DENIS SASSOU N’GUESSO UNIVERSITY

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FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
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ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT
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Lesson One: LETTER WRITING

There are two principal types of letters in English: The Informal or personal letter / Social
letter and the Formal or business letter. We write personal letters to our friends and relatives
while formal letters are addressed to authorities when we ask for information, order things or to
apply for a job. In this lecture, a special emphasis will be laid on the business letter.
I – Different elements of a Business Letter
A Formal or business letter essentially has seven parts:
✓ The heading;
✓ The salutations;
✓ The subject matter;
✓ The body of the letter;
✓ The closing;
✓ The signature followed sometimes by the enclosures.

II- Definition of some elements specific to the Business letter

1-The Heading or the head of the letter includes the following elements:
✓ The full address of the sender also called the writer or the addresser;
✓ The date written with the full noun of the month as in October 8th, 2023 or 2nd February, 2023;
✓ The inside address: meaning the address of the recipient of the letter also called the sendee or
the addressee.
2-The salutations: Here, the writer has three possibilities. He can say:
✓ Dear Sir (to an individual);
✓ Dear sirs (to a company);
✓ Dear Mr Mabiala (if he knows the sendee personally).
3- The Subject matter: It is the object or the title of the letter. A letter may be a job application;
Motivation Letter, a reply to a letter; a complaint; an Inquiry ; or an apologize…. .
4- The body of the letter: It is nothing but the content of the letter. A business letter needs
concision, clearness and coherence in order to be well understood and be given a favorable
answer. It must clearly and shortly include:
✓ Source of information about the job opportune (radio, television, magazine or website)
✓ Interest for this position or post
✓ Qualification (your university curricula )
✓ Experience (skills or professional profile
✓ Usefulness in the company (your importance in the company)

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5- The complementary close: is represented by words expressing respect at the end of the letter.
And two expressions are generally used:
Yours faithfully, or Faithfully Yours, and
Yours Sincerely, or Sincerely Yours,
6- The signature usually followed by the name of the sender and the title or the position held in
the company if possible.
7- Enclosures (Encs-Encl). Any paper or document joined to the letter.
In the Congolese administration, the commonly required enclosures are:
✓ A copy of a Birth Certificate (Extrait d’acte de naissance)
✓ A copy of a police Record ( Casier judiciaire)
✓ A copy of a Certificate of Nationality (Certificat de Nationalité )
✓ A Copy of the Curriculum Vitae
✓ Photographs
✓ A copy of the Diploma. Here, the candidate may held a Testimonial (Attestation) or a VTC
meaning Vocation Training Certificate (BTS, DUT, Brevet…)
Note: In the Congolese education system, the following degrees are awarded:
✓ BEPC or BET. their equivalents in the English system is the GCE ‘0’ Level meaning
General Certificate of Education “Ordinary’ Level.
✓ Baccalauréat known in England as GCE ‘A’ Level meaning General Certificate of
Education “Advanced” Level.
✓ Licence- es-Lettres or es-Sciences called in England by Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of
Sciences.
✓ Maîtrise-es-Lettres or es-Sciences called in England by Master of Arts or Master of
Sciences.
✓ Certificate in Executive Secretary (BTS en Secretariat de direction) or
✓ Certificate in Electronics ( DUT en Electronique)

III- Presentation of a Business Letter

There are two ways of presenting a business letter:
1-The Block form (forme compacte) in which every line begins at the left margin of the paper
used. At this moment, two paragraphs are separated by a double space as exemplified below.
1st paragraph
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………..LineA
………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………….. . Line B
………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………….. . Line C
2nd paragraph

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………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………… Line D
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………. Line E

2-The Indented form (formedécalée): Here, every line is indented following the previous.
1st paragraph
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………….. Line A
………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………….. . Line B
………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………. Line C
2nd paragraph
………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………… Line D
………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………. Line E

IV- Different types of Business Letters commonly used in Congo

1- Application Letter: To apply for a job or some service.
2- Motivation Letter: It is also an Application Letter because we write it in order to apply for a
job or some service (scholarship or subscription in a university….)
3- A Letter of Apologize (letter d’excuses): It is a letter in which someone or a company
apologizes for a given prejudice caused to another one.
4- A Letter of Complaint (Lettre de reclamation): It is a letter in which a customer makes a
complaint giving the reasons why he is complaining. For a businessman, the reasons may be:
✓ The goods were wrong (les marchandises étaient non conformes à la commande.) or
✓ The packing of goods was bad or inadequate. or
✓ There was a great delay in the consignment and the shipment of the goods ( il y a eu un
grand retard dans l’expédition et l’embarquement des marchandises).or
✓ The goods have been seriously damaged (les marchandises ont été fortement
endommagées).
5- A Letter of Enquiry (demande d’information): It is a letter in which a person asks for some
information.

