华育中学-商务英语写作指南（连载）

小李子

编注：从今天开始，我们开这个帖，和各位一同学习纯正的商务英语，提高我们的商务英语能力。

能把人绕晕的account

根据不同的语境，account这个词可以有很多不同的解释，也有很多约定俗成的固定用法。因此，如果在使用account这个词时未加注意，那么就有可能造成歧义和理解上的困难。

The word “account” can mean a variety of things, depending on the context in which it is used. It also has many idiomatic uses. As a result, if not used with great care, the word can cause ambiguity and make sentences difficult to understand.
根据不同的语境，account这个词可以有很多不同的解释，也有很多约定俗成的固定用法。因此，如果在使用account这个词时未加注意，那么就有可能造成歧义和理解上的困难。


Consider the following sentence (it’s an exaggeration, but I have often seen similar):
来看一下下面这个例句（虽然这是个极端的情况，但我确实经常看到类似的句子）：


On account of a payment made on account of the service charges on the Lessor’s account, no further payments on this account are necessary.
由于与服务相关的账目费用已经汇入Lessor的银行账户，因此没有必要再付任何费用了。


The word “account” appears four times, and has three different meanings. This makes the sentence thoroughly confusing for a reader, and so some serious editing is necessary.
在这句话中，account这个词出现了四次，包含了三种不同的含义。这就让读者很难理解这句话想表达的意思，因此需要做出一些必要的修改。


First of all let’s look at each phrase in turn: (1) On account of a payment made (2) on account of the service charges (3) on the Lessor’s account, no further payments (4) on this account are necessary.
首先让我们来看一下每个用到account的词组搭配：(1) On account of a payment made (2) on account of the service charges (3) on the Lessor’s account, no further payments (4) on this account are necessary.


(1) The first phrase, on account of means literally “by reason of”. The writer could also use “due to”, “as a result of”, or “because of”.
（1）第一个词组“On account of”就是“由于、因为”的意思。作者也可以用“due to”，“as a result of”或者“because of”等来表示。


(2) The second use of on account of is ambiguous because it does not mean “by reason of”. Rather it means “on the service charge account”, i.e. the record of credits related to the service charges.
（2）第二个词组中的“on account of”就有些歧义，在这里它并不表示“由于、因为”的意思，更倾向于表示“服务费账目”，即与服务费相关的信用记录。


(3) The phrase on the Lessor’s account contains an error that I frequently see. It is a serious mistake because it changes the meaning of the sentence. What the writer means is “into the Lessor’s (bank) account”. However, the phrase “on someone’s account” is idiomatic and means “on someone’s behalf”. But this payment was not made on the Lessor’s behalf, rather it was made into his bank account!
（3）第三个词组中的“on the Lessor’s account”出现了一个我经常看到的错误。这是一个严重的问题，因为它改变了整句话的意思。作者想要表达的意思应该是“汇入Lessor的银行账户”。但是“on someone’s account”是有固定用法的，相当于“on someone’s behalf”（代表某人）。但这个词组的意思并不是“代表Lessor的账户”，而是把钱汇入Lessor的账户！


Remember that in English payments are made “into or to a bank account” and NOT “on a bank account”.
记住，在英语中，付款是“汇入（into或者to）某人的账户”，而不是“在（on）某人的账户上”。


(4) The last phrase – on this account – has three possible meanings. It contains the same ambiguity as the second use of on account of: Does the writer mean “for this reason”, or is he referring to the record of credits related to the services charges? The third possible meaning is “into a bank account”. Although this phrase is very ambiguous, it does not actually cause a problem here because the sentence ultimately means the same thing whichever way you understand this phrase.
最后一个词组“on this account”有三种不同的含义。首先，和第二个词组on account of一样，on this account到底是表示“由于（for this reason）”的意思，还是表示“与服务费相关的账目”的意思？以上就包含了两个不同的意思。第三种意思是“汇入银行账户（into a bank account）”。虽然这个词组很有歧义，不过在前后文中它的意思还是很明确的，不管你怎么理解这个词组，它所表达的意思都是一样的。


