UNIT 26 MECHANICS OF WRITING BUSINESS

LETTERS
Structure

26.0 Objectives
26.1 Introduction
26.2 Form of a business letter
26.3 The layout
26.4 Supplements to the letter
26.5 Let us sum up
26.6 Key words

26.0 OBJECTIVES

After studying this unit you should be able to:

Arrange and format a letter correctly
List the various supplements to a business letter

26.1 INTRODUCTION

There must have been many occasions when you needed to write letters to your
friends or relatives living within the city or outside. Some of these letters might have
been written for a specific reason like expressing condolence, sending birthday
greetings, congratulations, etc. But very often, personal letters are just a way of
saying 'Hello' and of exchanging news about each other. Such letters are loosely
written and need not have any focus or a fixed subject or length. Business letters, on
the other hand, are always written for a particular reason: like making an inquiry,
seeking clarification, applying for a job or extending an invitation. In short,
whenever a letter sets out to conduct a business, it is a business letter. Remember, a
business letter does not have to be from one business house to another. So, when you
apply for a job or for leave, write to get a prospectus or to seek information of any
kind. you are writing a 'business letter'. As such, you have to follow certain rules.
We shall elucidate these rules in the course of these units.

You must read Block 1 of EEG-03 also along with this Block to get a comprehensive
view of Business correspondence.

26.2 FORM OF A BUSINESS LETTER

A business letter should be neat and attractive which will create a positive impression
on the mind of its receiver or reader. Hence, the following points should always be
kept in mind while writing such letters:

1. Paper: Paper of good quality and standard size should be used for all official
correspondence. Proper care should be taken to avoid over-crowding or
over-decoration while printing the necessary particulars regarding the
receiver's name, address, phone number, fax no. etc. Nowadays the use of
fullscap for office correspondence has become outdated, Instead, a standard
size paper is used for normal letters and 5%"x8%" or 7%"x8%"h o w n as .
small size, are used for short letters.
Business Communidation: 2. Typing: All official letters should be neatly typed by an efficient typist.
Writing skills-l Usually, official letters are typed single space between lines and double space
between the paragraphs. Since at least one auplicate copy of each letter is
needed for office record, it is necessary to use good quality carbon paper for
typing. If you are using a computer see that a good clear printout is laken.

3. Margin: Proper margin on the left and right hand side of the letter as well as
adequate space at the top and bottom of the letter makes it more appealing
and attractive. Usually, a margin of 12/15 space is provided on the left hand
side and 5 to 8 spaces on the right side of the paper. If more than one page is
used for a lengthy letter, extra care should be taken that identical margins are
provided on each page.

4. Folding: Folding of the letter is done according to the type and size of the
envelop that is used for sending the letter. Nonetheless, as far as possible the
minimum number of folds should be made.

5. EnveIops: The size of the envelop to be used depends upon the size of the
letter as well as the number of sheets or enclosures. Usually, the name and
address of the addressee are printed on the back of the envelop. Some firms
also get their logo, monogram, brand message or brand name printed on the
envelops.

Window envelops may be used to save the time of typing the name and
address of the party for whom it is meant. The letters are folded in such a
way that the full address typed on the letter-paper is visible through the
window on the envelop. For this purpose, it is necessary to type the full
name and address of the party in the letter.

6. Address on Envelop: Full name and address of the party should be written
or typed on the envelop. Abbreviations for street, village, district, city or
country must be avoided as far as possible. If the pin code of the city is
known, it is always better to type it correctly for quicker delivery.
The address of the sender is also typed on the envelop so that in the event of
non-delivery, the letter may be returned to the sender and does not go to the
dead-letter office. When the letter is sent by Book Post, Under Certificate of
Posting, Registered Post or Speed Post, the same should be clearly indicated
on the letter as well as on the envelop.
The Layout
A B
R.J. Travels R.J. Travels f
H-30 M. block H-30 M. Block
Kailash Market Kailash Market
New Delhi - 30 New Delhi - 30
9" March, 1996 - ..
09/03/97
The Manager
The Manager. Taj Hotel
Taj Hotel 1-Mansingh Rd. . .

1-Mansingh Rd New Delhi - 110 024.