Practice: The National Laboratory is looking for graduated students in:

1- Chemistry
2- Mathematics

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3- Physics
4- Biology
Contact: Henryboth Precieux, a personal manager of The National Laboratory.
www.nationallaboratory.com. P.O.Box: 242, Charles de gaulle street number 207.
Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.

Here is a sample of the page layout of an Application Letter.

I-The Heading
Rudy ATY
Djoué street number 11, Moungal/Brazzaville.
Email: rudyaty.a.gmail.com
Tel: 059762821
Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.

II-The Date : October, 15th 2023.

III- The Inside Address
Dr Precieux Henryboth,
Personal Manager
The National Laboratory
www.nationallaboratory.com.
P.O.Box: 242
Charles de gaulle Street number 207
Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
IV-The Subject Matter: Job Application

V- Salutations
Dear sir, / Dear Mr. Precieux Henryboth,

V-The Body of the letter

Here are some introductory sentences
✓ I have consulted your website www.nationallaboratory.com. and read that your company is
looking for an engineer in (civil engineering, architecture, and urbanism).
✓ I am interested in the post of a graduated students in (Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and
Mathematics) and I would like to apply for the above position.
✓ Because, I am a qualified student in (Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics).
✓ I have spent three years studying (Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) at UDSN
of Kintele in Brazzaville.
✓ I have worked for two years as a laboratory assistant at Orostom of Brazzaville.
✓ Working in your company will help discover my capacity in (Biology, Physics, Chemistry,
and Mathematics) for the successful of the company. (enhance the company ahead)

VI- Enclosures
I enclose (for further information, please find enclosed) / Find enclosed / Find attached:
✓ a Birth Certificate
✓ a Certificate of Nationality
✓ a Police Record

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 ✓ a Medical Certificate
✓ a diploma (certificate/ Bachelor) in (Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics)
✓ a Curriculum Vitae
VII- Complementary closing
✓ I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
✓ I hope that my application will be considered with great interest.

VII- Ending
✓ Yours faithfully, / Sincerely, yours,
✓ Signature, followed by the sender’s name
✓ Rudy ATY

Lesson Two: MOTIVATION LETTER

A Motivation Letter is almost like an Application Letter mainly in terms of form. As far as
the content is concerned, the difference between an Application Letter and a Motivation
Letter lies on two main elements: the Applicant’s professional motivation and his skills.
Here, are some useful expressions dealing with the Applicant’s motivation:
1- Why are you willing to integrate this Company ?
✓ I would like to apply for the position of A computer network security Agent that
the announcement has been posted on your Website (www.eni-congo.com) for I hope
my skills and my personality match with your selection criteria.
I would like to integrate your company because this experience will allow me to quickly
assume new responsibilities knowing that Congo Food Processing is a famous society based
on many analytical chemistry and quality aspects such as the control of food quality
assurance , the monitoring and the control of pollutants in analytical chemistry…
✓ I wish to share my skills and the professional experience gained so far for the benefit
of your company and also take new challenges
✓ I have a good command of the most useful processing softwares related to renewable
energy such as Excell …. or
✓ I perfectly master useful softwares of my domain such as …..
2- What are your professional skills gained so far ?
✓ During my three-years training at the prestigious Denis Sassou Nguesso University
of Kintélé in Republic of Congo, I have acquired the necessary theoretical knowledge
in Food biotechnology and nutrition. I had opportunity to practice on the ground
during my internships in some company as evidenced in my Data Sheet.
✓ During my five-years training, I had opportunity to do several internships in local
enterprises such as Rajec, Brasco, and even abroad, mainly in DRC with some food
producing enterprises.

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 ✓ I have just finished with my studies at the prestigious Denis Sassou Nguesso
University of Kintélé in Republic of Congo where I have successfully got my
Certificate in Industrial Chemistry.
✓ I have done many internships and practiced in some nuclear technology Laboratories
where I have acquired many professional skills namely in different uses of nuclear
technology with new and more safe methods.
✓ During my internships, I have acquired many professional skills namely in:
• Greenhouse effect and global warming
• the analysis of medicinal plants
• Computing for business and management
• Storing big data with new technological methods

Practice:
The Minister of health and population, located in Alfred Roul Avenue number 4O6, needs
a graduate student in (Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics)
Please, send your motivation letter and C.V. to John SMITH, the general director.
Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.

