(一) 英文書信的組成部分
英文書信一般由六部分組成。即：信頭（heading）、信內地址（inside address），
稱呼（salutation），正文（body of letter）、結束語（complimentary close）、署名（signature），
有時在書信後面還有附言（postscript）、附件（enclosure），這得視具體情況而定。下面將分別說明。
1. 信頭（heading）
信頭是指寫信人的地址和寫信日期，一般寫在或打在第一面信紙的右上角，先寫地址再寫日期，地址的寫法是從小到大，先寫門牌號、路號，再寫區名、市名、省名，最後寫國名。時間的寫法對英國人和美國人而言是不同的。英國人習慣按日、月、年的順序寫，
而美國人習慣按月、日、年的順序寫。例如：
英式：1st october，1999
美式：october 1，1999
在使用前一種形式時，月和年之間的逗號可用可不用，但是在後一種形式中，必需要使用逗號。
信頭的寫法有縮排式和齊頭式。縮排式每行開頭向右縮排一兩個字母；齊頭式左邊對齊排列，如下所示：
縮排式
wang ming
dept. of chemical engineering
dalian university of technology
dalian 116023
liaoning province
p. r. china
齊頭式
wang ming
dept. of chemical engineering
dalian university of technology
dalian 116023
liaoning province
p. r. china
2. 信內地址 （inside address）
信內地址要寫出收信人的姓名和地址。一般給比較生疏的親友的信和公事信件要寫出信內地址，而熟悉朋友可以省去這一步驟。信內地址寫出在日期下一兩行的左上角，第一行寫收信人的稱呼姓名，然後寫出地址。地質也是從小到大寫出，分縮排式和齊頭式兩種。例如：
縮排式
the president
oxford university
england
齊頭式
jiang bin
64heping road
a
3.稱呼（salutation）
稱呼是對收信人的稱謂。在信內地址下一兩行處頂格寫起，自成一行。末尾用逗號或冒號。
（1）當給一位熟悉的人寫信時可以用dear 或是my dear。在英國，my dear 比dear親切，而在美國，dear比my dear 親切。
（2）當給一位你不知婚否的女性寫信時，可以用ms.……，這是指"……女士"。
（3）在給不熟悉的人寫信時，可以用dear sir, dear madam, dear sirs, gentleman 等等。
4正文（body of letter）
正文是一封信的主體部分。通常在稱呼的下一行寫出。正文也可採用齊頭式或縮排式的方法。齊頭式是反映每段開頭一行和後面行並齊。縮排式是指每段的第一行向右縮排幾個字母。信箋講究簡潔、效率。開頭幾句簡單地寒暄後就不如正題，在結尾處要有祝願和敬語。
常用的開頭語有：
i have received your letter of july ist. 7月1 日來信已經收悉。
i have the pleasure to tell you that …….很高興告訴你……。
i am very much delighted to receive your letter. 非常高興收到你的來信。
it is my honor to inform you that ……很榮幸告訴你……。
常用的結束套話有：
i am looking forward to hearing from you 盼早日回信。
wish best regards. 祝好。
thank you for your help 感謝你的幫助！
wish my best wishes for your success. 祝你成功。
wishing you a happy holiday. 祝假日愉快！
hoping to hear from you soon. 希望能儘快收到你的回信。
５結束語（complimentary close）
結束語在正文之後隔一兩行的偏右方開始寫出。開頭字母用大寫，以後的字母用小寫，最後一個詞後面用逗句。
常用的結束語有：
一般非正式的關係：
yours sincerely,
yours truly,
yours faithfully,
most sincerely,
faithfully yours,
親密的關係：
love,
yours love,
yours affectionately,
with love,
lovingly yours,
yours ever,
上級和長者：
yours respectfully,
faithfully yours,
６署名（signature）
在結束語的下方是簽名，先手寫出，再打出來。如果收信人不認識寫出信人，可以在署名前用括號標出mr.、miss或ms。在名稱下面可註上頭銜。如：
yours sincerely,
lucy blake (手寫)
lucy blake (miss)(列印)
sales manager
７附言（postscript）,附件（enclosure）
在信件正文寫作時可能漏掉了某些事，或臨時發生了某事需要補充時，可以在信下面左下方寫出上p.s.
如果隨信有附件可在愛左下端註明。如：
enclosure:ice(發票)
（二）英文書信例項
上面介紹了英文寫信的主要組成部分以及各部分的寫作特點，接下來我們將提供五種英文書信的範例。
１祝賀信
當朋友有了喜事，如結婚、高升、獲獎的時候，你可以向他寫出一封祝賀信，表達你的囑咐與恭賀。
例文１
mechanical engineering department
dalian university of technology
dalian 116023
liaoning,china
november28,1999
mr. wangximing
mechanical engineering department
massachusetts institute of technology
cambridge, mass. 02139
u.s.a.
dear mr. wang,
thank you for your letter of november 3,1999. i am sorry not to have written back earlier but time seems to pass so quickly.
i learnt from your letter that you had received you master's degree. i would like to congratulate you on your splendid success.
in this letter i am bringing you a piece of good news：your wife gave a birth of a boy last week and she ins in good health now. the baby weighed eight jin at birth. yesterday my wife and some other neighbors went to the hospital to see your wife and to congratulate her on the birth. she told them that she had been nursed with the best care since she was in hospital.
now i'm taking the visiting school test in beijing. if i pass the examination, i'll leave for america soon. if not, i'll wait for another chance. i've never been to the u.s.a., and i know little about the institutions and customs there. i hope that you will write to me and tell me more about them.
with best regards to you and your classmates.
yours sincerely,
zhang jiao
2 感謝信
當別人幫了你一個忙時，你應該給他寫封信，以示感激。
例文２
dear john:
thank you very much for the nice birthday present you have sent me! i have been longing for a dictionary for a long time. it will surly be very helpful to my study.
it's very nice of you to remember my birthday. i'll make good use of the dictionary and i'll think of you with gratitude and affection every time i use it.
love,
sally
3邀請信
當邀請某位朋友參加活動，如交遊、宴會時，可以寫一封邀請信。信的語氣應該謙遜，熱情。
例文３
dear mr. clark:
we are wondering if you and mrs. clark want to have supper with us on friday, january 21st at seven o'clock?
james and i are looking forward with great pleasure to seeing you and k. we do hope you can come.
sincerely yours,
lucy wheeler
4 申請信
當申請一項工作，或是申請一個學校留學時，都應該使用申請信。申請信應該簡潔、明確、如實地反映你的才能、成績、願望和目標。
例文４
下面是一封申請留學的書信：
the department of civil engineering
dalian university of technology
dalian 116023
liaoning province
a
november 20,1999
prof. steeve hunter
the dept. of civil engineering
**** university
new your, ny 10017
u.s.a
dear professor steeve hunter,
i have for many years cherished the hope of studying civil engineering under your personal guidance as a graduate student in your university, to which your name has added so much luster.
i was enrolled to study civil engineering in the department of civil engineering of zhejiang university in september 1992.i graduated from zhejiang university in july 1996. and ever since my graduation, i have been teaching in the department of civil engineering of dalian university of technology.
if you could tell the necessany procedure of taking the graduate course of your department, i will be very grateful to you.
i am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
sincerely yours,
zhao hui (手寫)
zhao hui （列印
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