ( ) and a number of things in between - the use of synonyms, near synonyms or superordinates.” We can analyze each type of reiteration in turn to work out their frequencies as well as understand cohesive functions in the application letters. - Word repetition: some of the words are not only used many times in the same letter but also continuously repeated in different ones. This 53
54. shows that the words mentioned above must be key words in letters of application for employment in general. When a word is exploited some times in the same application letter, it is the intention of the writer to emphasize or direct reader‟s attention to his strongest section that is most relevant to the job defined. It is not surprising to note that the most frequent appearance is of the group of speech roles expressed by I and you that included personal pronouns, possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns, while the former is repeated 326 times, the latter 101 times in 15 selected letters. This can be explained simply and similarly to what has been discussed above in previous part, that the writer of application letters aims at demonstrating himself as much as possibly to persuade the reader of his suitability to the applying position so that he has to focus on himself by using I, me, my repeatedly. - Synonyms: the synonym is defined as “a word or expression that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another in the same language”. The synonyms can be replaced each other to avoid repetition in case it is not necessary to repeat a word, and especially this can make discourses flexible and diversified, help not to bore the readers. We have found out the synonyms like: learnt - found, company - organization, employee - staff, position - employment, business - company, believe - confident, position - vacancies, organization - team, press - newspaper, post - position - job, employment - job - position, post - position - work - job, work - position - employment, we can realize that those synonyms are the key words in application letters, however, the authors should not choose repetition of the same words to attract reader‟s attention for expressing their meanings in different ways is more effective in rather short discourses like application letters. We can look at the examples below: 54
55. “Thus, I am familiar with the duties of an executive secretary and believe I am prepared to anticipate and meet all your expectations. I am confident, too, that, with enthusiasm and sincere effort, I can make the translation from a small business to a large corporation smoothly.” The pairs of synonyms believe - confident and employee - staff prove to be in full play in those contexts, and they avoid the boring repetition if repetition is used instead. And, we note that most groups of synonym mentioned above seem to be clear and easy to pick up from the discourse of application letters. “A major strength that I would bring to the Westford School system is my successful experience as a full-day Kindergaten teacher. With strong communication, organizational, and classroom management skills, I am confident that I can be a valuable asset to both the elementary team at the Westford School System. I feel that my strong background in elementary education, ability to assimilate new ideas and concepts, and dedication to children would be of great benefit as well. I strongly believe that all children can learn and with that belief, children do learn.” These are some other groups in which the words share similar meanings but we can not consider them as synonyms. These belong to another concept of lexical cohesion: near - synonym, as analysis in the following part. - Near - synonyms: Some common near-synonyms as follows: fluent-good, word-advance, work-employ, suitable-relevant Concerning reiteration we mean that the use of general nouns as cohesive agents depends on their occurrences in the context of reference because one lexical item refers back to another, to which it is related by having common referent. - Pronouns Example: Baywatch is a TV show produced in America. It has been translated into more than 150 languages. In the second sentence "it" refers back to Baywatch. It would be redundant to have the second sentence begin with Baywatch. 55
56. CHAPTER III: THE SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING APPLICATION LETTERS WRTING 1. Application letter Though we have spent such a long time studying some application letters for employment, it is not enough to collect all the interesting elements of this kind of business letter. The most important thing is that we could realize cohesion as one of the key factors which produce good application letters. Within the scope of this paper, we have just focused on the areas of Grammatical and Lexical Cohesion, through which we can withdraw some findings and suggestions as follows. 1.1. The characteristics of Application Letters in English. All of the application letters in English consist of seven parts: Letter head/sender‟s address, Date line, Addressee/Inside address, Salutation, Body, complimentary close, and Signature, presented in a conventionalized format and style of business letters. Most of letters use open punctuation, means, regardless of punctuation style, the only letter parts to be followed by punctuation marks are the Salutation and Complimentary close. The use of open punctuation is favored by many people because it saves time and is therefore more efficient than many other formats. The language used in the letters is standard and sounds natural, which is brief and clear for the reader to get full and concise appreciativeness of the candidate‟ suitability for the job. Application letters are divided in two types: solicited and unsolicited ones, however, there are not many differences between the two types. The differences can be seen only in the first paragraph of the Body, in which the reason for applying is mentioned: the former refers to advertisements for job or how candidates get to know about the recruitment, while the latter deals with recommendations or suggestions intensified by an important name. Unsolicited ones take very small percentage among letters of 56
