畢業(yè)論文虛擬語氣在外貿(mào)函電中的應(yīng)用

1、<p><b>　　ABSTRACT </b></p><p>　　There have been tons of written theses concerning politeness principle in English correspondence. The author of the present thesis attempts to analyze the usa

2、ge of subjunctive mood in English correspondence subjunctive mood is used to forward request, advice and suggestion. In English business correspondence, businessmen use subjunctive mood to express their opinion, request

3、and suggestion. It helps to establish their long partnership and arrive at their aims on the equal foundation. From this p</p><p>　　Through the study the author of the present thesis finds that there is almo

4、st no thesis about the usage of subjunctive mood in English business correspondence, which makes the study very necessary, because the study can rich the topic and content of theses about English business correspondence.

5、 </p><p>　　Moreover, the conclusion of this thesis may hopefully be of some help to businessmen in their foreign trade activities.</p><p>　　KEY WORDS: subjunctive mood, English business correspo

6、ndence, euphemism, politeness principle</p><p>　　虛擬語氣在外貿(mào)函電中的應(yīng)用</p><p><b>　　摘 要</b></p><p>　　關(guān)于外貿(mào)函電的論文數(shù)不勝數(shù)，很多作家和學(xué)者都從外貿(mào)函電的禮貌原則、委婉表達等角度著手。本篇論文作者試圖分析虛擬語氣在外貿(mào)函電中的應(yīng)用，虛擬語氣在外貿(mào)函電中

7、常用來提出要求、建議和勸告，語氣委婉，語義含蓄。在外貿(mào)函電中，商務(wù)人員常用動詞的虛擬語氣形式，客氣委婉、溫和地表達自己的觀點、請求和建議，這樣更有利于在平等友好的氣氛中達到各自的目的，也有利于建立長期穩(wěn)定的業(yè)務(wù)關(guān)系。從這個角度出發(fā)，本篇論文的作者從以下幾個方面著手:簡要介紹外貿(mào)函電的寫作原則，簡要回顧虛擬語氣的基本用法，然后舉例說明虛擬語氣在外貿(mào)函電中的應(yīng)用。通過調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)很多人的論文都是從外貿(mào)函電中的禮貌原則和委婉表達的角度著手的，從虛

8、擬語氣在外貿(mào)函電中的應(yīng)用的角度著手的還是很少很少的，這也使本論文的寫作難度加大，同時也使本文的研究更有必要，因為研究結(jié)果會豐富關(guān)于外貿(mào)函電的論文。</p><p>　　關(guān)鍵詞：虛擬語氣,外貿(mào)函電,委婉表達,禮貌原則</p><p>　　Introduction</p><p>　　With the development of technology, busines

9、s correspondence is experiencing a rebirth. In order to save time and cut expense, thousands upon thousands of business communications were conducted through cable or telex before, and are now being sent by fax or e-mail

10、. In this case, mastering the skills of writing an effective business letter in short time has become an emergence for those who want to represent themselves positively to their customers, competitors and employers. Howe

11、ver, composing a </p><p>　　Business letters are used in business transactions in order to promote international trade relationship and to transform information as a form of organizing communication with the

12、outside world. Business letters have great deal of usages, such as inquiring information, giving a reply, offering, negotiating and adjusting, ordering goods, selling products, proposing ideas and building good will. Bus

13、iness letters are the written way for the both sides to do business, after reaching agreement about </p><p>　　As far as concerned, doing business is a kind of cooperation with the other party, so the two par

14、ties should trust each other and be willing to communicate with each other and conquer difficulties as much as they can. Their trust and cooperation attitude between the writer the reader will definitely be shown in bus

15、iness writing.</p><p>　　Business letters are indispensable to business communication, specially, "a piece of conversation by post",(Gan Hong,1979); it is special kind of communication.</p>&

16、lt;p>　　Classification of business letters</p><p>　　Business letters can be classified from various perspectives. The most prevailing ways of classification are as followed:</p><p>　　Classific