But I think you’ll agree that it is not very satisfactory to write something that can be interpreted in three different ways.
但是，我想如果一个词组可以有三种解释，你也不会对这种用法感到满意吧。

joeanni

留着慢慢学习

小李子

用错until now 意思南辕北辙

until now在写作中很常见，比如：直到刚才我还没收到你的邮件。这句话到底是想说我现在收到了你的邮件了呢？还是想说，我到现在还没收到你的邮件？是不是已经蒙了？今天告诉你正确的、地道的until now的用法，下次再也不会词不达意了。

The phrase “until now” is often used incorrectly. This can result in a sentence having the opposite meaning to the one intended.
词组“直到刚才”经常被误用，而误用的结果就是句意可能与写作人想表达的原意完全相反。


Consider the following sentence:Until now, the above documents and information have not been provided by the Banks.
来看看这句句子：直到刚才，银行还没有提供上述的文件和信息。


What does the writer mean? Have the Banks provided the documents and information or not?
作者的意思是什么？银行到底有没有提供文件和信息？


A native English speaker would be likely to say yes. But the writer intended to say that they have not.
母语为英语的人的回答是肯定的（即文件和信息已提交），而作者实际上想要表达的是否定的意思（即文件和信息还未提交）。


In English the phrase “until now” is used to refer to a change of circumstances where the change happens now.
在英语中，词组“直到刚才”用来指在刚才那个时刻事情已经发生了变化。


E.g. Until now I have never eaten sushi.
例句：直到刚才，我还从来没吃过寿司。


This means that it is the first time the speaker has eaten sushi. Until the present moment the speaker never ate sushi. NOW the speaker is eating sushi.
这句话的意思是这是说话者第一次吃寿司。在说这句话之前，说话者从来没有吃过。现在说话者正在吃寿司。


So, if we apply this understanding of “until now” to the first example, it means that until the present moment the Banks have not provided the documents and information. NOW (or in the very recent past) they have provided them.That is how a native English speaker would understand the sentence.
那么，让我们把这个含义用到第一个例子中去，这句话的意思就是：直到刚才，银行还没有提供文件和信息。但是，刚才（或者比这早一些时候），银行已经提交了。英语为母语的人就是这么理解“直到刚才”的意思的。


Instead of “until now”, in this sentence the writer should have used the phrases “to date”, “as yet” or “so far”. They all have the same meaning. “To date” is formal; “so far” informal.
如果要表示否定的意思，就不应该用“until now”，可以用“to date”，“as yet”，或者“so far”，上述词组都表示目前为止的意思，“to date”是正式用法，“so far”是非正式用法。


To date, the above documents and information have not been provided by the Banks.
例句：目前为止，银行还没有把上述文件和信息提交过来。

小李子

不可小觑的consult

The verb “consult” has three different meanings and accordingly behaves in three different ways. It is important to ensure your grammar and sentence structure match the meaning you intend.
单词consult有三个不同的意思，相对应地也有三种不同的用法。在使用时，要确保每种用法的语法和句式结构都能对应的上，而且用的正确。


1. “Consult”usually means “to seek advice or information”. It is a transitive verb, which means it needs an object.
一.consult表示“寻求意见或信息”。这时，consult作及物动词，需要加宾语。


WRONG
错误用法：


Would the employer be obliged to consult before reducing pay?
雇主在减薪前需要先咨询吗？


RIGHT
正确用法：


Would the employer be obliged to consult the employee representatives before reducing pay?
雇主在减薪前需要先咨询员工代表吗？


You can also consult a dictionary, an encyclopedia, or any other written reference.
你也可以向字典、百科全书或者任何书面文献寻求信息。


E.g.: If you don’t know how to spell a word, consult a dictionary.
例句：如果你不知道怎么拼写单词，你可以去查字典。


Always put the person or thing being consulted after the word “consult”:
consult作及物动词时，一定要在consult后加某人或某物。


WRONG
错误用法：


We recommend consulting the transaction with the works council.
我们建议向工会咨询交易事项。


RIGHT
正确用法：


We recommend consulting the works council about the transaction.
我们建议向工会咨询有关交易的事项。


In sentences like this, consult with is incorrect. Instead use about or for.
在consult后要加介词的话，用with是不正确的，可以用about或者for代替。


You consult somebody about …
你可以向某人咨询......


E.g.: The employer must consult the employee representatives about reducing pay.
例句：雇主必须向员工代表咨询减薪事宜。


You consult something for …
你可以向某物寻求信息......