57. application for they are supposed not to open an available job opportunity for a wide population. The length of application letters does not depend on any principles, however, the right length should include the right information that is, it must be complete in information, and mostly presented in only one page. Complex and compound sentences are mainly used in the Body of application letters, which are arranged in four or five paragraphs containing a separate idea in each. 1.2. Cohesion in English Application Letters. Application letters exploit nearly all the items of grammatical and lexical cohesion mentioned by Halliday, except for substitution. And, of course, some items are more preferred to the others. As application letters aim at satisfying a special reader, they are designed to be clear, concise and complete, so the decisive element in making good letters is the combination of grammatical and lexical cohesion. In addition to this, although the language of application letters has its own characteristics, it should create the unique and personal impression on the reader. 1.2.1. Grammatical Cohesion Reference - Personal reference: I, my, me and you, your, yours appear in all application letters, in which first personal aims at the writers while the second personal points at the readers, here is no others than candidates for employment and Personnel Manager or the like. The group of he, him, his and she, her, hers is in low frequency, only 7 times in all 15 selected letters. And the last group of it, its, they, them rarely occurs in application letters, only within the total of 4 times. - Demonstrative reference: this kind of reference frequently occurs in the letters, among which the number of neutral demonstrative the is the biggest with 149 occurrences, next comes to near demonstratives this, that and here. 57
58. - Comparative reference: the reference of this group seldom appears in application letters, with the total of 3 occurrences for general comparatives and 8 for specific one among 15 collected letters. - Substitution is nearly absent from application letters. For some particular cases, it seems to appear in this form or another, but based on Halliday and Hasan‟s view, we do not consider them as complete substitution. Among some application letters, we can count for only 6 nominal substitutions, but none of verbal or clausal ones. - Conjunction: the additive conjunction of “and” appears the most in all selected application letters, while adversative, causal and temporal count for a small number of occurrences. 1.2.2. Lexical Cohesion - Reiteration: In every application letters, we can find a lot of repetitions, synonyms, near- synonyms, superordinates, and general words. In some letters, there are no synonyms or near-synonyms, but these mark a small proportion of some application letters. - Collocation: it is easy to realize the collocations of employment and job in all application letters. For this, we can not only group the collocations in the same application letter but also do that for all letters at the same time. Ranking second in the number of collocations is resume which together with the cover letter makes a complete application for employment. 1.3. Suggestions for application letter writing. Cohesive devices can help us write a successful application letter. Then, we can apply the knowledge of cohesive devices into writing an effective and persuasive letter of application for employment. The suggestions will be listed as follows: Decide what to say before starting to write or dictate a letter in order to find a good way to finish the sentences. In other words, a letter 58
59. should be always planned ahead to avoid unnecessary reiterations that bore the readers or omissions of important information. Arrange all the necessary points in a logical sequence, with each idea or piece of information linking up with the previous ones in a pattern that can be easily followed. The best way is to put each separate idea in a separate, that is, not to make a mistake of reiteration of the same idea. Use short words in a simple and clear style that are easy to understand, however, the style should not be so simple that it becomes discourteous, that means, complex and compound sentences joined by conjunctions should be of priority in application letters. Courtesy and tact are sometimes achieved by what is called a “you approach”. In other words, the letters should be reader oriented, although “I” should not be avoided referring to the writer or signer of the letters. The last step is to relax: this helps to select the right natural tone within the limits of standard English, the attempt to sound too “businesslike” is a sure sign of an inexperienced writer making the letter stilted and stiff. All the points mentioned here could entail an appeal to the special reader‟s emotions or understanding, aiming to elicit from him the response expected by the writer of application letters. We do hope these will be useful and helpful for who are intending to write a letter of application for employment or who are paying attention to it as well. 59
