ESL Guide to American Business English

Book excerpt: Focused especially to fit the needs of ESL students, this handbook for communicating in business situations describes a wide variety of business writings, and recommends appropriate styles and formats for each. Samples and instruction cover sales and public relations letters, reports and proposals, resumes, job applications, and much more. A section on usage reviews basics of English grammar, emphasizing sentence construction and verb forms. Students of English as a second language who plan to do business in North America can become confused by jargon and formalisms that sometimes invade business correspondence. Author Andrea Geffner's advice to them is to relax and stop worrying about sounding "business-like" or "official." Correct but relaxed English is always preferable. This book will meet the needs of all ESL students--especially those in business schools--but can also serve as a general quick reference guide in any business office.