CHRISTMAS MORNING WITH THE JOHNSONS The Johnson family is celebrating Christmas.

The kids, Ted and Nicole, are home from college for the holidays. Teds girlfriend Amber is also with them. Now its time to gather around the tree and open the presents. Susan: Merry Christmas, everyone! Bob: Its wonderful to have the family here for the holiday. Now that Mom and I are empty nesters, the house is usually so quiet. Nicole: Im sure you miss Teds loud rock music at 2 a.m.! Susan: Who would like to start out the day with one of my fresh-baked gingerbread cookies? Nicole: Mom, its 10 oclock in the morning. Who eats cookies so early? Ted: Get in the holiday spirit! Ill take a cookie, Mom. Amber: Mind if I take one too? Susan: Be my guest. Bob: Lets get started with the presents. (everyone sits by the Christmas tree) Bob: Heres one for Amber from Ted. Amber: (opens box) A beautiful silver nose ring! Just what I wanted. How did you know? Ted: You dropped a few hints! Bob: This big box is for Mom from Ted. (Susan unwraps present and takes out a sweater) Nicole: Oh, its an ugly Christmas sweater! Bob: Nicole, its the thought that counts. Besides, that sweater is quite a conversation piece. Susan: Thanks, Ted. I love it. Look at all the smiling snowmen on the sweater. Looking at their happy faces would help anyone beat the holiday blues! Bob: And this present is for Ted from Nicole. Ted: (unwraps present) Its a book. Chemistry for Dummies. Just what I wanted. Did you save the receipt?* Nicole: Dont look a gift horse in the mouth! Bob: And heres a present for Ted from Mom and me. Ted: (unwraps present) A new iPad. Great! Thanks a lot. Nicole: Now Ted can spend even more time playing video games. Ted: Mind your own business! Susan: Thats enough, guys. I hope you two wont be at each others throats for the entire holiday. Bob: Right. Dont forget what Bing Crosby* said: Christmas has a way of bringing out the best in everyone. Ted: Bing Crosby never met Nicole!

* Ted is asking for the sales receipt so he can return the book. * Bing Crosby was an American singer and actor (1903-1977). His most popular song was his 1941 recording of White Christmas, written by Irving Berlin. IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS at each others throats arguing with each other; fighting Example: Gina and Jim are always at each others throats. I cant believe theyre still married! be my guest help yourself; go ahead and do something Example: Do you mind if I slice the apple pie? Be my guest. (to) beat the holiday blues to do something so that one does not feel stressed and depressed during the holidays Example: Susan always says that helping others is a great way to beat the holiday blues. (to) bring out the best in someone to cause someone to behave in the best way; to bring out their best qualities Example: With her great sense of humor and positive attitude, Amber always brings out the best in people. conversation piece something unusual that attracts attention or makes people talk Example: My boss gave me a sparkling angel pin for Christmas. Its a real conversation piece! Dont look a gift horse in the mouth dont be ungrateful when you receive a gift Example: These earrings Jane gave me are so ugly! Dont look a gift horse in the mouth. (to) drop a hint to give a small hint or clue about something Example: I dont know what you want for Christmas. I wish youd drop some hints! empty nester a parent whose child has grown up and left the house Example: Now that Tina and Carl are empty nesters, theyre planning to travel around the world. (to) get in the holiday spirit to start having good feelings about the holidays Example: Anna put on a Bing Crosy Christmas CD to try to get in the holiday spirit. How did you know? asked when someone gives you just the gift that you wanted Example: Great, a new Herms tie! How did you know? its the thought that counts it doesnt matter what the gift is, at least the giver was kind enough to give something Example: Look at these bunny rabbit slippers my friend gave me. Theyre ridiculous! Its the thought that counts. mind your own business dont interfere in matters that you are not a part of Example: Nicole, who was that guy you were talking to on the phone? Mind your own business, Ted. (to) start out the day with to begin the day with Example: Nicole always starts out the day with a jog around the block. ugly Christmas sweater a tacky sweater with holiday themes like Christmas trees, reindeer, or snowmen and bold colors Example: Mike always wears his ugly Christmas sweater to his office holiday party.

Requesting Information
Dreamtime Movies Universal Ltd
54 Oxford Road, Skagnes SK3 4RG Tel: 0223 123 4567 Fax: 0223 765 4321 Email: info@dreamtimemovies.com.uk

Date Lingua Services Galactic Ltd 69 Milk Street LONDON SW7 6AW Dear Sirs Translation Brochure I should be grateful if you would send us your brochure and price list about your translation services. We are currently developing our sales literature and web sites and are interested in translating these into five languages apart from English. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully

Andrea Philips
Andrea Philips Marketing Manager

Sending Information
Lingua Services Galactic Ltd
69 Milk Street, LONDON SW7 6AW, UK Tel: +44 20 123 4567 Fax: +44 20 765 4321 Email: info@linguaservicesgalactic.com

Date Ms Andrea Philips Dreamtime Movies Universal Ltd 54 Oxford Road Skagnes SK3 4RG Dear Ms Philips Translation Services & Fees Thank you for your letter of 22 January enquiring about our translation services. Lingua Services Galactic offer a full range of translation services to help you in the development of sales literature and web sites. I have pleasure in enclosing our latest brochures and price list from which you can see that our prices are highly competitive. I look forward to calling you in a few days. Yours sincerely

James Brown
James T Brown Sales Manager Enc: 3

Resignation Letter
22 Tufton Street London, SW1P 3TL Tel: 020 7593 1760 November 1st, 2007 Josie Waters Fielders Pharmacy 14 Broadway London, SE1 7DG Dear Mrs. Waters, I am writing to provide formal notice of my resignation from Fielders Pharmacy. My last day will be November 14th, 2006. I trust that two weeks is sufficient notice for you to find a replacement for my position. I would be pleased to help train the individual you choose to take my place. Thank you for employing me for the past three years. My experience as clerk, supervisor, and floor manager has been very positive and I'm confident that I will use many of the skills I have learned at Fielders in the future. If you have any concerns, please contact me at my personal email address. All the best,

