•
The Heading (The Retern Address) or Letterhead - Companies usually use printed paper
where heading or letterhead is specially designed at the top of the sheet. It bears all the
necessary information about the organisation’s identity.
•
Date - Date of writing.
The month should be fully spelled out and the year written with all four digits October 12,
2011 (12 October 2011- UK style). The date is aligned with the return address.
The number of the date is pronounced as an ordinal figure, though the endings
st,
nd,
rd,
th,
are often omitted in writing. The article before the number of the day is pronounced but not
written. In the body of the letter, however, the article is written when the name of the month
is not mentioned with the day.
•
The Inside Address - In a business or formal letter you should give the address of the
recipient after your own address. Include the recipient's name, company, address and postal
code. Add job title if appropriate. Separate the recipient's name and title with a comma.
Double check that you have the correct spelling of the recipient 's name.
•
The Greeting - Also called the salutation. The type of salutation depends on your
relationship with the recipient. It normally begins with the word "Dear" and always includes
the person's last name.
Use every resource possible to address your letter to an actual
person. If you do not know the name or the sex of of your reciever address it to Dear
Madam/Sir (or Dear Sales Manager or Dear Human Resources Director).
As a general rule
the greeting in a business letter ends in a colon (US style). It is also acceptable to use a
comma (UK style).
•
The Subject Line (optional) - Its inclusion can help the recipient in dealing successfully
with the aims of your letter. Normally the subject sentence is preceded with the word
Subject: or
Re: Subject line may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font, or all
captial letters. It is usually placed one line below the greeting but alternatively can be
located directly after the "inside address," before the "greeting."
•
The Body Paragraphs - The body is where you explain why you’re writing. It’s the main
part of the business letter. Make sure the receiver knows who you are and why you are
writing but try to avoid starting with "I". Use a new paragraph when you wish to introduce a
new idea or element into your letter. Depending on the letter style you choose, paragraphs
may be indented. Regardless of format, skip a line between paragraphs.
•
The Complimentary Close - This short, polite closing ends always with a comma. It is
either at the left margin or its left edge is in the center, depending on the Business Letter
Style that you use. It begins at the same column the heading does.
The traditional rule of
etiquette in Britain is that a formal letter starting "Dear Sir or Madam" must end
"Yours faithfully", while a letter starting "Dear " must end "Yours sincerely". (
Note:
the second word of the closing is NOT capitalized)
•
Signature and Writer’s identification - The signature is the last part of the letter. You
should sign your first and last names. The signature line may include a second line for a
title, if appropriate. The signature should start directly above the first letter of the signature
line in the space between the close and the signature line. Use blue or black ink.
•
Initials, Enclosures, Copies - Initials are to be included if someone other than the writer
types the letter. If you include other material in the letter, put 'Enclosure', 'Enc.', or ' Encs. ',
as appropriate, two lines below the last entry. cc means a copy or copies are sent to someone
else.
American Style
British Style
Heading
According to the format but
usually aligned to the left
The heading is usually placed
in the top right corner of the letter
(sometimes centred)
Date
October 19, 2005 (month-day-
year)
According to the format but
usually
aligned to the left
(two lines below the heading)
19 October 2005 (day-month-year)
Usually placed directly (or 1 blank
line)
below the heading.
Salutation
Dear Mr./Ms. Smith:
Dear Sir or Madam:
Gentlemen:
After the salutation there is a
colon (:)
Dear Mr./Ms. Smith,
Dear Sir or Madam,
Dear Sirs,
After the salutation there is a
comma (,)
Complimentary
close
Sincerely,
Sincerely yours,
Yours truly,
Sincerely,
Yours sincerely,
Yours faithfully,
The format (layout) is the visual organisation of a business letter. You can follow many
different formats when you create business letters. Be aware that there are often
differences depending upon location. The main business letter formats are:
•
Full-Block Style - All the elements are
aligned to the left margin and there are no
indented lines. This is a standard block-style format that is accepted by most
businesses.
•
Modified Block Style -
The return address, date, closing and signature start just
to the right of the center of the page or may be flush with the right margin. All body
paragraphs begin at the left margin.
•
Indented or Semi-Block Style - Similar to the modified block business letter style
except that the
first line of each paragraph is indented.
Business Letter Sample - Full-Block Style
If you are using company letterhead, your full address will already be centered on the page.
Letterhead
Company Name (and logo)
Address
Phone/Fax number
E-mail (optional)
(2 blank lines after letterhead)
Current date
--->
The date may be written as month-day-year (US style) or day-month-year (UK
style).
(4 blank lines)
Mr./Ms. Name of person you are writing, title
--->
The inside address includes the recipient's name,
title,
Company name
company, and full address.
Address
City, Zip
Country (use only if writing to another country)
(2 blank lines)
Dear Mr. /Ms. Last Name: or… Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name, --->
The salutation is a greeting to the recipient. If
you don’t know the name of the individual, address it to the individual’s title in the company or "Dear Sir/Madam".
(1 blank line if there is a subject; 2 blank lines if there is no subject)
Subject Line (Optional): Title of subject
--->
Indicates the subject or purpose of the letter. It may be also
placed
before the salutation.
(1 blank line)
Body Paragraph 1: Explain who you are and why you are writing this letter..................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................
(1 blank line)
Body Paragraph 2: Use facts, details and experiences to support your opinion or request..............................................
.............................................................................................................................................................................................
(1 blank line)
Body Paragraph 3: Tell the reader what you want him to do or what you will do for him................................................
.............................................................................................................................................................................................
(1 blank line)
Short sentence: End your letter by saying something courteous to your reader.
(2 blank lines)
Sincerely, or... Sincerely yours,
--->
Capitalize only the first word in the complimentary close, and follow the
phrase
with a comma.
(3/4 blank lines)
---> Your handwritten signature
Your name
--->
You should type your first and last names. This can be followed by a title on the next line if
appropriate.
Your title
(2 blank lines)
NKA/wgs or NKA:wgs
--->
The typist's initials (if someone else types your letters) follow the writer's initials,
separated
by a slash or colon. The writer's initials are in capital letters, the typist's are
lowercase.
Enclosure (2)
--->
Include this if there are additional items with the letter.
(2 blank lines)
cc: The names of the other recipients
--->
The copie line is used to let the reader know that other people are
receiving a copy of the document. Follow the colon with the names of the other recipients, listed either alphabetically or
according to organizational rank.
When printing on blank paper you should type your address (without your name or phone # ) as the heading. Align the
heading according to the letter format.
Address
City, ZIP
Country
(2 blank lines)
Date of writing
If the letter is long you may place the date immediately below the last line of the heading. Otherwise, place the date two
lines below the heading.
Punctuation
The two styles of punctuation commonly used in business letters are
mixed and
open.
The most popular style is mixed punctuation. Mixed punctuation requires a colon after the saluation and a comma after
the complimentary close.
When
no punctuation follows
Mr or
Ms,
the salutation and
the complimentary close, open punctuation has been
used. This style is popular in the UK but it is not considered appropriate in the United States.
Dear Mr Last Name/Ms Last Name (no colon or comma)
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Sencerely (no comma)
