Addresses -The
name of the postal town should be in capital letters and the Post Code on the
last line. Traditionally your own address goes at the top right and the
recipient’s address underneath and at the left.
Inside Address: The
address of the person you are writing to along with the name of the recipient,
their title and company name, if you are not sure who the letter should be
addressed to either leave it blank, but try to put in a title, i.e.
"Director of Human Resources". Skip a line between the date and the
salutation.
Date - It is best to write the date in full (02 June 2004), as simply using
numbers varies from country to
country, e.g. in the USA the month comes first.
Salutation:
Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. Last Name:, Dear Director of
Department Name: or To Whom It May
Concern: if recipient's name is unknown. Note that there is a colon after the
salutation. Skip a line between the salutation and the subject line or body.
Subject
Line (optional): Makes it easier for the
recipient to find out what the letter is about. Skip a line between the subject line and the body.
Body: The
body is where you write the content of the letter; the paragraphs should be
single
spaced with a skipped line between each paragraph. Skip a line
between the end of the body and the closing.
Closing: Let's
the reader know that you are finished with your letter; usually ends with Sincerely,
Sincerely yours, Thank you, and so on. Note that there is a comma after the end
of the closing and only the first word in the closing is capitalized. Skip 3‐4
lines between the closing and the printed name, so that there is room for the
signature.
Signature:
Your signature will go in this section, usually signed in black or
blue ink with a
pen.
Printed
Name: The printed version of your name, and if desired you can put your
title or
position on the line underneath it. Skip a line between the printed
name and the enclosure. Enclosure: If letter contains other
document other than the letter itself your letter will include
the word "Enclosure." If there is more than one you would type,
"Enclosures (#)" with the # being the number of other documents
enclosed that doesn't include the letter itself. Reference - This
is not always included. If you are replying, use the reference from the original
letter (if there is one) and put it after: “Your Ref”. If the reference is from
your own business then use “Our Ref”.
Greeting & Signing off - If possible get the name of the person within the organisation that you are writing to. “Dear Mr Shawcross” … ends with “Yours
sincerely”, other greetings and closing that goes with them are listed below.
|
Most
formal
|
Dear Sir/Madam
|
Yours faithfully
|
|
Least formal
|
Dear Mr/Ms Jones
|
Yours sincerely
|
|
|
Dear
Emile
|
Yours
truly or
Regards
|
Subject or attention
line - This should be in capitals or underlined.
Main
body of a letter - If you are
replying then at the beginning refer to the original letter. Otherwise be as precise as possible. Conclude the letter by
highlighting
A
letter written by an individual concerning business of a personal nature is
called a personal business letter.
All the parts of a business letter are included, with one exception: The letterhead
is replaced with a return address. A personal business letter is printed on
plain paper with the writer’s address keyed 2" from the top of the page at
the left margin. The return address consists of one line for the street address
and one line for the city, state, and ZIP code. The date is keyed directly
below the city, state, and ZIP code.
Letter formats
Business and personal‐business letters are
arranged in varying formats and styles. These variations are described below.
Margins.
Letters are formatted with 1" left and right margins, a 2"
top margin, and a 1" bottom margin. Instead of a 2" top
margin, letters may be centered vertically using theeCrent feature.
Business letters
Formats. Business
letters are formatted in two basic styles: block and modified block.
Block format
arranges all letter parts at the left margin. The paragraphs are not indented.
Refer to the illustration of a personal‐business letter in block format shown
below.
Modified block format
places the date and the closing lines (complimentary close, writer’s
name, and title) beginning near or at the horizontal center of the page instead
of at the left margin. The default tab nearest to the center may be used to
place the date and closing lines. The first line of each paragraph may be
blocked at the left margin or indented 0.5". See the illustration of
aetlter in modified block format shown below. This illustration contains
several special business letter parts including a mailing notation, subject
line, enclosure notation, and copy notation.
Punctuation styles. Two
styles of punctuation are commonly used in business letters. Open punctuation
has no punctuation mark after the salutation or complimentary close. Mixed
punctuation contains a colon (:) after the salutation and a comma (,) after the
complimentary close.
Additional letter
features
Some
additional letter features that may be used are described below.