17、ation according to the content of the letter. The following are among the most frequent in use: request letters, letters answering requests, claim and adjustments letters, credit and collection letters, sales letters, em

18、ployment letters and social business letter, etc.(Stewart, 1984:380-381)</p><p>　　Classification according to the different functions in the process of a business transaction. Business letters may be used in

19、 every phase of business activities. There are letters for establishing business relations, letters for the inquiry of business. There are quotation letters, negotiating letters, ordering letters, confirming-order letter

20、s, payment letters, shipment and insurance letters, acknowledging goods receipt letters, claim letters and adjust letters, ect.(Shi Ruifen,1993).</p><p>　　Classification by the nature of the information give

21、n. Stewart(1984:382) summed up four different kinds of information in term of its effect on the reader's needs: good-news, neutral-news letters, bad-news letters and persuasive letters. Good news letters and neutral

22、news letters together are called everyday letters.</p><p>　　Business letters are of too various types for us to make a complete and perfect classification in this thesis. Furthermore, it is inevitable that t

23、here is an overlap between some types of letters suggested above, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish one kind of letters from another.</p><p>　　Additionally, there are few differences among letters, fa

24、xes and E-mails regard to writing. The only difference is that the transmitting means is different. Therefore, in this thesis, we will never distinguish letters from faxes and E-mails.</p><p>　　Chapter One W

25、riting Principles of Business Letters</p><p>　　Business English is widely used in various international correspondence, business negotiation, contract, agreements, document and so on. However there remains a

26、 problem-how to adopt some pragmatic skills and make full use of the English expressive methods and skills so as to make the business activities proceed smoothly and lead to what is expected. This chapter analyses the wr

27、iting principles of the English business correspondence.</p><p>　　1.2 The writing principles of the English correspondence</p><p>　　1.2.1 Courtesy </p><p>　　Courtesy is not mere pol

28、iteness. It stems from a sincere You-attitude.</p><p><b>　　Compare:</b></p><p><b>　　(Polite)</b></p><p>　　We have received with many thanks your letter of Oc

29、t 7, and we take the pleasure of sending you our latest catalog. We wish to draw your attention to a special offer which we have made in it.</p><p>　　(Courteous)</p><p>　　You will be particularl

30、y interested in a special offer on page 5 of the latest catalog enclosed, which you requested in your letter of Oct 7.</p><p>　　In order to make a business letter courteous, try to avoid irritating, offensiv

31、e, or belittling statements. To answer letters promptly is also a matter of courtesy.</p><p>　　1.2.2 Consideration</p><p>　　Consideration emphasizes You-attitude rather than We-attitude. When wr

32、iting a letter, keep the reader’s request, desires, as well as his feelings in mind. Plan the best way to present the message for the reader to receive.</p><p>　　The following points are necessary for writin

33、g a letter to embody consideration:</p><p>　　a. You-attitude</p><p><b>　　Compare:</b></p><p>　　We-attitude </p><p>　　We allow

34、 2 percent discount for cash payment </p><p>　　You-attitude</p><p>　　You earn 2 percent discount when you pay cash.</p><p>　　b. Focus on the positive approach</p><p>　

35、　Compare: </p><p>　　(Positive)</p><p>　　We feel sure that you will be entirely satisfied.</p><p>　　(Negative)</p><p>　　We don’t believe you will have any cause for

36、 dissatisfaction.</p><p>　　1.2.3 Completeness</p><p>　　A business letter should include all the necessary information. It is essential to check the message carefully before it is sent out.</p

37、><p>　　1.2.4 Clarity</p><p>　　The writer must try to express his meaning clearly so that the reader will understand it well. To achieve this, he should try to:</p><p>　　Avoid using the

38、 words which have different understanding or unclear meaning.</p><p>　　e.g. As to the steamers sailing from Hong Kong to San Francisco, we have bimonthly direct.</p><p>　　The word “bimonthly” ha

39、s two meanings: twice a month, or once two months. T The reader will feel puzzled about the meaning.</p><p>　　(Rewriting):</p><p>　　a. We have two direct sai

