Formal × Informal style, Capital letters

V této kapitole se naučíte čeho se vyvarovat při psaní obchodní korespondence v angličtině, jak se liší formální styl od běžně používané angličtiny, nebo jak a kdy správně psát velká písmena.

Business correspondence is usually quite formal in style in comparison with private letters.

You should:

Avoid contractions

I am writing NOT I'm writing

Do not call NOT Don't call

Avoid using abbreviated words

Photograph NOT Photo
Television NOT TV

Try to avoid phrasal verbs

Collect luggage NOT Pick up luggage
Postpone a meeting NOT Put off a meeting

Avoid colloquial words

Children NOT Kids
Wonderful NOT Really cool

Avoid sentences that are too long. Use straightforward language.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. - Kdybyste měl(a) jakékoli dotazy, neváhejte mě kontaktovat.

NOT:

You may have some questions. In that case, it is ok if you call me or send me an email. - Možná, že budete mít nějaké dotazy. V tom případě je v pořádku, když mi zavoláte nebo pošlete email.

Capital letters

We use capital letters for:
People's names and titles

Sir Johnson, Dan Parker, Ms Stevens, Dr Boon

Job titles / positions

Staff Manager, Human Resources Specialist, HR Specialist

Street names

Main Street, California Boulevard

Names of towns and cities

London, New York, Toronto

Days of the week and months of the year

Tuesday, Thursday, January, October

Special feast or holiday

Christmas Day, New Year

Names of countries and nationalities

the Czech Republic, Czech, France, French

Company names

Western Union, Adidas

Abbreviations

CV, TV, CD, BMW

Titles of books, songs, stories, works of art, magazine articles, tests, and other written materials must begin with a capital letter. Every other important word of the title must also begin with a capital letter. Words that do not need a capital letter unless they are the first word of the title are a, an, and, of, to, the, etc.

Winnie the Pooh, The New York Times, The Merchant of Venice