Annie Wright
Annie Wright awright@homemail.com

Letter of Invitation
PJ Party 22 Yew Street, Cambridge, Ontario Tel: 416-223-8900 April 7th, 20-Dear Valued Customer: Our records show that you have been a customer of PJ Party Inc. since our grand opening last year. We would like to thank you for your business by inviting you to our preferred customer Spring Extravaganza this Saturday. Saturday's sales event is by invitation only. All of our stock, including pajamas and bedding will be marked down from 50-80% off.* Doors open at 9:00 AM sharp. Complimentary coffee and donuts will be served. Public admission will commence at noon. In addition, please accept the enclosed $10 gift certificate to use with your purchase of $75 or more. We look forward to seeing you at PJ's on Saturday. Please bring this invitation with you and present it at the door. Sincerely,

Linda Lane
Linda Lane Store Manager pjpartyinc@shoponline.com *All sales are final. No exchanges. Enclosure: Gift Certificate #345 (not redeemable for cash)

Internal Memo
CHOCOLATE HEAVEN EMPORIUM MEMORANDUM TO: All Staff FROM: Management T.C. DATE: November 9th, 20-SUBJECT: STAFF CHRISTMAS PARTY

It's that time of year again. As you all know, Christmas is our busiest season of the year. Every year it is a struggle for management and supervisors to find the time and energy to organize a staff Christmas party. This year, we have decided to postpone the Christmas party until after our busy season. Party Details

Date: Second or third Saturday in January (T.B.A) Theme: Beach Food: Caribbean Special events: Karaoke and belly dancing

We apologize that the celebration will have to wait until the new year, but we guarantee that it will be worth the wait. Anyone interested in volunteering to help out with the event is encouraged to call Lucy, our events coordinator. Lucy's cell phone number is 222-3098. Please contact Lucy outside of business hours regarding this matter. Thank you. T.C.

Parts of a Business Letter

Lesson 29: Writing Business Letters >>> Parts of a Business Letter

The Heading (The Retern Address) or Letterhead - Companies usually use printed paper where heading or letterhead is specially designed at the top of the sheet. It bears all the necessary information about the organisations identity.

Date - Date of writing. The month should be fully spelled out and the year written with all four digits October 12, 2005 (12 October 2005 - UK style). The date is aligned with the return address. The number of the date is pronounced as an ordinal figure, though the endings st, nd, rd, th, are often omitted in writing. The article before the number of the day is pronounced but not written. In the body of the letter, however, the article is written when the name of the month is not mentioned with the day.

The Inside Address - In a business or formal letter you should give the address of the recipient after your own address. Include the recipient's name, company, address and postal code. Add job title if appropriate. Separate the recipient's name and title with a comma. Double check that you have the correct spelling of the recipient 's name. The Inside Address is always on the left margin. If an 8 1/2" x 11" paper is folded in thirds to fit in a standard 9" business envelope, the inside address can appear through the window in the envelope.

The Greeting - Also called the salutation. The type of salutation depends on your relationship with the recipient. It normally begins with the word "Dear" and always includes the person's last name. Use every resource possible to address your letter to an actual person. If you do not know the name or the sex of of your reciever address it to Dear Madam/Sir (or Dear Sales Manager or Dear Human Resources Director). As a general rule the greeting in a business letter ends in a colon (US style). It is also acceptable to use a comma (UK style).

The Subject Line (optional) - Its inclusion can help the recipient in dealing successfully with the aims of your letter. Normally the subject sentence is preceded with the wordSubject: or Re: Subject line may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font, or all captial letters. It is usually placed one line below the greeting but

alternatively can be located directly after the "inside address," before the "greeting."

The Body Paragraphs - The body is where you explain why youre writing. Its the main part of the business letter. Make sure the receiver knows who you are and why you are writing but try to avoid starting with "I". Use a new paragraph when you wish to introduce a new idea or element into your letter. Depending on the letter style you choose, paragraphs may be indented. Regardless of format, skip a line between paragraphs.

The Complimentary Close - This short, polite closing ends always with a comma. It is either at the left margin or its left edge is in the center, depending on the Business Letter Style that you use. It begins at the same column the heading does. The traditional rule of etiquette in Britain is that a formal letter starting "Dear Sir or Madam" must end "Yours faithfully", while a letter starting "Dear " must end "Yours sincerely". (Note: the second word of the closing is NOT capitalized)

Signature and Writers identification - The signature is the last part of the letter. You should sign your first and last names. The signature line may include a second line for a title, if appropriate. The signature should start directly above the first letter of the signature line in the space between the close and the signature line. Use blue or black ink.

Initials, Enclosures, Copies - Initials are to be included if someone other than the writer types the letter. If you include other material in the letter, put 'Enclosure', 'Enc.', or ' Encs. ', as appropriate, two lines below the last entry. cc means a copy or copies are sent to someone else.

The format (layout) is the visual organisation of a business letter. You can follow many different formats when you create business letters. Be aware that there are often differences depending upon location. The main business letter formats are:

Full-Block Style - All the elements are aligned to the left margin and there are no indented lines. This is a standard block-style format that is accepted by most businesses. Modified Block Style - The return address, date, closing and signature start

just to the right of the center of the page or may be flush with the right margin. All body paragraphs begin at the left margin. Indented or Semi-Block Style - Similar to the modified block business letter style except that the first line of each paragraph is indented.