Elements of a Motivation Letter

I-The Heading
✓ Sender’s address
✓ Date
✓ Receiver’s address
✓ Subject Matter
✓ Salutation

II-The Body of the letter

✓ Interest
✓ Qualification
✓ Experience
✓ View on the company (praising the welcoming company)
✓ Usefulness in the company (your importance in the company)
✓ Virtue as a worker (qualities of the candidate)
✓ C.V. enclosed
✓ Closure
✓ Closing (the end)

1- Rudy ATY
Djoué street number 11,
Moungali / Brazzaville.
Email: rudyaty.a.gmail.com
Tel: 059762821
Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
2- October, 8th 2023

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 3-John SMITH
General Director
Minister of health and population
Alfred Raoul Avenue number 406
Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
Subject Matter: Motivation Letter

Dear Mr John SMITH,

✓ It is with obvious interest that I am a candidate to join your structure (ministry,
company) for (concerning) the post of a graduate student in (Biology, physics,
chemistry, and mathematics).
✓ I am graduated in (Biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics). I have been trained
for three years at DSN University of Kintele in Brazzaville.
✓ I have a year of experience working at Orostom laboratory of Brazzaville.
✓ I am interested in the new technologies and innovation in your ministry and the way
you take care of your workers.
✓ The post of (Biologist, physicist, chemist, and mathematician) I will occupy in your
ministry will be a good opportunity for my professional career and will allow me
consolidate my knowledge in field of (Biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics).
✓ Honest, dynamic, and rigorous, reacting positively to work under pressure and adapting
easily to the environment that welcome me, I have the ability to work in a multicultural
and international environment.
✓ My curriculum vitae informs you of my professional experience.
✓ In the hope of integrating your structure, I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
✓ Yours Faithfully or sincerely yours
✓ Signature
✓ Sender’s name

Lesson Three: WRITING A CURRICULUM VITAE (CV) OR DATA SHEET (DS)

In the Congolese administration, a CV or a DS is usually joined to a job application. In fact,
the role paper is linked to the job applicant who must provide the employer with his / her
personal information in detail. There is a slight difference between the CV and a Resume or
Persona data sheet. To write a data sheet is to provide briefly the personal manager with the
very important information he needs.
In a CV, persons usually need to find information about:
1- The applicant’s Identity that is to say:
• First name or Christian name: Henryboth Precieux
• Surname or family name: MBOUKSON
• Date of birth: 20th May 2022
• Place of birth: Brazzaville
• Sex: Male / Female

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 • Nationality: Congolese
• Passport number: A 3512
• Date and place of issue: Brazzaville, 10th December 2022
• Driving license number: 20754-PNH
• Date and place of issue: Pointe-Noire, 22nd March 2023
2- Marital status:
• Bachelor / single without children
• Married to Bleeda Dickinson with two children
3-Address:
• Present Address: 29, Kimbenza street, Diata, Makelekele-Brazzaville (Republic of Congo
• Permanent street: C /o Mr Romual PONGO, PO.BOX 165 Pointe-Noire, Republic of
Congo.
• Mail Address: Henryboth@ yahoo.fr
4-Worship /Belief: Christian
5-Favorite sport: Tennis
6-Hobbies: Shopping and ridding
Likes and Dislikes: Like fish, vegetables and fruits; and dislike drinking alcohol and smoking
7- Position:
• Present position: unemployed or jobless
• Previous position: Student
• Qualifications: Since 2022 High qualified technician in Industrial Maintenance or
Qualified in:
- M.I.A.G.E: Computer Methods Applied to Business Management
- Food processing Engineering (Ingénieur en technologies alimentaires )
- Dietatary and nutrition Engineering (Ingénieur en Nutrition diététique)
- C.M.P: Medicinal Chemistry and Plant Products
- B.V.E: Plant Biotechnology
8- School and Academic Records
• 2021-2023: Bachelor of Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Denis Sassou N’guesso
University, Republic of Congo
• 2018-2020: GCE “A” Level: Chaminade High School, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
• 2014- 2017: GCE “0” Level: Angola Libre Secondary School, Brazzaville, Republic of
Congo
9- Professional experience
• 2022-2023: Assistant- technician the American Embassy water Laboratory, Brazzaville,
Republic of Congo
• 2020-2021: Computer Assistant technician at BRASCO, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
10- Linguistic Competences
• English: Written and fluently spoken
• French: Written and fluently spoken
• Chinese Written and fairly spoken

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 Lesson Four: WRITING A COMPOSITION

Elements of the composition

Introduction
✓ General view of the theme
✓ Problematic (topic and central question)
✓ Plan announcement
Development
✓ Arguments to sustain the topic
✓ Arguments to contradict the topic
✓ Causes, effects, consequences, remedies
✓ synthesis
Conclusion
Here, you provide answer to the central question summing up the development.

