Unit Two
Social Correspondence
I. Introduction
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1、Definition
日常书信大部分是礼节性的，如邀请信，感
谢信等。在西方这种礼节性的书信叫做“社
交书信”，又叫“义务性书信”。
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2. Form
普通形式和正规形式
普通形式：一般短笺，手写，使用第一人称，
感谢、慰问、祝贺等均属这类。非正式的社
交活动所用的邀请信及复信。
正规形式：比较正规的请柬，用于大型的、
豪华的社交场合。一般用镌版印刷，使用第
三人称。
例如：
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非正规社交书信格式
Dear Mrs. Lee,
Will you come to lunch at one o’clock on
Wednesday, July first? My niece, Helen, is
visiting us, and you have so often
mentioned, you would like to meet her.
I do hope you will be able to come.
Cordially yours,
Mary
正规社交书信
Prof. and Mrs. Bear Lee
 request the pleasure of your company
 At dinner
 Wednesday, the fourth of October
 At eight o’clock
Hubei Hotel
Bear Lee 夫妇谨订于10月4日（星期三）晚
8时在湖北饭店举行宴会，敬请光临。
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3.Tips for informal letter
1）Don’t be puzzled at “informal”.
信纸和信封要庄重大方，切不可用彩色的或印
有装饰物的信纸，不要使用公文用纸，也不要
使用有格子的信纸，只能使用平整的、标准的
白色信纸，而且纸张的质量一定要好。要把信
写在正面，不要写在反面。
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2. Brevity and manuscript
打印并非不对，但是，若表达哀痛或感激等
心情的信件，若用笔写，就显得更有礼貌，
更为恭敬，使人觉得更为亲切、友爱
3. Don’t delay the reply
慰问、祝贺、吊唁、感谢之类的书信，要是
延误时日，就会失去意义。
II. Letters of Invitations
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1. Introduction
包括宴会邀请、午餐和晚餐邀请、聚会邀请、
舞会邀请、婚礼邀请等。
两种形式：正规格式（请柬）和非正规格式
（一般邀请信）
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2. Requirements
1）要写得明确、完整，不可留下任何疑问
使收信人捉摸不定。写明场合、地点、年月
日及钟点。要写的具体。
Eg. I’d like you and Tom to come to dinner
next Wednesday.
I’d like you and Tom to come to dinner next
Wednesday, June tenth.
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2) 除了只允许男人参加的社交活动外，不
论正式还是非正式，都应邀请夫妻双方。
3）回信不要用打字机打。
4）给予及时的、礼貌的答复。打电话回复
也行，但亲自写一封短信显得更礼貌。
5）对邀请信，复信时应明确说明接受还是
不接受。I will try my best to come.
I will come if I am in town.不太明确，
使主人感到不安。
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6）写表示应邀时，你要对受邀表示高兴；
写表示谢却时，你要写出失望和遗憾之情，
并具体说明不能践约的原因。
I am sorry I can’t come to your luncheon
next Tuesday.
I am sorry I can’t come to your luncheon
next Tuesday because that’s our wedding
anniversary.
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7). 接受邀请时，你必须在回信中重复邀请
信中的某些内容，如几月几日、星期几、几
点钟等。
I will be delighted to attend your dinner.
I will be delighted to attend your dinner on
Monday, May tenth, at five o’clock.
以纠正你或女主人可能弄错的日期和时间。
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3. More details
邀请信（ Letters of Invitation ）是人们日
常生活、社䬚活动和外事活动中的一种应用
文体，它分正式和非正式两种。正式邀请信
的格式（包括信头、信内的地址、客套语等）
要齐全，正文内容应用书面语。非正式邀请
信的格式不全，常只有日期，没有地址，语
句也很随便，多为口语。
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邀请信的内容主要包括：邀请原因、活动地
点和时间。其特点是简短、热情，给人一种
真诚、亲切的感觉。
非正式邀请信一般用来邀请亲戚、朋友
等关系较为密切的人出席某种社交场合，其
格式与普通信件一样，邀请人的地址和日期
（即信头）应写在正文右上角，称呼语是在
Mr 或 Mrs 后写上姓即可，落款要写全名。
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书写邀请信时还应当注意以下几方面的问题：
1）. 邀请人和被邀请人应用第一人称，双方的
名字都要写全名。
2）. 邀请的内容，包括邀请的原因、约定的地
点和时间必须写清楚，切忌含糊不清。
3）. 如果要求被邀请人作出答案，可在左下角
或下面正中处写上 R. S. V. P （意为“请答复”）。
4）. 如果有特殊要求，也应当在信中注明。
5）. 邀请信的常见用语有： Would you like to
go swimming with me next Sunday？ / I should be
very glad if you would come to my birthday party at
my house at 8：00 p. m. on Sunday， December
12. / We hope you can come， and look forward to
seeing you by then. / Be sure to come. / If you
can't come， tell me. 等等。
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望以后再向对方发出邀请时，一定要用英语
来书写，进一步练习这种文体的写作，从而
能更加熟练并掌握这种文体。写邀请信时还
要注意的是：
1. 邀请信要提前发出，一般的邀请应在
一周之前，正式的邀请应在 10 天或两周之前，
这样就能给对方留出时间来安排别的事情。
2. 即使对方拒绝了邀请也不要介意，因
为人们是不能总强迫别人来做某事的。
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写作基本框架：
首段：表明与收信人的相关性和写作意图。
主体段落：具体交代情景包括邀请朋友干什
么，什么时候，在哪里，并且要强调说明为
什么邀请收信人而不是别的朋友。
结尾段：期待朋友回复。
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Eg. You want to invite some friends to the
party. Write an invitation letter to them
individually, elaborating on the reasons
why such a party should be held and what
activities will be arranged for them.