USPS letter address
style. The letter address of a business or personal‐business
letter may be
keyed in ALL CAPS with no punctuation if using the United
States Postal Service style for the delivery (envelope) address.
Second‐page heading. If
a letter is longer than one page, a plain sheet of paper is used for the second
and succeeding pages. Only the first page contains the sender’s letterhead. A
second‐ page heading should be keyed 1" from the top of the page in block
format, SS. Include the name of the addressee, the word Page
followed by the page number, and the date. Place DS below the date before
continuing the letter.
Widow/Orphan.
At
least two lines of a paragraph must be keyed at the bottom of the first page
of a letter and at the top of the second page. Activate the Widow/Orphan
feature from the drop down menu item Format, Paragraph, Line and Page Breaks to
ensure proper breaks. This feature ensures that the first line of a paragraph
does not appear by itself at the bottom of a page (orphan line) or the last
line of a paragraph does not appear by itself at the top of a page (widow
line).
Bullets
and Numbering. Use the Bullets feature or Numbering feature
to create bulleted or numbered lists. These features automatically
format each listed item in hanging indent style (the second and succeeding
lines align under the first letter of the first word).
Tables
in letters. A table inserted in a letter should be placed even with
the left and right margins of the letter or centered between the
margins. Leave a blank line above and below the inserted table. Table gridlines
may be shown or hidden.
Form
letters. A form letter is a standard message sent to more than one
addressee. Form paragraphs may be stored as macros (stored text) and
played back when needed to create personalized form letters. Form letters can
also be created using the Mail Merge feature of word processing programs.
Envelopes
Most word processing programs have an
Envelope feature that will automatically format the placement of the return and
letter addresses. However, because of printer issues, not all users are able to
use the Envelope feature efficiently. Therefore, specific keying instructions
are provided below for formatting envelopes.
Sender’s return
address. Key
the return address in block style, SS, approximately 0.25" from the
left and toprmgians of the envelope. Key the name, street address, city, state,
and ZIP Code in three lines either in ALL CAPS or Initial Caps.
Receiver’s
address. Key the
receiver’s address in block style, SS, and Initial Caps. You may use ALL
CAPS if desired. Place the city, state, and ZIP Code (one space precedes the
ZIP) on the last address line. Never abbreviate the name of a city or country.
International addresses. Omit postal (ZIP)
codes from the last line of addresses outside the U.S. Show only the
name of the country on the last line, as shown below.
Mr. Hiram Sanders
2121 Clearwater Street Ottawa ON KIA OB1 CANADA
Spacing. If not using the
Envelope feature, tab over 2.5" for a small envelope (No. 6 3⁄4) and
4" for a large envelope (No. 10). Enter hard returns to place the first
line of the delivery address approximately 2" from the top of the
envelope.
Mailing and addressee notations. Key a mailing
notation (REGISTERED, SPECIAL DELIVERY) in ALL CAPS below the stamp,
approximately 1⁄2" above the first line of the delivery address. Key an
addressee notation (PERSONAL, CONFIDENTIAL) at the left margin a DS below the
return address. If an attention line is used, key it as the first line of the
delivery address.
what it is that you want from the person or
company. Be specific, for example: “Please send me a price list for your
computers
The
Main Parts of a Business Letter
The Heading
If you do NOT use letterhead stationery, the
heading is located at the top right of the page and includes the writer's
complete mailing address and the date.
e.g.
*******
Laboratory Technical Development Group Kobe Steel Ltd 5-5 Takatsukadai 1-chome
Nishi-ku
Kobe
Hyogo Japan 651-2271 March 21 200-
If
you DO use letterhead stationery, the address is already printed on the
paper; only the date must be added, at least two spaces below.
e.g.
When
writing the date, it is best to state MONTH, DAY, YEAR, in that order as above.
Using the short form of the date i.e. 7/10/2001 can sometimes be confusing. In
some countries 7/10/2001 means October 7, 2001.
The heading above is in Semi-Block
form. See Layouts to see the
Block form.
The Inside Address
The inside address is always placed
even with the left margin (left justified) and at least two
(2)
spaces below the heading. It contains the full name of the person being written
to— including a proper title — (see Salutations below) and the complete
mailing address.