60. PART III: CONCLUSION After a certain time getting my selves in this paper, I understand that each application letter give to me must be carefully designed, even though it seems to be short and simple. It is not simply a common official document added to one‟s personal profile when applying for a job; a good letter is a master key that opens locked door. Those are the reasons why I choose this topic: “An analysis of cohesive devices in writing application letters”. In the study, the rationale, aims, methods, scope and design of the study are mentioned in part one in the hope that the readers can have an overview of my study. Part two consists of three chapters: theoretical background, an analysis of cohesive devices in writing application letters and the suggestions for improving application letter writing. In order to effectively conduct, my graduation paper studies an overview of general communication including definition, types, structure and suggestions of application letters, grammatical cohesion in English application letters, types of business letter was carried out first. Finally, from the study of cohesive devices in writing application letters, some suggestions are given with the purpose of helping the learners to overcome these problems. 60
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62. APPENDIXES COLLECTED APPLICATION LETTERS Application letter 1 17 Princes St. Edinburgh Sales Recruitment and Training Manager W. & T. Avery Limited 21 Conduit St. London W. 1. August 3, 2008 Dear sirs, In reply to your advertisement in today‟s “Daily Telegraph”, I am interested in becoming a salesman for your company. As you can see from the enclosed curriculum vitae, I have selling experience in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics-a very competitive field. However, I would like to change to industrial products since I believe they offer a greater potential. Your six month‟s training scheme should certainly help me to devote the best of my ability to your company, particularly since my educational qualifications are higher than those you require. My present position is subject to one month‟s notice, after which I would be able to train in London and, if necessary, relocate to any part of the country. As you request in your advertisement, I shall telephone you shortly to make an appointment for a personal meeting. Meanwhile I thank you for considering my application. Yours faithfully, Peter S. Ryder Peter S. Ryder 62
63. Enc. Curriculum vitae Application letter 2 25-92 Queens boulevard Bayside, new York 11202 Ms. Loretta Vasquez The Vasquez Travel Agency 1402 Broadway New York, New York 1003 June 15, 2008 Dear Ms. Vasquez, This month I completed a two-year course of study in Travel and Tourism at the Bowker Business Institute, and my placement counselor, Mr. Robert Feiner Suggested I apply to you for a position as assistant travel agent. As you will see from my enclosed resume, I have taken courses in nearly every aspect of the travel industry. I have participated in workshops simulating computer and telephone operations, and I have had extensive practice in ticketing and reservations. My work experience, moreover, has helped me develop ability to deal with the public, a valuable asset for a travel agency. Not only as a sales assistant, but even as a stock clerk, I have learned to be customer oriented; I have found that courtesy and a smile keep business flowing smoothly. I would like very much, Ms. Vasquez, to put my skills to work for your travel agency. I am available for an interview Monday through Friday during business hours. You can reach me at 884-7788. Yours truly, Robert R. Wilson 63
64. Robert R. Wilson Application letter 3 25-92 Queens boulevard Bayside, new York 11202 Ms. Loretta Vasquez The Vasquez Travel Agency 1402 Broadway New York, New York 1003 June 15, 2008 Dear Ms. Vasquez, This month I completed a two-year course of study in Travel and Tourism at the Bowker Business Institute, and my placement counselor, Mr. Robert Feiner Suggested I apply to you for a position as assistant travel agent. As you will see from my enclosed resume, I have taken courses in nearly every aspect of the travel industry. I have participated in workshops simulating computer and telephone operations, and I have had extensive practice in ticketing and reservations. My work experience, moreover, has helped me develop ability to deal with the public, a valuable asset for a travel agency. Not only as a sales assistant, but even as a stock clerk, I have learned to be customer oriented; I have found that courtesy and a smile keep business flowing smoothly. I would like very much, Ms. Vasquez, to put my skills to work for your travel agency. I am available for an interview Monday through Friday during business hours. You can reach me at 884-7788. Yours truly, Robert R. Wilson Robert R. Wilson 64