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Dear Susan,
I will hold a dinner party at my house on June 23,
2000 (Saturday) to celebrate my father’s being
awarded the Pulitzer Prize for journalism this year. As
you are a close friend of our family, my parents and I
would very much like you to participate in the
celebration and share our joy.
The occasion will start at five o’clock in the afternoon,
with the showing of the documentary film of the
1999Kosovo war produced by my father, which
secured the prize for him. This will be followed by a
dinner party. At around eight o’clock, we will hold a
small musical soiree, at which a band will perform
some works by Bach and Strauss.
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If you do not have any prior
appointment on June 23, my family
and I look forward to the pleasure of
your company.
Cordially yours,
Jessica
RSVP before June 19 (Please reply)
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邀请信的开头常用句式和套话
I am writing to invite you to …
I wonder if you could come …
邀请信的结尾常用句式和套话
My family and I would feel honored if
you could come.
We would be looking forward to your
participation in the party.
I really hope you can make it.
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高频词汇：
accept; attend; decline; enjoy oneself;
entertain; expense; extend; get-together;
go sightseeing; in advance; invitation; join
sb. in sth.; participate; resort; scenic spot;
turn down; welcome.
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Write an invitation to Mr. John Smith, inviting
him to give a speech on “American literature”.
Write a letter to him and say:
1) the purpose of the invitation
2) the time and place of the lecture
It should be no less than 100 words.
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Sample
Dear Mr. Smith,
We know that you are an expert on
literature. As students majoring in English,
we want to know some details about
literature. We should be very grateful if
you could give a talk on “American
Literature” to students of English
Department on Saturday, April 19. If this
subject does not suit you, any other similar
topic would be welcome as well.
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We have already had several interesting
talks from distinguished visitors from
various countries this semester and we
look forward eagerly to the opportunity to
benefit from your experience and wisdom.
Sincerely yours,
Bear Lee
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4、Different invitations
1)Inviting a close friend to dinner
Dear Linda,
Will you and Mr. Bear have dinner with us
on Tuesday, the fifth of May, at seven o’clock?
It’s a long time since we have had the
pleasure of seeing you and we do hope you
can come.
Sincerely yours,
Elizabeth K. Benton
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Acceptance
Dear Mrs. Benton,
Bear and I will be delighted to dine with
you on Tuesday, the fifth of May, at seven
o’clock. How very nice of you to ask us!
We are both looking forward with great
pleasure to seeing you and Dr. Benton again.
Very sincerely yours,
Linda
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Regrets
Dear Mrs. Benton,
I have been putting off this note until the last
possible moment, hoping Bear would get back from
Beijing in time for your dinner party. But now I must
regretfully write that he’ll still be out of town on
Tuesday, the fifth; and we therefore cannot accept
your kind invitation for dinner on that day.
It was sweet of you to ask us and I know Bear will
be as sorry as I am to miss an evening with you and
Dr. Benton .We know how delightful such evening at
your house usually are!
Sincerely yours,
Linda
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2).Invitation Card to Dinner
Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
request the pleasure of your company
at a dinner
in honor of their parents’
Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary
on Sunday, the fifth of July
at eight o’clock
New Century Hotel
102 Queen Street
Hong Kong
R. S. V. P
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3) Enclosed Response Card
The favour of a reply
is requested before the seventeenth of March
M____________
will __________attend
Tips:
A. The card is enclosed in the invitation letter.
B. Write down the name in the blank of “M”
Eg. Mr and Mrs Mark
C. If you cannot join, write “not”.
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4) Formal Handwritten Acceptance to a Wedding
Invitation
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Jones
accept with pleasure
the kind invitation of
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
To the wedding reception of their daughter
Maria Louise
and
Mr. John Smith
on Sunday, the twenty-third of March
at three o’clock in the afternoon
128 North Main Street
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Regrets
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Jones
regret that they are unable to accept
the very kind invitation of
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
for
Sunday, the twenty-third of March
Time and place may be omitted.
Class work
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Your classmate, Jimmy, is head of the
university’s swimming club. He has
invited you to join the club, but you like
some other sport. Write him a note,
declining and explaining why. (07)
Homework
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Directions: Supposed you are the
assistant of the English department, you
want to invite Mr. Williams to give a
lecture on "American literature" in your
college.
Your letter should be no less than 100
words. You don’t need to write the
address. Don’t sign your own name at the
end of the letter, use Linda instead.
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Dear Mr. Williams,
I am writing on behalf of the English
Department to invite you to give a lecture in our
college. We know that you are an expert on
American literature. As English majors, our
students would like to know something about
American literature. We would be very grateful
if you could give a talk on "Contemporary
American Literature" to students of the English
Department on Saturday, June 4. If this
subject does not suit you, any other similar
topic would be welcome as well.
We have already had several very
interesting talks from some distinguished
visitors from various countries and we look
forward early to the opportunity to benefit
from your experience and wisdom.
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Yours truly,
Linda