书信是一种应用非常广泛的应用文形式之一。
英文书信的种类很多，但可以把它们归为两大类，一类是私人书信（personal letters），另一类是商务书信（business letters），例如：申请信、求职信、推荐信、证明信、感谢信等。
英文书信的书写有一定的格式。
一封完整的书信应包括寄信人的地址和日期；收信人的姓名和地址；称呼、正文、结尾和签名。
书信题的写作方法：（一）信封格式：名字、信箱、地域范围由小到大，写在右下角（与我们相反）。
（二）信纸格式：日期：本月份的缩写称呼（后面的标点是逗号,冒号）:Dear Sir or Madam, To whom it may concern, 正文：空4个字节或者顶格写，段与段之间空行）签名：sincerely yours（三）开头段：1、告知对方你的身份（假如对方不认识你）Dear Sir/ Mr. Smith,I was a student at your college, enrolled in Philosophy Department./ I am a… at your…/ I am a … at your college, enrolled in the… course./ My name is…, I am…2、问候收信人（假如他/她是你的朋友）Dear Tom,Hello / Hi. How are you? / I hope everything is fine. / How are things going with you?/ How are you getting on in / getting along with…..?3. 解释写信的原因（1）致谢：Thank you for your letter about studying in Canada./ I am writing to tell you how grateful I am for…/ I would like to thank you most sincerely for…（2）抱怨：I am writing to complain about the poor service at your dining-room./ I wish t o make a complaint about…/ I am writing to draw your attention to….（3）致歉：I am writing to you because I am unable to…./ I am terribly sorry that…./ I would like to express my apologies for not being able to….（4）询问：I would like to obtain /request/seek/inquire some information about…/ I am writing to ask if you can do me a favor./ I would like some detailed information on/about….（四）结尾段：1、发出请求（1）Please give this matter your immediate attention.（2）I would very much appreciate it if……as soon as po ssible.2、提供帮助（1）I hope these……will be helpful, and please feel free to contact me for more information.（2）……will be taking responsibility for you and if you should need any assistance, she/he will be pleased to help you3、再次表示歉意或感激（1）Thank you for your kind assistance.（2）Please accept my heartfelt thanks and deepest gratitude, now and always.（3）I am sorry that I cannot……, and trust that you will understand.（4）In addition, let me apologize for anyinconvenience I may have caused.（5）Once again, I am sorry for any inconvenience caused.4、期盼回信：（1）I look forward to your prompt response.（2）Looking forward to a prompt reply,（3）I expect to hear from you very soon.（4）I hope to receive your reply shortly.实例：1. 给John Brown先生写一封短信．内容：已收到他3月12日的来信．请他于本月25来我公司，讨论合作细节．请他将航班告诉你．你公司的李小姐将去机场接他．24th March, 2000Dear Mr. John Brown,Thank you very much for your letter dated 12th March. Could you come over to my company so that we can discuss the details of our cooperation? If yes, please inform me of your flight. I have arranged for Miss Li of my company to meet you at the airport. Wish you a pleasant journey.Yours sincerely,Wang Deming2. Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a Letter of Apology. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese:1. 表达自己对晚交论文一事的歉意。
2. 说明未能按时交论文的原因。
3. 表示自己将尽快把论文补交上并表示以后将按时交作业。
●审题概述●这是一封道歉信，写的时候要遵循道歉信的一般模式：开篇直奔主题，然后说明原因，最后提出可能的补救措施。
第一段，对晚交论文及对此造成的后果表示歉意；第二段，说明理由（可信的理由，而不是随便应付老师的借口）；第三段，表示尽快完成论文。
A Letter of Apology24th Oct. , 2008Dear Mr. Wang,①I am writing to apologize for my late homework. The paper which you ②assigned to us last Monday was ③due this Friday, but to my regret, I haven’t even started it yet. I feel really sorry for not handing in the paper on time and ④for the inconvenience it would bring to you.I caught a serious cold last week and the doctor asked me to stay in bed for a week since I was very weak and the weather was very cold these days. Therefore, I couldn’t go to the library to get the necessary ①referential information which was needed for my paper. As a result of this, I have not started writing the paper yet and could nothand it in on time.Fortunately I have finally fully recovered. I will finish the paper as soon as I can and ①try my best to hand in homework on time in the future.Sincerely yours,Li Ming3. Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a Letter.You should write at least120 words following the outline given below in Chinese:给小何写信感谢他接待你在云南旅游，并且回忆美好的旅行经历，同时邀请小何来你的家乡做客●审题概述●这是一封感谢信，一般要表明感谢的事由。
本题可分三部分：感谢小何在云南的接待；回忆在云南的经历；邀请小何来做客。
June 17th ,2006 Dear Xiao He,Thank you so much for having invited me for the tour of Yunnan, your home province. I had a fantastic time with you and your family. Your great hospitality will be unforgettable throughout my life.When I think of those gorgeous豪华的places of scenic beauty you showed me around, I couldn’t b e more delighted. And the pineapple菠萝pie Grandma prepared for me is out of this world. I had never had so delicious food! Indeed, I am still missing your snug 整洁的log-cabin原木小木屋, small and cozy, which was turned into my dream house in fairy land those nights.Would you come to Harbin, my home town, some time this summer vacation? Harbin, a beautiful place frequently referred to as Oriental Paris, offers a picture of another kind. I can assure you another pleasant tour. My family and I cannot wait to see you here.Yours,Li Ming。