40、lings every month from Hong Kong to San Francisco.</p><p>　　b. We have semimonthly direct sailing from Hong Kong to San Francisco.</p><p>　　c. We have a direct sailing from Hong Kong to San Fran

41、cisco every two months.</p><p>　　Pay attention to the position of the modifiers.</p><p>　　e.g. a. We shall be able to supply 10 cases of the item only.</p><p>　　b. We shall be able

42、to supply 10 cases only of the item.</p><p>　　The modifier “only” in the above sentences modifies two different words, so the two sentences have different meaning.</p><p>　　Pay attention to the

43、sentence </p><p><b>　　Compare:</b></p><p>　　e.g. a. We sent you 5 samples yesterday of the goods which you requested in your letter of May 25 by air.</p><p>　　b. We sent

44、 you, by air, 5 samples of the goods which you requested in your letter of May 25 yesterday.</p><p>　　Paragraph carefully and properly.</p><p>　　Commercial letters should be clear and tidy, and

45、the content, easy to understand. So a writer should paragraph a letter carefully and properly. One paragraph for each point is a good general rule.</p><p>　　1.2.5 Conciseness</p><p>　　To achieve

46、 conciseness is to use concise sentences and fewest words, without losing completeness and courtesy, to explain the making a letter clearly.</p><p>　　The following are the methods of making a letter concise:

47、</p><p>　　Avoid using wordy expressions.</p><p>　　Wordy: Enclosed herewith please find two copies of…</p><p>　　Concise: We enclose two copies of…</p><p>　　Avoid unneces

48、sary repetition.</p><p>　　Will you ship us any time during the month of December, or even November if you are rushed, for November would suit us just as well.</p><p>　　(Rewriting)</p><

49、;p>　　Please ship us by the end of November.</p><p>　　Use short sentences, simple words and clear explanations.</p><p>　　a. Use a word to replace a phrase.</p><p>　　enclosed herew

50、ithenclosed</p><p>　　a draft in the mount of US $ 1,000 a draft for US $ 1,000</p><p>　　b. Use a phrase replace a sentence. </p><p>　　Please see that an enquiry is conducted t

51、o determine the reason.</p><p>　　Please find out the reason.</p><p>　　c. Use words to replace clauses.</p><p>　　We require a full-automatic washing machine which is of the new type.

52、</p><p>　　We require a new-type full-automatic washing machine.</p><p>　　1.2.6 Concreteness</p><p>　　Make the message specific, definite and vivid.</p><p>　　1.2.7 Corre

53、ctness </p><p>　　Correctness refers not only to correct usage of grammar, punctuation and spelling, but also to standard language, proper statement, accurate figures as well as the correct understanding of c

54、ommercial jargons.</p><p>　　Business letter acts as a special means of written communication between the two parties who may have different cultures, which should be pay special attention to. It is indispens

55、able for both side to choose effective writing strategies and languages in gaining advantages over others. By resorting to the politeness strategies in different context, we can reveal the significance pragmatics of poli

56、teness. A polite and courtesy letter can help to make the trade go on smoothly, while a letter withou</p><p>　　The author of this thesis also thinks that the first principle "courtesy" is the most

57、important one in the English business correspondence writing, and the publication of relevant works on politeness fully demonstrates the vital importance of politeness and its strategies in social interactions, because t

58、he English correspondences are goal-oriented and they take place in specific situations and they aims to build the image of the communicator as well as the company he or she represents. when a r</p><p>　　Cha

59、pter Two the Subjunctive Mood</p><p>　　2.1 The definition of the subjunctive mood</p><p>　　Mood is a set of contrasts which are often shown by the form of the verb and which express the speaker

60、or writer's attitude to what is said or written. Three moods have often been distinguished---the indicative mood, the subjunctive mood and the imperative mood. The indicative mood is used in statements (either affirm

61、ative or negative) of facts, in questions of facts and in exclamations of facts. The subjunctive mood refers to the speaker's thought instead of facts. It expresses wishes, suggesti</p><p>　　Subjunctive