65. Application letter 4 Reyna Elena, RN 88 Nowhere Drive, Mc Kinley Park, Taguig City Tel: 456-5678; 0 (917) 717-0855; Email: relena@yahoo.com. Dr. Malen Chuvaness The Kengkay Medical Center 777 Kotsengkuba Avenue Pusang Maganda City January 26, 2009 Dear Dr. Chuvaness, I am sending this letter in response to your wanted ad for a nurse trainee, which I saw on the window of the Kengkay Medical Center‟s Human Resourse Office. It is by this letter that I would like to apply as a nursing trainee. I am a BS Nursing graduate of Bluepanjeet University, Class of 2008. I have also just recently passed the Nursing Board Examinations in 2008. I would appreciate hearing from you. Sincerely, Reyna Elena, RN Reyna Elena, RN 65
66. Application letter 5 Box 999, Capital University Columbus, OH 43209 Mr. Peter Kirkpatrick Director of Personel Ernst & Young Huntington Center, Suite 2000 41 South high Street Columbus, OH 43215-6150 January 14, 2008 Dear Mr. Kirkpatrick, I am writing to express my interest in the Auditor position advertised in the January 13th edition of The Columbus Dispatch. I will graduate from Capital University in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting. You indicated a need for someone with both accounting experience and leadership skills. During my junior and senior years at Capital, I have worked as a student accountant in the University bookstore. In addition, I have held leadership positions in Student Government and within the residence halls as a Resident Assistant. Please see my enclosed resume for a more complete view of my background. I am eager to learn more about this opportunity with Ernst & Young, and look forward to interviewing with you. I can be reached by phone at 236- 0000 or by e-mail at college@yahoo.com. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Chris M. College Chris M. College 66
67. Application letter 6 32 Bay State Road Boston, MA 02215-1903 Mr. David White Atria, Inc 37 Cochituate Place Framingham, MA 01 701 May 17, 2008 Dear Mr. White, I will be graduating from MIT in June with a bachelor‟s degree in computer science and I am interested in opportunities at Atria. I have worked as an intern with Loral Infrared and Imaging Systems for the past two summers in their software engineering department. While there I developed data stream emulation software for the NASA AIRS weather satellite in UNIX and Macintosh platforms. At MIT, I worked in the Earth and Planetary Science Department to create a graphic user interfacing system for viewing data sent back by the Magellan space probe orbiting Venus. This experience would be applicable to the creation of the GUI for the up-coming version of Clearcase revision control tools. While I have taken general course work in computer science, I have taken addition courses in media arts, systems design, algorithms, and artificial intelligence. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and discuss my qualifications for working at Atria. I believe my training has given me the skills to make a valuable contribution. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Chris M. College Chris M. College 67
68. Application letter 7 27 Manchester Road, ZAMBIA The Country Director, DG Investments, ZAMBIA February 7th, 2009 Dear Sir or Madam, Ref: Application for Sales Executive I am applying for the position of Sales executive which was advertised in the Guardian Newspaper dated February 6th, 2009. I would love to use the experience I gained working as a Sales representative to help DG Investment realize excellent clothing sales. I recently graduated from the Copperbelt University with a diploma in Marketing. During my final year at the university, i worked with MTN as a sales representative for a period of four months. During those months, I learnt valuable lessons on marketing strategies that could be very useful to your company. I developed excellent communication skills back at school, and I was used often to give speeches in behalf of the school on important occasions. I am a very social person and my cheerful disposition has made it easy for me to make a good number of friends. This could be an added advantage as human interaction is what makes the sale industry a success. Details of my qualifications are in the enclosed CV. I am looking forward to meeting you as soon as I am considered to further discuss my qualifications and experience. You may reach me at these two numbers: 09442233 or 09223311. Yours faithfully, GMap George Mapenzi 68
69. Application letter 8 Jesse Kendal 123 Elm Street, Herndon Mr. Bailey Addison 456 Oak Street. October 2nd, 2007 Dear Mr. Addition, Your organization recently posted an opening for a property management professional on its Website for which I enthusiastically apply. ACME Enterprises is highly regarded within the property management industry and across the community. I believe my skills; experience for excellence will enhance your organization‟s performance. My resume showcases expertise in management of residential properties, the ability to exceed goals, and generate significant revenues. In my present position with ABC Properties, I spearheaded a top team in a turnaround of six flagging properties. The rejuvenation was managed through a detailed assessment of current operations, and analysis of each properties from underperforming into trendy urban locations, which generated top revenues and multimillion dollar costs savings for the company. Through detailed data analysis, targeted strategic plans and development of challenging objectives, my team was able to revise communities once considered a failure. This was done by focusing the team on the tenant understands tenant‟s needs and exceeding each tenant‟s expectations. ACME Enterprises could definitely prosper from my leadership strengths and property management expertise. My resume provides an overview of my accomplishments. If you would like a more detailed account of my achievements, please contact me at your convenience. I look forward to discussing how I might best contribute to your organization. Sincerely, 69