E.g.: He consulted the company website for information on internships.
例句：他在该公司的网页上找实习工作的相关信息。


2. You can only use consult with when “consult”means “discuss something in order to make a decision”. In this case it is an intransitive verb, so you cannot write anything between the words “consult”and “with”:
二.当你用consult表示“讨论某事以便做决定”的意思时，你可以在consult后用介词with，因为这时consult是不及物动词，你不可以在consult和with之间加任何内容。


E.g.: He consulted with his lawyer for 15 minutes before returning to the meeting.
例句：在他回去开会之前，他向律师咨询了15分钟。


3. “To consult”can also mean “to act as a consultant”. In this case it is also an intransitive verb. It may be followed by “for”:
三.“to consult”也可以表示“作为一名顾问”的意思。这种用法，consult也是不及物动词，后面可加介词for。


E.g.: He retired last year, but still consults for his old firm.
例句：他去年退休了，不过仍然在为老东家做顾问。

小李子

介词of大揭秘（一）

在英语写作中，尤其在商务写作中，我们总觉得用of比用's显得更正式。其实，如果不分情况滥用of的话，反而会使得文章累赘不堪，而且容易造成阅读困难。下面就来说说什么时候用of，什么时候用's。


I find that non-native English speakers tend to use the word “of” much too often. “Of” is also frequently used incorrectly instead of other prepositions.
我发现非英语为母语的人经常用of这个词，但是这个词比起其他介词来，也更常被误用。


Non-native English speakers tend to write, for example, the attorney of the claimant where native speakers would write the claimant’s attorney. Although both structures are grammatically correct, phrases like the attorney of the claimant increase the “wordiness” and complexity of a sentence and make your writing more difficult to read.
非英语为母语的人喜欢这样表达“the attorney of the claimant”（原告的律师），而英语国家人士则习惯于这样表达“the claimant’s attorney”。虽然两种表达在语法上都是正确的，但是用of的词组表达则显得语句更为累赘，使句子更加难以理解。


Here are some examples:
看下面的这些例子：

Bad Style  / Good Style
the decision of the regulatory authority  / the regulatory authority’s decision
the approval of the Management Board /  the Management Board’s approval
the consent of the Meeting of Shareholders  / the consent of the Shareholders’ Meeting
the representative of the Company  / the Company’s representative
the total remuneration of the Contractor /  the Contractor’s total remuneration


Note that all these examples refer to a person or a group of people – i.e. the claimant, the regulatory authority, the Management Board, the Shareholders’ Meeting, the Company and the Contractor.
以上的例子所指代的对象都是某人或由某些人组成的组织，比如原告、管理机构、管理局、股东大会、公司和承包人，所以可以用’s来代替of。


Now look at other examples:
再看下面这组例子：

Bad Style  / Good Style
German law’s perspective  /  the perspective of German law
the contract’s termination  / the termination of the contract
the claim’s rejection  / the rejection of the claim
the contract’s annex /  the annex to / of the contract
the judgement’s date /  the date of the judgement
the plans’ realisation  / the realisation of the plans


There are no people involved in any of these examples, so it is better to use of instead of ’s.
这些例子里，都没有涉及到任何人，所以在这里较为恰当的用法还是使用of来代替’s。


I should add, however, that this is a general rule, and there are exceptions to it. But if you follow this rule, it should – most of the time – make your writing easier to read.
我要特别指出的是，这是一条通用法则，当然还有特殊情况。不过，如果你学会了这条法则的话，大多数时候，你的英语写作会更容易阅读。

小李子

介词of大揭秘（二）

前面说明了在商务写作中什么时候用of，什么时候用's（回顾上期>>），但这说的是基本法则，还有一些例外情况，比如说这次要说的在与信函、通知、消息等信息交流形式相关的英语表达时，介词of这个词能不能用，要怎么用。


A letter or email is always from the sender and to the receiver – never of.
在商务信函或电子邮件中，只能用介词from来表示发件人，用介词to表示收件人，从来都不会用介词of。


WRONG
错误用法


We would like to present our standpoint regarding the email of the Company dated 28 January 2011.
针对2011年1月28日的这份公司电邮，我们想表达一下我们的立场（公司电邮的英语表达为the email of the Company）。


RIGHT
正确用法


We would like to present our standpoint regarding the email from the Company dated 28 January 2011.
2011.针对2011年1月28日的这份公司电邮，我们想表达一下我们的立场（公司电邮的英语表达为the email from the Company）。


WRONG
错误用法


In connection with receiving, on 11 March 2011, a letter of the Tender Committee announcing the completion of the second stage of the tender proceedings, please be informed that …
2011年3月11日收到的投标委员会的信函指出投标已完成了第二阶段的工作，请将此告诉（投标委员会的信函的英语表达为a letter of the Tender Committee）......