62、mood, which has been active in the English language for many centuries, is one of the necessary grammatical categories of the English language.</p><p>　　Subjunctive mood refers to the speaker's thought i

63、nstead of facts. It expresses wishes, suggestions, and suppositions. The subjunctive mood is the form of a verb which indicates that the speaker's words are not objective fact, but only a subjective wish, an assumpti

64、on, an unreal suspicion or a suggestion.</p><p>　　e.g. I wish I were as young as you.</p><p>　　If there were no subjunctive mood, English would be much easier to learn.</p><p>　　I&#

65、39;m not their servant, but sometimes they treat me as if I were their servant.</p><p>　　The doctor suggested that he try to give up smoking.</p><p>　　2.2 The forms and the types of the subjunct

66、ive mood</p><p>　　The subjunctive mood of the English language is divided into two forms: the present and the past subjunctive mood. But these two forms are inadequate for including all the subjunctive mood

67、forms, because they are not inclusive enough to account for all the seven types of the verb forms in subjunctive sentences as exemplified below:</p><p>　　be-subjunctive</p><p>　　were-subjunctive

68、</p><p>　　had-been- subjunctive</p><p>　　should-be subjunctive</p><p>　　should-have-been-subjunctive</p><p>　　should/would-be-subjunctive</p><p>　　should/w

69、ould-have-done- subjunctive.</p><p>　　According to the concepts of the speaker's willing, the writer of this paper considers it more reasonable to break the subjunctive mood into the following six types

70、regarding: </p><p>　　in the unreal conditional sentences，</p><p>　　expressing wishes, desires, etc., </p><p>　　3. expressing suggestion, command, request, etc.,</p><p>

71、　　4. expressing surprise, strangeness, pity, doubt, disappoint, etc., </p><p>　　5. expressing delicacy or politeness,</p><p>　　6. in the adverbial clauses of concession, comparison and purpose&l

72、t;/p><p>　　2.3 Analysis of the usage of the subjunctive mood</p><p>　　2.3.1 The subjunctive mood used in adverbial clause of conditions with “if”</p><p><b>　　e.g.</b></p

73、><p>　　If I had time, I would certainly go to the movies with you.</p><p>　　He would not feel so cold if he were indoors.</p><p>　　If the earthquake had happened at night, more people

74、would have been killed.</p><p>　　If you had told me earlier, I would not have signed that contract.</p><p>　　If it snowed tomorrow, I would stay at home.</p><p>　　If she were to mar

75、ry Jack, she would be happy.</p><p>　　If she should know it, she would tell me.</p><p><b>　　Notice:</b></p><p>　　1. The word “would” in the principle clause sometimes ca

76、n be replaced by should”, ”could” or “might” according to the person of its subject and the mood of the speaker.</p><p>　　e.g. If he had come yesterday, I should have told him about it.</p><p>

77、　　If I had wings, I could fly all over the world.</p><p>　　If we had made preparations, we might have succeeded.</p><p>　　In written English, if there is the word “were”, “had” or “should” in th

78、e unreal conditional, the introductory word “if” can be left out and “were”, “had” or “should” should be put in front of the subject to form an inversion structure.</p><p>　　e.g. If he were indoors, he would

79、 not feel so cold</p><p>　　-Were he indoors, he would not feel so cold.</p><p>　　If the earthquake had happened at night, more people would have been killed.</p><p>　　-Had the earth

80、quake had happened at night, more people would have been killed.</p><p>　　If I should have time, I would call on her.</p><p>　　-Should I have time, I would call on her.</p><p>　　3.