70. Jesse Kendall Jesse Kendall Application letter 9 174-06 Parkside Avenue Brooklyn, NY 10036 Mr. Jay Mc Donald New York, NY 10011 March 12, 2006 Dear Mr. Mc Donald, I am replying to an ad for warehouse help that appeared in the New York Post on March 11, 2006. Since graduating from High School in 2003, I have gained valuable experience in warehouse work. In one of my jobs, I worked as a warehouse clerk for a large import/export company. In another, I worked at a lumber warehouse in yard work. In addition, the plumbing business is one with which I am already somewhat familiar. My uncle is an experienced plumber, and when I was in high school, I did some work with him informally as an assistant in order to earn some extra cash. I believe my experience would make me a valuable employee. I would appreciate the opportunity to come in for an interview and to talk with you further about my qualifications. I do not have a telephone, but you can leave a message for me at (718) 330-0911, or at the above address. A copy of my resume is attached. Sincerely, Nelson Jimenz Nelson Jimenz. 70
71. Application letter 10 Jane Doe 1 Mead Way, Bronxville, NY 10708 Marly Smith New York, NY 10005 January 1st, 2009 Dear Mr. Smith, This letter is response to your ad in The Phoenix for an editor. I have a bachelor‟s degree in Liberal Arts. My experience includes work at: Advertising Inc in New York, an internship with That One Journal and freelance writing assignments for Your Community College. My background includes extensive editorial, proofreading, layout, and design experience, having served as the editor or my high school yearbook and previously as a section editor and staff member. The yearbook won first place in the High School Press Conference for 2004. Most recently I completed a 32-page catalog paste-up and layout project for Joenix Lab sales in Hillsboro. As a temporary secretary/work-processor, I am responsible for creating a wide variety of documents and take great pleasure making sure each document looks good, reads well, and is error-free. My skills include organization and being detail-oriented, working well under pressure and on deadline, working well with a variety of people, and having a great attitude. I am looking for a creative, challenging, growth- oriented position and would like the opportunity to learn more about your company and the position. What you need and what I can do sound like a match? I look forward to hearing from you. Enclosed are a few writing samples for your review. Sincerely, Jane Doe Jane Doe 71
72. Application letter 11 Elaine Cameron 78 Venture Ave, Marietta, GA 50014 Tim Horden, Operations Manager 7363 - Ridge Road April 10th, 2008 Dear Mr. Horden, I am submitting the enclosed resume for consideration of the construction manager‟s position, which appeared in The Morning News on April 8th, 2008. My background has given me the hands-on experience in all facets of residential and commercial construction that would contribute to your organization‟s goals and objectives. You will see after reviewing the enclosed resume, I have made numerous contributions to my present employer that has benefited the bottom line. These accomplishments are derived from my exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, strong attention to detail, and unparalleled work ethic. A key taken that I can bring your organization include, a practical approach to construction with a constant eye for controlling costs and finishing the project under budget, without diminishing quality. My reputation precedes me for listening and analyzing employee‟s ideas and thoughts on creating a safe and productive work environment. I am enthusiastic about exploring opportunities with Construction Company Ltd and lock forward to meeting you. I will contact you within the next few days to answer any questions and schedule an interview at your convenience. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Elaine Cameron. Elaine Cameron. 72
73. Application 12 1925 Review Lane Duluth, MN 55800 Ms. Tamara Writer 555 Bookbinder Road November 25th, 2009 Dear Ms. Writer, I would like to be a technical writer or an editor for Animal Publications. Your advertisement in the Midwest Gazette on Sunday, November 19th, 2009, for an Editorial Assistant caught my eye. My advisor, Dr. Norman Mammal, of the Biology Department at the university of Minnesota Duluth, enthusiastically promoted your company to me as highly respected in the animal behavior publications field. Please accept this letter and enclosed resume as my application for the advertised position. I will graduate from the University of Minnesota Duluth in May 2010, with a Bachelor of Arts with majors in Biology and English. As the advertisement stated, the position requires writing and editing experience as well as general scientific knowledge. My portfolio and the enclosed resume contain evidence of my experiences. As an editor assistant intern for the Nor them Wildlife Magazine in Duluth, I proofed text before it went into the magazine and wrote short contributions to two regular magazine departments. I also edited various peripheral publications. Capies of my newspaper articles are available, showing my knowledge of the animal and scientific worlds, as well as the variety and depth of my assignments. The possibility of working for Animal Publications as an editorial assistant is personally very exciting. I am available for an interview at your convenience to review my portfolio and talk about career opportunities at Animal Publications. You may contact me or leave a message at cpuma@d.umn.edu . Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Carol Puma Carol Puma 73