RIGHT
正确用法


In connection with receiving, on 11 March 2011, a letter from the Tender Committee announcing the completion of the second stage of the tender proceedings, please be informed that …
2011年3月11日收到的投标委员会的信函指出投标已完成了第二阶段的工作，请将此告诉（投标委员会的信函的英语表达为a letter from the Tender Committee）......


The construction “the letter of Anna” is un-English, but it would be understood to mean “Anna’s letter”. Without any context, this tells us nothing about whether Anna wrote the letter or received it.
在英语中，“the letter of Anna”（安娜的信）的这种结构是不会用到的，但可以用“Anna’s letter”来代替。如果没有上下文的话，这种表达既可以被理解为是安娜写的信，也可以理解成是安娜收到的信。


“The letter to Anna” means that Anna received it, while “the letter from Anna” means that Anna wrote it. Only use the construction “Anna’s letter” if it is clear from the context whether Anna wrote or received the letter.
安娜收到的信的英语表达应该是“the letter to Anna”，而安娜写的信应该表述为“the letter from Anna”。如果只是用“Anna’s letter”来表达的话，在没有语境的情况下，则可以包含这两种意思。


This rule also applies to notifications, messages and other forms of communication.
这一条法则在通知、信息和其他的信息交流形式中也同样适用。

浮云

跟着老师学习

小李子

work到底能不能加s？

work是一个小词，又是一个大词。说它小，因为这是我们最早学会的英语单词之一，几乎每天都在使用；说它大，因为它有很多不同的含义和用法。这篇文章将介绍work作为可数名词、不可数名词和与work相关的搭配的用法。

The word “work” can be a verb or noun or even an adjective. This entry looks at “work”and “works”as nouns.
work这个词可以作为动词、名词，甚至形容词，在这里我们只讨论work和works作为名词时的用法。


“Work” has several different meanings, but one of the most common is “exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labour; toil”. In this sense it is an uncountable noun and has no plural form.
work有好几种不同的意思，但有一点是相通的，那就是“通过努力来达到或完成某事，劳动，辛苦工作”。在这种情况下，work是不可数名词，没有复数形式。


E.g.1:We have a lot of work.
例1：我们有很多工作要做。


E.g.2:We will start the work as soon as we have received the signed Power of Attorney.
例2：我们一收到签订好的委托书后就会开始工作。


E.g.3:The work involved 17 hours of lawyer’s work and 5 hours of translator’s work.
例3：这项工作需要17个小时的律师工作和5小时的翻译工作。


“Works” has a different meaning. It is used to describe construction or engineering projects.
works有不同的意思，通常用来形容工程施工等。


E.g.4:There are traffic jams all over the city due to the road works in the centre.
例4：由于市中心在修路，现在城市里到处都是交通堵塞。


E.g.5:Works on the bridge were delayed by 4 weeks due to bad weather.
例5：由于天气原因，桥梁施工要推迟4周。


So you should never use “works” to describe the work you do when you’re sitting at a desk.
所以，works绝对不能用来表示那些你坐在办公桌前完成的工作。


“Works”can also be used to mean an industrial plant.
works还可以用来指工厂。


E.g. Over two hundred people are employed at the works.
例句：这家工厂雇佣了200多人。


It may be used in combination with other words, e.g. “ironworks”, “steelworks”, “gasworks”. In this sense the word has no singular form. However, you may say, e.g. “one gasworks”.
works还可以和其他词语一起组成复合词，比如“钢铁厂”，“炼钢厂”，“煤气厂”。这种情况下，works是没有单数形式的，但你可以说“一家煤气厂”（works单复同形）。