New Delhi - 110 024
Sir,
.............................................
.............................................
............................................
Yours Sincerely
Sir,
...................................................
...................................................
..................................................
Sincerely Yours

(R.ANAND) (R-ANAND)
Hon. Secretary Hen. Secretary
 Medhanics of Writing
Business Letters

R. J. TRAVELS LTD

The Manager 9.3.96

Taj Hotel Delhi
1 - Mansingh Rd.
New Delhi- 110 024 My Dear Ravi,
.............................................
Sir, .............................................
.......................................... .............................................
.......................................... .............................................
..........................................
Yours faithfully
Love,
Masi
(R.ANAND)
Hon. Secretary

Look at letters A to D. The first three are business letters while D is a personal letter.
List all the differences that you notice. How many differences did you see?

Let us concentrate on the business letters now. The format or layout of a business
letter should give you the following information:-

1. When the letter was sent - i.e. the date.

2. From where the letter is being sent - i.e. the address of the sender.
3. Who is sending the letter - i.e. the name and designation of the sender.
4. To whom the letter is being sent - i.e. the name and designation of the
receiver.
5. Where the letter is being sent - i.e. the address of the receiver.

The Date

All letters, including personal ones, must carry the date on which the letter is sent. In
a personal letter, the date appears on the right-hand comer (as in D), but in a business
letter, the date can be written on the top right hand comer under the sender's address
(as in A); on the top left hand comer between the sender's and receiver's address (as
in B) or in the left or right hand comer when a letter head is used (as in C).

There are various ways of writing the date such as: 9 March 1999,9.3.99 ,9th. March
'96; March 9th1999.

(The Americans may even write the year first, then month followed by the date like
this; 1996 March 9. But you are advised to follow the Indian system as shown above.)

The Address of the Sender

Now go back and look at the letters A and B. In letter A the address of the sender
appears on the top right-hand comer, while in letter B, the sender's address is on the
top left-hand comer. While it is' the common practice to follow pattern A in letters
, written by hand, it is found to be much more convenient to follow pattern B while
typing the letters.
Business Communication: Since most business letters are typed, pattern B has become the standard practice and
Writing Skills-I
the sender's address, date, receiver's address, sender's signature, name and designation
all appear on the left hand side in one row.

Now look at letter C. Do you notice that the sender's address is not typed anywhere.
Can you guess why this is so'? Yes, you guessed it right. This is because the letter is
written on the letter head paper which means that the address of the sender is already
printed on the paper so there is no need to write it again unless you wish to get your
reply at a different address.

The sender's address should consist of the following:

The name of the company or institution, Madhu Travels,

Name of the building (if given) Gomati Towers, Flat 3
Number of the premises and street name H-50 Rafi Marg,
Area (if given)
City and pin code New Delhi 1 10 00 1

The Name and Designation of the Sender

Remember, the name and designation of the sender DOES NOT appear with the
sender's address. So, how do we know the name of the sender and the post s/he
occupies i.e. hidher designation? For this, we have to look at the end of the letter.
The sender puts hisher signature after the complimentary close like "Yours
faithfully". Often, the signature is difficult to read and it does not carry the full name
of the sender. Also, it does not tell us whether the sender is a male or a female. It is
for this reason that the sender's full name is written or typed in capital letters under
the signatures, and it is put in brackets.

But there is still an important piece of information missing. Yes, we still do not
know the post that the sender holds in the organisation. So, under the full name we
have the designation of the sender. Here is an example:-

Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, ,

Yours faitl~fully

(SEEMA KAPOOR) (R.S. PILLAI) (RAVI CHOPRA)

Warden Proprietor Assistant Manager

~ e m e k b e rthat
, even when the letters are typed, the sender always puts hidher
signature in ink.

The Name andlor Designation of the Receiver

You saw that the name and designation of the sender does not appear with the address
of the sender but it is different in case of the receiver. Look at the following
examples:-

Mrs. S. Ali, Principal Mrs. S. Ali The Principal

Sofia College, Principal, Sofia Sofia College
College,

If you know the name of the person you are writing to, you can address them as
shown in E and F. But even when you know the name, you still have to write the
designation. Can you think why? There are two reasons for it. Firstly, there may be
name working in the organisation so the designation will tell
for. Secondly, if yoc fail to mention the designation, the
\
 Mechanics of Writing
letter may be heated as a personal letter rather than an official one. For example, Business Letters
most letters addressed to the Principal are opened by the secretary who reads them
and sometimes answers them on behalf of the Principal. If the letter is a personal one,
s h e will leave it for the Principal who may be too busy to look at it.