Introduction (Some useful sentences)

✓ Nowadays, the specialization in (Biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics) is
topical in the sense that the new technologies are urging to improve scientific research.
✓ Knowing that the republic of Congo has trained many specialists in (Biology, Physics,
Chemistry, and Mathematics), is it still important to keep on training them?
✓ In the following lines, we are going to show the importance of training specialists in
(Biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics) in front of new technologies.
✓ Development
✓ The training specialists in (Biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics) is still
important nowadays in the republic of Congo because the adaptation to new
technologies requires a special training for efficient results in the scientific research.
✓ New technologies mean new methods and new materials. It means that new ways of
doing things. That is why, an adapted training is required to future specialists in
(Biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics).
Conclusion
It is quite important to keep on training specialists in (Biology, physics, chemistry, and
mathematics) in the republic of Congo taking into account new technologies.
Practice: Do you think that it is still important to train in Congo specialists in (Biology,
physics, chemistry, and mathematics)? Why?

Lesson Five: WRITING A REPORT AFTER A VISIT ON THE WOK FIELD

1- Acknowledgement
2- the delegation size (introduction)
3- information about the site laboratory (nature and address)
4- date
5- purpose and importance of the visit
6- description of the circuit of the visit
7- the notice

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 8- discovery
9- appreciation
10- duration

1- We were a delegation of ten students of the first year in (Biology, Physics, Chemistry,
and Mathematics) with our lecturer Mr. OKO.
2-We went through the laboratory which is inside the Scientific City (Orostom)
3-On Saturday, September 29th 2023.
4-The visiting aims at joining theory and practice of what we learn at school in order to
know exactly our work on the ground in the matter of science creativity or transformation.
5-When we arrived, we have been received by the chief of laboratory who was the guider
of the visit explaining us the way they work in the laboratory from the first step to the last.
We saw how students of other universities were handling the microscopic to look for
scientific results. The chief of laboratory told us each student was making scientific research
in a specific domain.
6-I notice that among them, one student was making research about breast cancer.
7-I discovered that the place of a biologist is on the laboratory.
8-The visiting was very good and motivated me to finish my studies and be on the ground
for scientific research.
9-We started at 10 am and we finished the visiting at 11am.

Second Example: (conference)

1- I would like to express my gratitude to professor Ange Antoine ABENA, the president of
UDSN for organizing the conference about ‘Physics: the intersection with many
interdisciplinary areas of research.’ I also thank all our lecturers for their support.
2-Ten students in Physics and two lecturers have taken part to the conference.
3- The conference took place at DSN University in the Amphitheatre/lecture hall under the
theme: ‘Physics: the intersection with many interdisciplinary areas of research.’
4- On Saturday, October 6th 2023.
5- The purpose of the conference was to help students understand the role played by Physics
in relationship with other disciplines.
6- The speaker, Mr John Smith has explained how Physics intersects with many
interdisciplinary areas of research such as biophysics and quantum chemistry, and the
boundaries of Physics are not rigidly defined.
7- On the light of the presentation, I noticed that studying Physics is a very good choice for
life.
8- I have really discovered the importance of physics in our surrounding.
9- The conference was interestingly an eye-opener to the matter of Physics.

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10- It started at 9 a.m. and ended at 5p.m.

Report for an Internship

✓ Front Cover Page
✓ Table of content
✓ Acknowledgements
Introduction
✓ Context (service Note)
✓ Aim of the Internship
✓ Plan Announcement
Development
✓ Chapter I: The Host Structure
✓ Chapter II: Procedures, materials, methods, activities
✓ Chapter III: Result analysis
Conclusion
✓ Suggestion
✓ Perspectives
References
Annexes
✓ List of abbreviations
✓ List of pictures
✓ List of tables
Back Cover Page

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