“Work”as a countable noun
work作为可数名词的用法


“Work”is used as a countable noun when referring to works of art or literature，e.g. a work of art.
当work指的是某个艺术作品或文学作品时，work就是可数名词，比如：一件艺术作品。


Idioms with “works”
与works相关的表达


1.in the works –(informal) in preparation
（非正式用法）在准备中


E.g. Various amendments to the Act are in the works.
例句：对于该提案的各种修订案正在准备中。


2.a spanner in the works –(informal) a problem
（非正式用法）一个问题


E.g. The appearance of new evidence has thrown a spanner in the works.
例句：新证据的出现又引发了一个新问题。


3.with the works –(slang) with the full range, with everything
（习语）所有事物


E.g. Give me a hot dog with the works.
例句：给我个热狗，所有配料都要加。


4.give somebody the works – (slang) beat somebody up, give somebody severe treatment
（习语）给某人点颜色瞧瞧


E.g. We took him out the back door of the bar and gave him the works.
例句：我们把他带出酒吧后门，给了他点颜色瞧瞧。

小李子

用错until now 意思南辕北辙

until now在写作中很常见，比如：直到刚才我还没收到你的邮件。这句话到底是想说我现在收到了你的邮件了呢？还是想说，我到现在还没收到你的邮件？是不是已经蒙了？今天告诉你正确的、地道的until now的用法，下次再也不会词不达意了。


The phrase “until now” is often used incorrectly. This can result in a sentence having the opposite meaning to the one intended.
词组“直到刚才”经常被误用，而误用的结果就是句意可能与写作人想表达的原意完全相反。


Consider the following sentence:Until now, the above documents and information have not been provided by the Banks.
来看看这句句子：直到刚才，银行还没有提供上述的文件和信息。


What does the writer mean? Have the Banks provided the documents and information or not?
作者的意思是什么？银行到底有没有提供文件和信息？


A native English speaker would be likely to say yes. But the writer intended to say that they have not.
母语为英语的人的回答是肯定的（即文件和信息已提交），而作者实际上想要表达的是否定的意思（即文件和信息还未提交）。


In English the phrase “until now” is used to refer to a change of circumstances where the change happens now.
在英语中，词组“直到刚才”用来指在刚才那个时刻事情已经发生了变化。


E.g. Until now I have never eaten sushi.
例句：直到刚才，我还从来没吃过寿司。


This means that it is the first time the speaker has eaten sushi. Until the present moment the speaker never ate sushi. NOW the speaker is eating sushi.
这句话的意思是这是说话者第一次吃寿司。在说这句话之前，说话者从来没有吃过。现在说话者正在吃寿司。


So, if we apply this understanding of “until now” to the first example, it means that until the present moment the Banks have not provided the documents and information. NOW (or in the very recent past) they have provided them.That is how a native English speaker would understand the sentence.
那么，让我们把这个含义用到第一个例子中去，这句话的意思就是：直到刚才，银行还没有提供文件和信息。但是，刚才（或者比这早一些时候），银行已经提交了。英语为母语的人就是这么理解“直到刚才”的意思的。


Instead of “until now”, in this sentence the writer should have used the phrases “to date”, “as yet” or “so far”. They all have the same meaning. “To date” is formal; “so far” informal.
如果要表示否定的意思，就不应该用“until now”，可以用“to date”，“as yet”，或者“so far”，上述词组都表示目前为止的意思，“to date”是正式用法，“so far”是非正式用法。


To date, the above documents and information have not been provided by the Banks.
例句：目前为止，银行还没有把上述文件和信息提交过来。

小李子

办公室留言怎么写

People often make mistakes in their automatic out of office messages. This can make a bad impression, especially if there are basic spelling or gramma mistakes, as such messages tend to be written at the last moment when you’re in a hurry to leave the office. So here are some template messages that you might like to keep for future use.
人们经常会在写办公室自动留言时犯些小错误，这会给人留下坏印象，尤其是这些错误是最基础的拼写和语法错误。人们总是在离开办公室前一刻匆忙写下这些留言，所以犯些小错误也就不可避免了。以下这些留言范例可以给你作为参考。


1.Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office and will return on [●].Kind regards,
感谢您的邮件。我现在不在办公室，将于XX返回。此致敬礼