There is another point to keep in mind. In the case of a m,you normally add Mr.
before the name but when addressing a lady, it can become awkward if you do not
know whether she is married or single. In that case, the best way is to address a lady
as MS. In fact, many women prefer that even when they are married. So, you would
address the lady as: MS. S. Ali.

The Address of The Receiver

The address of the receiver is always written under the designation and it is written
on the top left hand comer of the paper. The receiver's address should comprise the
following,

The name of the receiver (if you know it). MS S. Ali,

The designation Principal
The name of the institution Sofia College,
Name of building (if any)
Name of the Street Nehru Road,
City and code Chennai 600 012

Let us suppose that you are replying to a letter and you have the address of the person
you are writing to on the letter head. You will notice that the letter head cames a lot
of information like the telephone numbers, the residential tel. No., Fax No., E-mail,
address of the branches of the company, etc. But when you write down the address,
you only have to pick the address to which you plan to send the letter, and the
telephone numbers etc. are not to be mentioned. Look at the following letter head:-

FABHOLIDAY (

Travels Pvt. Ltd.

G-55, Connaught Circus, H.O.Hote1 Imperial

New Delhi- 110 00 1 Janpath
Tel: 3325786,3324308 New Dell$- 110 001
Fax: 3 1-61588 Tel: 3324789,3325559
Fax: 3 1-62925

BRANCHES: MUMBAI BANGALORE, CALCUTTA, HYDERABAD, CHENNAI,

CHANDIGARH.

If you decide to write to this Agency, you will have to decide which branch you wish
to write to.

One other question that may bother you is this. If you are writing to an Institution or
a Concern for the first time, whom do you address the letter to?

Here are some very general tips:

When writing to a Hostel, you write to The Warden

When writing to a Newspaper, you write to The Editor
When writing to a Club, you write to The Secretary
When writing to a shop, you write to The Proprietor
When writing to an Hotel, you write to , The Manager
onrsmess ~omm&nication: Check Your Progress 1
Writing Skills-1
Look at the layout of the following business letter and point out all the errors, i.e.
what's missing, what's not needed and what is at the wrong place.

Ravi Saxena,
52 DDA Flats.
The Warden
Kalindi Hostel
Lucknow
4

Madam,

Yours faithhlly
I
(Secretary, Residents Association)

Now that you have learnt the general layout of a business letter, write to the
following Concerns. You are required to complete the layout only and not write the
letter. You can invent your own addresses.

Write to:

1. Anne Jacob, the secretary of a youth club.

2. To the manager of an Insurance company in Mumbai.
3. A travel agency in Chennai.

Forms Of Salutation And The Beginnings

Wlile writing a personal letter, you can start with any form of endearment like My
dear, Dearest, Darling, etc. But a business letter starts with Dear SirfMadam or even
a simple SirMaclam is enough. If you wish to address the receiver by hidher name,
you can say:

Dear Dr. Pillai, Dear MS Nagpal, Dear Mr. Kapoor,

Remember, it is preferable to address people only by their surname i.e. it is more

acceptable to say Dear Dr. Pillai rather than Dear Dr. S.M. Pillai,

So far so good, but what do we do after that? How do we begin a letter? We cannot
say "Namskar. How are you these days?"

If you are writing for the first time, ask yourself: .What is the reason for this letter? Is
the letter being written to seek information, to ask for an application form, to
complain, to invite?

Begin your letter by saying why you are writing. There are many ways of doing this:

I am writing to ask ......

confirm ............
complain ...........
invite ...............
thank ...............

If you wish to sound more polite and formal you may begin thus:
 Mechanics of Writing
Business Letters
I would like to inquire
confirm
invite
thank

Check Your Progress 2

I. Given below is a list of verbs and verb phrases. Choose a suitable verb to
complete the sentences below. You may begin your sentences with "I am
wiiting to -----"or "I would like to ......"

ask, inquire about, confirm, apologise for, invite, inform, complain about, thank,
requesf apply for.