Dr. Frederick
Johnston, Senior Researcher
Materials Research Laboratory NUCOR
1649 Telegraph Road Crawfordsville,
IN 58936USA
The Salutation
All
letters begin with a salutation or greeting. It is placed two spaces below the
inside address and even with the left margin. Most people still use ‘Dear’ to
open their letters.
• When you have a
person’s name in the inside address, use their name.
• When you do not have
a name use ‘Dear Sir’ or ‘Dear Madam’.
• When you are addressing a firm or a
group of men you can use ‘Gentlemen’.
Use of the correct title is important. Look
at the chart below:
|
Addressee
|
American Style
|
British Style
|
|
Tom Smith
|
Dear Mr. Smith:
|
Dear Mr Smith,
|
|
Susan Fox. PhD
|
Dear Dr. Fox:
|
Dear Dr Fox,
|
|
Mary Lane
|
Dear Ms. Lane:
|
Dear Ms Lane,
|
Note
that the American style has a period after the title ( Mr. Dr. Ms.). It also
uses a colon (:). The British style does not have a period after the title and
uses a comma (,). Ms. or Ms (pronounced Miz) is now in common use as a female
equivalent to Mr. However, if possible, it is best to find out which title the
woman herself prefers (Ms. or Mrs. or Miss). All of the examples above are in
formal style which should be used for all business letters. Use of the first
name (Dear Tom, Dear Sue, etc) is only for informal, personal letters.
The Body
The body of the letter, or its message,
begins two spaces below the salutation. It is structured in paragraphs, which
may or may not be indented, depending on the layout used. See Layouts.
Hints on structure:
1) Expressing thanks for a favour done.
|
to someone who invited you
|
Thank you for
inviting me to...
|
|
|
somewhere...
|
|
|
|
to someone who called you...
|
Thank you for
calling me...
|
|
|
to someone who took you to
|
Thank you
for taking me
to
|
|
|
dinner...
|
dinner...
|
|
|
|
|
 to someone who
helped you...
|
Thank you
for helping me
|
with…
2) Writing about future events.
|
you plan to meet someone
|
I
|
look
|
forward to
|
meeting
|
|
|
you...
|
|
|
|
|
you want to receive a reply
|
I look forward to
your reply...
|
|
you plan to visit someone
|
I
look forward to my visit...
|
|
|
someone plans to visit you
|
I
look forward to your
|
visit...
|
|
you plan to attend a conference
|
I
|
look
|
forward
|
to
|
the
|
|
|
conference...
|
|
|
3) When writing to someone you have not met,
let the person know why you are familiar with him or her.
|
you saw someone's
presentation
|
I had
the pleasure of
attending
|
|
|
your presentation at...
|
|
you read someone's article
|
I read your article
in the .... with
|
|
|
interest...
|
|
you saw someone's
poster session
|
I had the
opportunity to see your
|
|
|
poster session at
...
|
|
you
participated in someone's
|
I had the pleasure
of participating
|
|
workshop
|
in your workshop at
...
|
4) When asking for a favour, leave the person
as much time as possible. Nevertheless, if you expect to have a reply within a
certain time, make that request specific.
Please let us know as soon
as possible. Please call by the end of July
Please visit us at your earliest convenience.
Please reply by fax before September 10.
 telephone
|
Please do
not hesitate to
|
|
|
telephone us...
|
|
get in touch
|
Please get
in touch with
our
|
|
|
representative
in...
|
|
send further enquiries
|
Please
send further enquiries to
|
|
|
... at the
following address...
|
|
someone plans to
visit you
|
I look forward to
your visit...
|
|
contact
|
Please
contact... at the following
|
|
|
address...
|
6) Tone.
A
business relationship can often become fairly informal. If you find yourself in
this situation, you can alter the tone of your business correspondence from impersonal
to personal.