2.You have reached the mailbox of [●]. I am out of the office at the moment and will be back on [●]. Please refer all urgent matters to [●] at the following email address [●]. Regards,
你现在进入了XX的电子邮箱。我现在不在办公室，并将于XX返回。如有急事请找XX，以下是Ta的邮箱地址XX。此致敬礼


3.Thank you for your email. I will be out of the office until [●]. If you need urgent help please contact my assistant [●] on [telephone number] or email [●]. Regards,
感谢您的邮件，XX之前我都不在办公室。如有急事请联系我的助理XX，电话号码是XX，邮箱地址是XX。此致敬礼


4.Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and only have intermittent access to email. If the matter needs urgent attention please contact [●] on [telephone number] or email [●]. Best regards,
感谢您的留言。我现在不在办公室，不方便接收邮件。如有急事，请联系XX，电话号码是XX，邮箱地址是XX。此致敬礼


5.Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office and will be returning on [●]. If the matter is urgent, please call me on my mobile on [telephone number]. Alternatively, please get in touch with [●] at the following email address [●]. Kind regards,
感谢您的邮件。我现在不在办公室，将于XX返回。如有急事，请致电我的手机，电话号码是XX。或者，您也可以联系XX，以下是Ta的邮箱地址XX。此致敬礼


6.Thank you for your message. Our office is closed today, [date], due to a national holiday. I will be back in the office tomorrow and will reply to your email as soon as I can. Best regards,
感谢您的留言。今天是XX，为国定假日，公司放假休息。我明天就会回公司工作并及时回复您的邮件。此致敬礼

小李子

老外也会犯的写作错误（1）regards和respect

I regularly see mistakes with phrases using the words “regards”or “respect”. There are several of these phrases in English, but they are easily confused and mixed up. For example, phrases like in respect to and with regards to are incorrect.
人们在使用与“regards”和“respect”相关的词组时经常会出现误用错用的情况。在英语里，的确有一些与这两个词相关的词组，但很容易混淆。比如，人们经常会用“in respect to”和“with regards to”来表示“关于”的意思，但实际上这种用法是不正确的。

沪江小编：更多商务文案、商务邮件的写作技巧和要领，请点此试听课程>>>


Here is a list of correct phrases (they all mean basically the same thing):
下面列出几组由“regard”或“respect”组成的表达，它们的意思相近，都有“关于，至于，提到”的意思。

1.regarding


EX：I have received your letter of October 15 regarding the three letters of recommendation which you require.


例句：我已收到您10月15日的信，提到需要三封推荐信一事。

2.as regards (this is the only one with an s – “regards”)（这是唯一一个用到regards的词组）


EX：As regards communication with colleagues, department meetings are held once a fortnight.


例句：关于员工间的交流沟通，每两周会举行一次部门会议。

3.in regard to (rare)（很少用）


EX：This is Bill Burton from Milford Insurance, I'm calling in regard to our meeting next Tuesday.


例句：我是米尔福德保险公司的比尔伯顿，我想问一下有关下周二我们见面的事。

4.with regard to


EX：With regard to the Middle East and North Africa, the U.S. and EU pledged to continue to support democratic transitions and economic development.


例句：关于中东和北非问题，美国和欧盟承诺将继续支持其民主改革和经济发展。

5.respecting (rare)（很少用）


EX：I must tell you that I have not come to any decided opinion respecting him, but I think him a Maltese.


例句：我只能告诉您，我对他还没有什么明确的看法。但我认为他可能是个马耳他人。

6.in respect of


EX：When a customer first opens an account, he instructs the bank to debit his account only in respect of cheques drawn by himself.


例句：储户首次在银行开户时，嘱咐银行他的存款只能凭本世人签字的支票来提取。

7.with respect to


EX：With respect to your other proposals, I am not yet able to tell you our decision.