.....the poor quality of the cloth used...

.....the rude behaviour of my clerk...
.....y ou for the excellent arrangements...
.....the post you advertised...
.....the dates which we agreed on...
.....the nature of the job you have advertised...
.....y ou for a favoh...
.....y ou that your hotel booking is done...
.....y ou to send me the details...
.....y ou to the annual function...

What you have learnt so far is to begin a letter when you are writing to a Company or
Institution for the first time. Now, we will see how to begin a letter when we are
replying to a letter. Before we do that here is a simple exercise for you:-

11. You were given a list of verbs above. Now supply nouns for these verbs.
The first is done for you:-

Inquire inquiry
confirm
apologise
invite
inform
complain
thank
request
apply
As mentioned earlier, these are the phrases that you will require for most business
letters. When you reply to a letter, you can use one of the following sentences to
begin the letter.
I With reference to your ----or with regard to your (requestfinquiryetc.)

Thank you for the or

t
I wish to thank you for the (information/interest etc.)

1 You must keep in mind that you cannot use the same sentences with every noun
given above. For example, you CANNOT SAY:

Thank you for your complaint

Thank you for the inquiry.
B~rsiiaessCommunication: Check Your Progress 3
Writing ~kilh-1
Write "Thank you" for "With reference to" in reply to the following., e.g.:

I am writing to warn you ... With reference to your warning.. .....

1. I am writing to complain...
2. I would like to inquire... .
3. Isuggest...
4. I would like to apply...
5. This is to confirm...
6. We would like to invite you...
7. I am writing to request you.,.
8. I am writing to inform you ...
9. I wish to congratulate you ...
10. I am writing to remind you...

If you are replying to some information or news that you are supposed to be happy
about, you can start by saying:

We are pleasedlhappy to know/learn/hear/that....

Now let us look at another very common way to starting a reply. Here, you begin
the answer repeating the date on which the letter you are replying to was written
and you also repeat the purpose of the letter. This is very helpful for the receiver of
your letter because s/he knows straight away what you are talking about. Given
below, you have the example of a letter inviting Mr. Murthy to a function and below
that are examples of two kinds of replies that you can give: (You are only being given
the beginnings of the letters and not the complete letters.)

Example 1

March 7th. 1996.

Dear Dr. Murthy,

I am writing to invite you to the Annual h c t i o n of our College to be held on the 3rd
of April, 1996.- - -

A reply to the above letter:

March 12th. 1996.

Dear Mr. Negi,

Thank you for the invitation to the Annual function of your college. I am glad to
accept the invitation....

Example 2

March 12th. 1996.

Dear Mr. Negi,

With reference to your letter dated 7th March'96, inviting me to the Annual h c t i o n
of your college to be held on the 3rd. of April, I am writing to inform you that I am
glad to accept the invitation.....
 Mechanics of Writing
You notice that in example 2, Mr. Murthy has repeated the date and the message of
Business Letters
the letter in the first line. This will help Mr. Negi because he does not have to look at
his file to find out which letter Mr. Murthy is replying to.

Many times, business letters carry a Reference Number like 17iL398. In this case
you can say:

With reference to your letter 17iL398, dated 7th March, .....

Form of Complimentary Close

Our next problem is how io close a letter. When you write a letter to ask for a favour
like seekinp. ir.fonnation, making a request, etc. the most common way is to say
Thank you. Yours Sincerely/faithfully,etc. On the other hand, if you wish to get
an answer to your letter, you may close like this:

I look forward to hearing from you.

You can add, I look forward to hearing from you soon/ at the earliest.

If you are expecting something else instead of a reply to your letter, you can mention
that instead of "hearing from you". Suppose you have written a letter inviting
someone to a meeting, you may say:

I look forward to meeting you on Friday.

If you wish to be more formal and polite you can write the following:

We would appreciate an early reply.

An early reply will be greatly appreciated.
I would be grateful for a prompt answer.

This kind of a line is written at the end of a letter in a paragraph by itself.

