Читать книгу Collins Letter Writing - Collins Dictionaries - Страница 27

You should always include your own address, preferably across the top of the page. If you have headed notepaper, the matter is settled for you, but if you don’t, then it is very rude not to supply your own details.

DO include the recipient’s name and address at the top left of the page in full.

Always use the recipient’s full postcode – what’s the point of getting this wrong, even on quite a short letter? If you don’t know the correct code then you can telephone the recipient’s office and check. It takes a few seconds and will ensure that your letter gets there as quickly as possible. If you don’t want to ring the office, you can ring the Royal Mail Postcode Enquiries desk who will tell you the exact postcode for the address you have written down. You can also check postcodes on the web at

WEB TIP

http://afis.postoffice.co.uk:8080/RoyalMail/PBS/pcodefin.asp.

It is correct to follow the number of the building by a comma, but common practice these days is to leave it out.

DON’T place the name of any house in inverted commas. It looks really messy and slightly old-fashioned.

In professional correspondence there should be no comma at the end of each line of the address. In personal correspondence, a comma may be used at the end of each line if you feel the recipient might appreciate a truly old-fashioned style. Use your discretion.

Always remember to use the recipient’s postcode, even on quite a short letter.

MAIN COUNTY ABBREVIATIONS

Berkshire	Berks
Buckinghamshire	Bucks
Cambridgeshire	Cambs
Hampshire	Hants
Lancashire	Lancs
Middlesex	Middx
Northamptonshire	Northants
Nottinghamshire	Notts
Oxfordshire	Oxon
Warwickshire	Warks
Wiltshire	Wilts
Yorkshire	Yorks

(See appendix on p. 236 for a full list of conventional county abbreviations.)