例句：谈到你的其他建议, 我现在还无法把我们的决定告诉你。

小李子

老外也会犯的写作错误（2）According to的用法

Although these phrases are often used interchangeably they have slightly different meanings, so we should be careful how we use them.
在很多情况下，“According to”和“In accordance with”都可以互换，但是两者之间还是有一些细微的差别的。所以，在使用这两个词组时，我们需要特别小心。


How to use “According to”?
“According to”的用法


“According to…” is usually used when you restate something someone told you or something you have heard or read somewhere. It is mostly used for reporting.
“According to”往往是用在重述别人的话，或者你在其他地方听到或看到的内容，常用于报告的写作中。


EX：According to the clerk we spoke to when we telephoned the supervisory authority this morning, the application was filed last week.
例句：根据今晨我们对员工进行的监督权调查的电话访谈所说，上周表格就已经归档了。


It may be used to introduce information that might not be true:
“According to”可以用于引用不确实的消息：


EX：According to the state news agency, the number of demonstrators did not exceed 1,000. However, the organisers of the protest say there were at least 100,000 people on the march.
例句：根据官方通讯社的消息，参与游行的人数不超过1000人，而游行组织者称，参与游行人数超过了10万人。


It may also be used to introduce hearsay:
“According to”也可以用来引用道听途说的消息：


EX：According to Annabel, Tom wants to dump Sarah because he really fancies Emma.
例句：听安娜贝尔说，汤姆要甩了萨拉，因为他被艾玛给迷上了。


How to use “In accordance with”?
“In accordance with”的用法


“In accordance with…” is used in more formal contexts to introduce the notion of conformity. In a legal context it is used for stating what conforms to the law or a contract. It is never used to introduce information that may not be true.
“In accordance with”是用在比较正式的内容中，用来引述确实的信息。在法律文本中，这个词组就是用来引述法律条文或合同中的规定的。“In accordance with”从来不会用于引用不确实的消息。


EX：In accordance with Article 72 of the Act, employees of the Company have the right to form a representative body.
例句：根据该法令第72条规定，公司员工有权组成代表团。


In some cases you can use “under…” instead of “in accordance with”, or where “in accordance with” seems too strong:
如果觉得用“in accordance with”语气太强烈的话，也可以用“under…”来替换。


EX：Under / In accordance with a general rule of the Pharmaceutical law, the sponsor and the investigator are responsible for damage resulting from conducting a clinical trial.
例句：根据药品管理法规定，临床试验的赞助者和研究者要对试验所造成的后果负责。


Using a comma with this type of clause
在使用这类从句时，建议使用逗号区分


EX：According to recent government statistics, unemployment has risen from 3% to 5% over the last 12 months.
例句：根据政府近期公布的数据，在过去的12个月里，失业率从3%上升到了5%。

小李子

老外也会犯的写作错误（3）Give notice的用法

There are two ways of expressing a notice period, as follows:
“通知期限”的表达方式有以下两种：


1.Under Clause 4.2 one month’s notice is required in order to terminate the agreement.
根据条款4.2的规定，终止协议前须要有一个月的通知期限。


2.Under Clause 4.2 a one-month notice period is required in order to terminate the agreement.
根据条款4.2的规定，终止协议前须要有一个月的通知期限。


Anything else, or a mixture of these two constructions, is wrong. Note than in the first example above “notice” is an uncountable noun so it cannot take “a/an”. In the second example, “notice period” is countable, so we must say “a notice period”. “One-month” is a compound adjective, so a hyphen (-) is required.
除了以上两种表达，其余的表达或者混合这两种的表达都是错误的。第一种表达中，“notice”是不可数名词，所以前面不需要加“a/an”。而第二种表达中，“notice period”是可数的，所以一定要用“a notice period”来表示。“one-month”在这里是复合形容词，当中需要加连字符。

沪江小编：更多商务文案、商务邮件的写作技巧和要领，请点此试听课程>>>


More example:
更多例子：


Three months’ notice of an intention to terminate an employment contract is required after an employee has been employed for three years.
员工入职三年后，其终止用工合同的通知期限自动升级为三个月。


A three-month notice period of an intention to terminate an employment contract is required after an employee has been employed for three years.
员工入职三年后，其终止用工合同的通知期限自动升级为三个月。


Remember that in this sense of the word “notice” is uncountable, so you cannot give somebody a notice. You can only give somebody notice. But of course you can give somebody a week’s notice because “a” refers to “week” (and means “one”). In the same way you give somebody two weeks’ notice etc.
记住，当句子中的“notice”是不可数名词时，就不能用给某人一个期限（give somebody a notice），只能表达为给某人期限（give somebody notice）。但是，你可以给某人一周的期限（give somebody a week’s notice），因为这里的“a”修饰的是“week”，同样“a”也可以换成“two”，比如给某人两周的期限（give somebody two week's notice）。