74. Application letter 13 Box 5372 New York, NY 67352 Mr David Keller Financial Bank of New York New York, NY 10020 December 8, 2004 Dear Mr Keller, After many year of working directly with people in diverse professional settings, I am seeking to leverage my experience in a customer service position within the field of banking at the branch level. For this reason, I was excited to learn that your branch is currently seeking a customer service representative, and would like to be considered as a strong candidate. Ideally, this position will allow me the opportunity to utilize my experience gained as an assistant manager with Coffee Table Books. In this capacity, I co-managed this flagship store in all areas of customer relations, sales generation and reporting, banking, workflow management, staff training and supervision, and problem resolution. Additional experience includes working in restaurant management and, currently, as an independent sales and marketing coordinator for artists, authors, and small business owners. In this position, I have succeeded in positioning my clients for career growth through coordination of unique public relations opportunities. Much of my experience is transferable, specifically in the areas of sales and customer service support. Given the opportunity, I am confident that my experience and personable disposition would be an asset to your branch. For your convenience, I have attached my resume for your review. Realizing the limitations of the written page, I would welcome the opportunity to participate in a personal interview to answer any of your questions and better present my qualifications. Thanks you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you soon. Sincerely, Joyce Barnes 74
75. Joyce Barnes Application letter 14 Rodney Wilion 45 Bay State Road Joan Bruce, Principal School Broad No. 56 October 25th, 2007 Dear Mr.Bruce, Your advertisement in The Gallery Tribune for the position of Senior Physical Education Teacher sparked my interest. Please accept this letter and the end enclosed resume as my application for the position. Let me briefly explain briefly how I can contribute to Bill‟s Regional High School. With our 10 years of experience in teaching various subjects including physical education, I believe my qualifications will match your requirements. I have had the opportunity to function in a variety of educational settings making it easy to adapt recognized that I have created constructive changes in student‟s, academic, play, and home lives. Students have discovered that physical happiness boots their performance at school, work and play, and learned to appreciate and like the benefits of socialization, sportsmanship, personal achievement and team spirit that are achieved through physical education. Mr. Bruce, please accept this letter as an expression of my genuine interest in pursuing my teaching career at Bill‟s Regional High School. I will produce an energizing and creative learning environment that will bring out the best in students. If you are interested in a dedicated teaching professional with the required credentials, patience, and positive attitude, please gives me a call. Thank you for taking the time to review my resume, and I look forward to a favorable reply. 75
76. Sincerely, Rodney Wilson Rodney Wilson Application letter 15 KathySaveur Brooklyn, NY 15372 Mr. Peter New York, NY 14231 February 6th, 2007 Dear Sir, Please consider me an applicant for the first grade teacher position that your school system has available. I learned of the position from the date edition of the newspaper. For the past four years I have been a full day Kindergarten teacher at St.Francis School in Oxford, Connecticut. I am eager for an opportunity to expand my opportunities as a professional.  Excellent ability to concurrently manage classrooms of children at varying levels  As a teacher at St.Francis, built a structured, nurturing classroom environment utilizing the Maine state Learning Results as a framework for helping each child realize their fullest potential.  Strong ability to individualize the curriculum to meet the needs of all levels of sturtents in the same classroom. A major strength that I would bring to the Westford School system is my successful experience as a full-day Kindergaten teacher. With strong communication, organizational, and classroom management skills, I am confident that I can be a valuable asset to both the elementary team at the Westford School System. I feel that my strong background in elementary education, ability to assimilate new ideas and concepts, and dedication to children would be of great benefit as well. I strongly believe that all children can learn and with that belief, children do learn. I would welcome the opportunity to interview with your selection team and look forward to hearing from you in the near future. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Kathy Saveur 76