English Letter Writing

With some Sample Letters

Compiled by: S M Nurul Alam Chowdhury (NAC)

Purpose of a Business Letter

A business letter (or formal letter) is a formal way of communicating between two or more
parties. There are many different uses and business letters. Business letters can be
informational, persuasive, motivational, or promotional. Business letters should be typed and
printed out on standard 8.5" x 11" white paper.

Elements of a Good Letter

The most important element of writing a good letter is your ability to identify and write to
your audience. If you are addressing your letter to the department of human resources, avoid
using highly technical terms that only engineers would understand, even if your letter is
addressed to an engineering company, chances are that the personnel in human resources
does not have an engineering background.

The next element is that you make sure your present your objective in a clear and concise
manner. Don't be vague about your objective, most people will not have the patience to sit
there and guess at the meaning of your letter or the time to read a long-winded letter, just get
to the point without going into unnecessary details.

Another important element to remember is to remain professional. Even if you are writing a
complaint letter, remain polite and courteous, simply state the problem(s) along with any
other relevant information and be sure to avoid threats and slander.

Letter Writing Tips

Always proofread your letter after writing it, check for sentence structure, grammar,
spelling mistakes...
Proofread your letter again (and again) after you have revised it.
Keep the recipient in mind, and write in a way that he/she can easily understand the letter.
Don't use abbreviated dates, e.g. use November 19, 2004, and not 11/19/04
Be respectful when you write, even if you are writing a letter of complaint.

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Business letter writing tips

Be concise and keep to the point, but don't leave out any important information.
Try to keep your letter short enough so that it fits on one page.
If your letter is more than a page long, use another page, don't use the back of the page.

If you have access to company (or personal) stationary with a letterhead on it, use that
instead of regular paper.

How to Address a Letter

Writing the proper salutation is crucial in professional, business, and academic settings. The
first thing to remember is to avoid using "To whom it may concern" as a salutation. That
salutation is typically considered a cop out. It means you didn't research enough to know who
you're writing to. The most important thing when writing a letter is to know your audience.

Depending on the nature of the letter, the guidelines for the proper form of address change. For
a letter of a personal nature, using the addressee's first name without a title or surname is
acceptable as long as you and the recipient have an informal nature. However, if you and the
addressee have a formal relationship, the writer should use the proper honorific and surname:
for example, Dear Ms. Smith. Also, when addressing women, if the marital status is unknown,
it is safer to use Ms. because it is appropriate regardless of marital status, so it is the preferred
honorific.

For formal letters, always use the honorific and surname in addition to the first name. If you
are unsure of the gender of the recipient, omit the honorific, and use the first name and surname:
For example, Dear Pat Smith. If the addressee has a doctorate, (PhD, MD, EdD) use Dr. as the
honorific instead of Ms. or Mr: for example, Dear Dr. Pat Smith.

When addressing clergy members, use the title before the person's surname: for example, Dear
Father Smith or Dear Archbishop Smith. Diplomats are addressed by their titles (Ambassador
or Minister) as well. Also, their honorifics are Mr. or Madam. In addition, members of
academia are addressed by their titles: for example, Dear Professor Smith or Dear Dean Smith.

When writing a formal business letter, it is best to do some research into the company or
organization to which you're writing. Find out as much as possible about the names and titles
you'll be addressing. That simple gesture indicates your knowledge of the company or
organization and makes you seem like a competent individual with whom they'd be more
willing to form a working relationship with. Most company websites make it easy to discover
the necessary information.

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If you don't know the person's name, use the person's title. Titles include Professor, Senator,
Dean, Sister, Rabbi, Governor, Captain, Director of Human Resources, and Judge. If you don't
know the title, or if the person doesn't have one, you can use the job title: for example, Dear
Recruiter. This isn't the best method, of course, but at least it signals that you know
approximately whom the best audience would be. Again, it's about knowing your audience and
the organization in relation to your letter's purpose. If you're looking for a job, you'd want to
address your letter to a recruiter, human resources, or the company's hiring committee and not
the CEO. If you're not aware of the the person's job title, then Dear Sir or Madam works as a
last resort, however, this isn't much better than "To whom it may concern."

Remember: the more you know about your audience, the better your salutation will be and
probably the body of your letter as well.

*********

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 Sample Business Promotion Letter

April 6, 2017

Mr. Shahjahan Chowdhury

Accounts PayableDptt.,
The Cooking Store
765 Mogh Bazar
Dhaka

Dear Mr. Chowdhury,

Re: Allowing Incentive on Bill Payment

It has come to my attention that your company, The Cooking Store has been late in paying their
invoices for the past three months.

In order to encourage our customers to pay for their bills before the due date, we have
implemented a discount model where we will give you 3% off your bill if you pay us within
10 days of receiving the bill.

I hope that everything is going well for you and your company. You are one of our biggest
customers, and we appreciate your business. If you have any questions, feel free to contact
me at 88 02 985 3456.

Sincerely yours,

Signature

Masud Akhter
General Manager

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 Sample Complaint Letter

April 5, 2017

Customer Service
Ideal Sports
84 Green Road
Dhaka

Dear Sir or Madam,

Re: Complaint Letter about Cleats

I have recently ordered a few new pair of soccer cleats (item # 6542951) from your New Market
Showroom on March 27, 2017 on full payment. I received the order on March 29.
Unfortunately, when I opened it, I saw that the cleats were used. The cleats had dirt all over it
and there was a small tear in front of the part where the left toe would go. My order number is
SAH3271756.

