Business English [Paperback]

Andrea Geffner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764124447 | ISBN-13: 978-0764124440 | Publication Date: December 3, 2003 | Edition: 4

This updated edition provides clear, concise instruction on every form of business writing, from traditional business letters to e-mail and other electronic communications. Pointing out that effective business English begins with mastering grammar and sentence structure, the author presents a brush-up course on the basics of correct usage. Second to grammatical correctness, the biggest challenge in preparing business documents is achieving an appropriate business style that conveys the writer's message succinctly without resorting to stilted, overly formal language. The author advises on how to achieve a natural tone, and to avoid meaningless jargon. She follows up with good examples of model business letters, r©sum©s, employment letters, interoffice memos, news releases, and business reports. Additional features include exercises with answers and a glossary of business terms.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Business English



Here is clear, concise instruction on every form of business writing, from traditional business letters to e-mail and other electronic communications. Pointing out that effective business English begins with mastering grammar and sentence structure, the author presents a brush-up course on the basics of correct usage. Just as important, she shows how to achieve an appropriate business style that lets you convey your message succinctly without resorting to stilted, overly formal language.



Use this book and learn—

How to achieve a natural tone

How to avoid meaningless jargon

How to create every type of business document, including business letters, r©sum©s, employment letters, interoffice memos, news releases, and business reports



You’ll find models of each kind of business document, as well as exercises with answers and a glossary of business terms.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 4 edition (December 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764124447
• ISBN-13: 978-0764124440
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #765,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Full of mistakes, June 27, 2009

By 

Cat Tree - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Business English (Paperback)

The basic set up of the book (grammar to start, practice of business English in the final chapters) is fine. Although most of the time it is fine, the language in the second part seems a little bit dated. But my main problem with the book: there are so many mistakes that it seems if nobody edited the thing.
You'll find questions in the exercises of which the grammatical explanation has not been giving. In several exercises you are asked to mark the subject or the verb of a sentence, but when you check your answer in the back of the book it turns out the correct answer according to the writer is a word that isn't even in the sentence. This constantly makes you doubt yourself; is it another mistake of the writer or did I answer this incorrectly and maybe I did things wrong while the book said my answer was right? Sometimes when more then one answer is possible it only gives you one.
The grammar is a bit basic and sometimes important exceptions are left out of the book - if you'd only follow the rules in this book it will lead to making errors in for instance punctuation, pluralizing and with the possessive S.
The format and design of the book are also pretty old fashioned and sometimes plain wrong when there are blanks to fill out an answer where there shouldn't be one and vice versa.
This book has potential but they completely screwed it up to the point that I wondered if maybe I was sold a misprint. I have not listed half the mistakes and problems of the book, so I do not recommend you buy (this edition of) this book.

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Buy The c.2010 5th Edition Either Due To Errors, June 18, 2010

By 

Linda (AKRON, OH, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Business English (Paperback)

I am currently using Geffner's new 5th Edition, c. April 2010, and unfortunately
many of the answers in the back of the book are incorrect. This is adding
confusion to my studies and my quiz scores are lower than they could be.
I am currently an online student and study by myself. I was hoping a prior
edition of the book would contain the correct answers (at that time), but I
see a reviewer of the 4th Edition has complained about the same problem.
It is too bad because the order and contents of this book are very good.
I have emailed the publisher asking for a corrected answer section but have
not heard back at this time.

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for advanced ESL or native speakers, March 25, 2009

By 

E Neel (Houston TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Business English (Paperback)

I teach an ESL course in business English and this helps both the teacher and the students. Starts with basic grammar and moves on to tone and other more advanced topics.