And we finally come to the final close. You might notice that most business letters
end with "Yours faithfully"or "Your sincerely". Even though most people do not
follow this practice but the correct form is that when you begin your letter with "Dear
Sirhiadam", you should end it with "Yours faithfully" but when you begin your letter
by addressing a name like "Dear Dr. Murthy" you close the letter with "Yours
sincerely" like this:

Dear Sir,
i ..............................................Yours faithfully, .

Dear Dr. Murthy,

...............................................Yours sincerely,
Check Your Progress 4

1. Fax a letter to Oberoi Hotel, Delhi to find out if they have a room available
' p, for the 8th and 9th of April and about the room rates.

2. Write a reply to the following letter:

Business Communication: ~ ~industries,
~ l l ~
Writing Skills-I H-30 Annadurai Marg,
Mana Mallai,
Chenneai - 600 03 1

10th May, 1996.

The Manager,
Moti Plastics,
12 Najafgarh Road
Delhi - 1 I0 011

I am writing to inform you that our Sales Representative Shri Mukul Deb will be
visiting your factory on 10th May'96 around 10 am. Kindly c o n f m if this is
convenient to you.

Thank you,

Yours faithfully,

(ANURAG MEHTA)
Assistant Manager

26.4 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LETTER

Beside the main content of a letter, there are a few supplements which should also be
noted carefully. Each supplement either adds to or supplements the information, or
further strengthens its presentation and completeness. These are discussed below:

1. Enclosures: Very often one or more documents are required to be sent along
with a letter. In such a case it should be indicated on the left-hand comer of
the letter by writing the word 'Enclosures', 'Encl.' or 'Encls', noting against it
the number of documents enclosed. If the enclosures are important, their
nature is also briefly mentioned as for instance:

Encl. one Copy of Invoice.

The despatch clerk must ensure that all enclosure indicated in the letter are attached
to the letter.

2. Post Script (P.S.): If something is written after the completion of letter, it is

known as Post Script or P.S. Only important and urgent information, not
known earlier, should be written as post script. As the P.S. is a part of a
letter, it must bear the initials of the writer below it. If we have to write more
-
than one P.S., it is better to rewrite the whole letter and not spoil the
compactness of the communication.

26.5 LET US SUM UP

We have primarily concentrated on making you aware of the format of a business

letter.
IE Mechanics of Writing
I For creating a good impression in the minds of the addressee, the letter needs to be Br~sinessLetters
written in a systematic manner. Simplicity and courtesy should run throughout the
letter. Paper of good quality and standard size should be used for all official
correspondence. The letter should be neatly typed with proper margin. A well-
structured business letter consists of the subject, inside address, salutation, the main
body, complimentary close and the signature of the writer. The body of letter should
be divided into paragraphs so that the sequence in thought is maintained. In every
letter, the writer of the letter or the authorized person should put hisher signature at
the end of the letter.

--
26.6 -myWORDS
L

Salutation: Form of greeting while addressing an individual or a firm or

company.

Complimentary close: Formal expression of respect or regard of the letter writer

towards the addressee, written just below the body of a letter.

Supplements: Documents enclosed or additional ixxformation included after

the main body of the letter.

26.7 ANSWERS

Check Your Progress 1

1. The name of the sender should be written in brackets below his signature not
on top.

2. The address of the sender is incomplete -city not given

3. The address of the addressee is also incomplete.

4. The date is not given.

Check Your Progress 2

1. I am writing to complain about--------

2. I would like to apologize for ----------

3. I would like to thank -----------

4. I am writing to apply for ---------

5. I am writing to confirm ---------

6. I would like to inquire about ------

7. I would like to ask --------

8. I am writing to inform ------L-

Business Communication:
Writing Skills-I 9. I would like to request -------

10. 1would like to invite --------

11. inquiry
confirmation
apology
invitation
,.information
complaint
thankfulness
request
application

Check Your Progress 3

1. With reference to your complaint.

2. Yith reference to your inquiry.

3. d a n k you for your suggestion.

4. With reference to. your application of the elates ----

5. With reference to you're the conljrmation.

6. Thank you for the invitation

7. With reference to your request on ----

8. Thank you for the information.

9. Thank you for the greetings ----

10. With reference to the reminder letter of -----