 Impersonal
|
|
Personal
|
|
|
Thank you very
much (for your
|
Thanks a lot (for
your help) ...
|
|
help) ...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I
|
appreciated
|
(your
|
Thanks
|
for
|
(your
|
|
recommendations) ...
|
|
recommendations)
....
|
|
|
Please give my
regards to (your
|
Tell (your
|
secretary )
|
I said
|
|
secretary) ...
|
|
'Hello' ...
|
|
|
|
I look forward to (seeing you
|
It'll be good to
(see you next
|
|
next month) ...
|
|
month) ...
|
|
|
The Closing
The closing of a business letter is placed
two spaces below the body. It is a conventional expression, indicating the
formal close of the letter. The first word is capitalized. Closings end with a
comma.
|
American Style
|
British Style
|
|
|
|
Very Formal Respectfully,
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yours
respectfully,
|
|
|
|
Respectfully yours,
|
|
|
|
|
Sincerely,
Sincerely yours,
|
Yours faithfully,
|
(with
|
Dear
|
|
Yours truly,
|
Sir / Madam)
|
|
|
  Formal
|
|
Yours sincerely,
(with Dear
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mr.../ Ms...)
|
|
|
|
All the best,
|
Best wishes,
|
|
|
Informal
|
|
|
|
|
|
Regards,
|
All the best,
|
|
The Signature
Every letter should have a handwritten
signature. Four to six spaces below this is the typewritten signature. A woman
may include (Miss), (Mrs.) or (Ms.) to the right of the typewritten signature.
Special Parts of a
Business Letter
In addition to the six regular parts of a
business letter, sometimes special or optional parts are necessary or wanted by
the writer:
The Reference
This consists of the word Ref (short for
Reference) followed by a colon (:) and specific information, often a serial or
reference number. It is usually placed between the date and the inside address.
Ref : MHI/KSL/10/90
Soren Construction
Co. 4335 Broadway
Indianapolis, IN
46305 USA
The Attention Line
When
a letter is addressed to a company or organization rather than an individual,
an attention line may be given to help in mail delivery.
NB An attention line
is never given when the inside address contains a person's name.
Attention
lines are typically directed to: Sales Division, Personnel Manager, etc. or it
may contain the individual's name. The attention line contains the word
Attention (or Attn) followed by a colon (:) and the name of the office,
department or individual. It is placed between the inside address and the
salutation.
e.g.
Nov 10, 200-
Ref: MHI/KSL/10/90
Soren Construction Co. 4335 Broadway
Indianapolis, IN 46305 USA
Attention : Mr
Charles Graham Dear Sirs:
The Subject Line
The
subject line is used to immediately draw the reader's attention to the subject
of the letter. It consists of the word Subject followed by a colon (:)
and a word or words of specific information. The position of the subject line
is not standardized. It may appear to the right of the inside address, or
centred on the page below the inside address or below the salutation. It is
commonly placed below the salutation, as shown below.
e.g.
Soren Construction
Co. 4335 Broadway
Indianapolis,
IN 46305 USA
Attention: Mr Charles
Graham Dear Sirs:
Subject: Rough
Terrain Crane RK250-II
The Title or Section
Name
This
is placed one space below the typewritten signature to identify the writer's
position and/or the section s/he works in.
e.g.
Sincerely yours,
Peter Monet
Peter Monet
Sales Representative
The Identification
Line
When
the person whose signature appears on the letter is not the person who typed
the letter, there is an identification line. It consists of two sets of
initials separated by a colon. Usually, the sender's initials are capitalized
and the typist's are in lower case. The identification line is two spaces below
the signature and even with the left margin.
e.g.
Sincerely yours,
Peter Monet
Peter Monet
Sales Representative
PM : dap
Enclosure
When
something is enclosed with the letter, an enclosure line is usually typed one
space below the identification line and even with the left margin. If there is
no identification line, the enclosure line is two spaces below the signature.
It is usually written Enc followed by a colon (:) and information.
e.g.
Sincerely yours,
Peter Monet
Peter Monet
Sales Representative
PM :dap
Enc: Brochures
Copies to (cc:)
When
a copy of a letter is sent to another person, the letters cc followed by a
colon (:) and the name of the person to whom the copy is being sent is
typed one space below the enclosure line (or the identification line if there
are no enclosures). If there is no identification line, it appears two spaces
below the signature. The letters ‘cc’ traditionally stand for ‘carbon copy’.
e.g.
Sincerely yours,
Peter Monet
Peter Monet
Sales Representative
PM:dap
cc: Mr. Kevin Walker
Reference :
1. http://dinadwisantiaa.blogspot.co.id/2016/09/business-letter.htm