To resolve the problem, I would like you to credit my account for the amount charged for my
cleats. I have already went out and bought a new pair of cleats at my local sport goods store so
sending another would result in me having two pairs of the same cleats.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I have been a satisfied customer of your
company for many years and this is the first time I have encountered a problem. If you need
to contact me, you can reach me at 88 02 961 3539.

Sincerely yours,

Signature

Shakib Al Hassan
33, Azimpur
Dhaka

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 Sample Cover Letter

March 29, 2017

Director of Human Resources

Global Bank Limited
Liberty Tower (Level 15)
Mukti Commercial Area
Dhaka

Dear Sir,

It is with great interest that I am applying for the position of Management Trainee Officer in
your esteemed organization. When I read your advertisement in the Bangladesh Today on
March 12, 2017 I felt that it was an ideal match with my career aspirations. I have always
wanted to work for an outstanding Bank like Global Bank Limited.

I believe that I am the ideal candidate for the position due to my extensive study on Finance &
Banking both in my BBA and MBA courses. Moreover, during my Internship at a Non-bank
Financial Institution, I learnt many things related to banking.

As desired in your advertisement, I attach herewith my Resume along with the scanned copies
of Certificates and Testimonials for favour of your kind consideration as to allow me to appear
at the required tests and thus to enable me to prove my competence for the position.

With best regards

Sincerely yours,

Signature

Shamim Ahsan

Enclosure: Resume

Sample Letter of Interest

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June 7, 2016

Ms. Jen Carlson

Human Resources
111 Riverfront Ste 325
PO Box - Box 157
Wabasha, MN 55946

Dear Ms. Carlson:

Your recent advertisement in the Herald made it clear that customer satisfaction is an integral
part of DTI. In addition, my close friend, Paula Chavez who is an employee at DTI suggested
that my special talents might benefit your customer service department.

Part of my success is because I place a high value on personal integrity and represent both my
employer and myself in an ethical and respectable manner. Also, I have a diligence in paying
close attention to detail; as a representative of your company I would bring focus not only to
the value of your services but also to quality of customer service. Furthermore, I am a hard,
smart-working, self-starter who works well in a team environment.

I will call you on June 15 to answer any questions about this letter or my resume in the hope
of scheduling an interview. If you prefer, please contact me by phone (555) 454-1307 or e-
mail, ljones@nowhere.com.

Thank you for your time in considering my qualifications.

Sincerely,

Signature

Linda Jones

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 Sample Letter of Recommendation

September 28, 2004

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with great pleasure that I am recommending Mr. Amjad Hossain to you. I am the General
Manager at Excelsior Plus Limited and Mr. Hossain has been under my supervision from
November of 2013 to August of 2016 as a salesman.

Mr. Hossain would be a great asset to any company. He is one of the brightest employees that
I have ever had. He also has a great drive and passion for his work.

Mr. Hossain is such a quick learner. Within his first two weeks at Excelsior Plus Limited he
had learned all the product names, their features, and how they work. It normally takes a new
employee at least two months to get familiar with all the products that we sell.

Mr. Hossain's drive has led him to great success at Excelsior Plus Limited. He has had the
honour of receiving the "Top Sales Person of the Month Award" ten times in her last two year
at Excelsior Plus Limited, which is a feat that no employee has ever achieved here before.

I believe that Mr. Amjad Hossain will be an excellent fit for your company. He has been
nothing short of an exemplary employee. If you have any further questions, feel free to
contact me at 01715 625 321 and I will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Truly yours,

Signature

Zafar Hamid
General Manager

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 Sample Request Letter

September 27, 2016

Mr. Louis Henderson

Store Manager
The Corner Cafe
273 Main Street
Clearwater Falls, FL 23619

Dear Mr. Henderson:

My name is Cathy Pettis and I'm the chair of the Clearwater Falls Elementary School
Fundraising Committee. The committee is planning to hold a fundraiser next month to raise
funds for this years field trips and we're looking for donors to help out with providing goods
for the fundraising event.

If The Corner Cafe is willing to help donate some coffee and cups, we would greatly appreciate
it. Our fundraiser will be held on the morning of October 18th and we're expecting around 200
people to show up.

Thanks for your time and consideration, if you need to contact me with any questions, feel free
to call me at 555-555-5555, I'm available to speak between 10am-5pm on weekdays.

Sincerely,

Signature

Cathy Pettis

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 Sample Condolence Letter

Dear Mrs. Johnson,

Although we have never met, your son Stephen and I became close friends in boot camp and
have corresponded regularly over the past four years. I was dismayed to hear of his passing and
am writing to extend my deepest sympathies to you and your family.

Stephen was always full of energy and optimism. During training, Stephen helped me
overcome my fear of climbing and rappelling. When the exercises became too tough, it was
Stephen who always encouraged the squad to "soldier on". You must be very proud of him. It
was no surprise that he made Sergeant before the end of his first hitch.

Stephen once told me it was you who taught him that the best part of life is building good
memories. I hope that the memories you built will help you to "soldier on" through this difficult
time.

With warmest regards,

Signature
David Wagner

*****

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