81、Fixed expressions: “If it were not for…” and “If it had not been for…”</p><p>　　e.g. If it were not for the rain, the crops would become withered.</p><p>　　If it had not been for your help, I wo

82、uld have gone bankrupt.</p><p>　　2.2 unreal conditionals of mixed time</p><p>　　When the time of the conditional and the time of the principal are different from each other, the forms of the sub

83、jective mood should be adjusted according to their respective time. </p><p>　　e.g. If I had taken the umbrella with me this morning, I would not be wet now.</p><p>　　( the present—the present)&l

84、t;/p><p>　　If I were you, I would not have missed the film last night.</p><p>　　( the present—the past)</p><p>　　If they had left home early this morning, they would arrive in half an

85、hour.</p><p>　　( the past—the future)</p><p>　　2.3 sentence with implied conditions</p><p>　　In English, there are some sentences with implied conditions. If the condition is unreal

86、, the predicate verb of the sentence should use the form of the subjunctive mood.</p><p>　　e.g. But for your help, we could not have succeeded.</p><p>　　(=If it had not been for your help, we co

87、uld not have succeeded.)</p><p>　　They would not have reached the agreement so easily without that common ground. (=They would not have reached the agreement so easily if it had not been for that common grou

88、nd.)</p><p>　　She drove so fast. Otherwise she would not have had the car accident.</p><p>　　(=If she had not driven so fast, she would not have had the car accident.)</p><p>　　3 s

89、ubjunctive mood used in object clauses</p><p>　　e.g. I wish she were here now.</p><p>　　I wish she had taken my advice last time.</p><p>　　I wish you would go with us tomorrow.</

90、p><p>　　3.2 The object clause following the verb “suggest”, “order”, “demand”, etc.</p><p>　　In the object clause following the verbs “suggest”, “advise”, “propose”, “order”, “command”, “demand”, “

91、require”, “request”, “desire”, “insist”, “promise”, “urge”, </p><p>　　“decide”, “ask”, etc., the predicate verbs in the object clauses should use the form of the subjunctive mood as follows: should+ verb ste

92、m.</p><p>　　e.g. The expert proposed that TV should be turned off at least one hour every day.</p><p>　　He ordered that all books should be sent at once.</p><p>　　They requested tha

93、t he should sing a song.</p><p>　　The workers demanded that their wages should be raised by 10 percent.</p><p><b>　　Notice:</b></p><p>　　The word “should” in the predica

94、te verb can be left out, especially in American English.</p><p>　　e.g. They requested that he sing a song.</p><p>　　The workers demanded that their wages be raised by 10 percent.</p><

95、p>　　Among the verbs mentioned above, when the verb “suggest” doesn’t mean “to offer for consideration or action”, but “to make evident indirectly or to imply”; when the verb “insist” doesn’t mean “ to demand persisten

96、tly and forcefully”, but “to think firmly that something is true”; when the verb “ask” doesn’t mean “to make a request of “, but “to put a question”, the predicate verbs in the object clauses do not use the form of the s

97、ubjunctive mood.</p><p>　　e.g. He suggested that we (should) discuss the question at the next meeting.</p><p>　　When asked why he refused the invitation, he suggested that he was not on good ter

98、ms with the director.</p><p>　　She insisted that he was not involved in the case.</p><p>　　The examination instructions ask that students (should) not use a red pen.</p><p>　　They a

99、sked when the film would begin.</p><p>　　the object clause following “would rather”, “would sooner”, “would as soon”, “just as soon”, etc.</p><p>　　e.g. I’d rather you paid the money yourself.&l

100、t;/p><p>　　I would sooner she painted the wall green next time.</p><p>　　I’d rather he hadn’t done that.</p><p><b>　　Notice: </b></p><p>　　In the following two

101、 structures “would rather…than (that)…” and “would…rather than (that)…” the verbs in the clauses following “that” should use the form of the subjunctive mood as follows: should+ verb stem.</p><p>　　e.g. I wo

102、uld rather die than (that) he should know the secret.</p><p>　　He’d do anything rather than (that) he should live with such a shameless woman.</p><p>　　subjunctive mood used in other clauses<

103、/p><p>　　4.1 “That-clause” used after the nouns as “suggestion”, “order”, “demand”, etc.</p><p>　　In the “that-clauses” (usually the predicative, subject or appositive clauses) used after such noun

104、s as “suggestion”, “advice”, “proposal”, “order”, “demand”, “requirement”, “request”, “desire”, “decision”, etc., the predicate verbs should use the form of the subjunctive mood as follows: should+ verb stem. (“should” c