Business

Letter
 Definition and Purpose

The business letter may be defined as a written message

used to transact business, which cannot be conveniently
conducted orally. It is formal and direct, with no literary
pretensions. It has a twofold purpose: to serve as a
record, and to attempt to secure action from the reader.
A business letter is effective if it succeeds in building up
goodwill and in securing a favorable response. Accuracy,
clarity, conciseness, and good quality stationery all serve
to impress the reader.
 Appearance
The reader’s attention is immediately arrested upon unfolding a
letter that is fresh and crisp in appearance and that is attractively
centered on the page. Then, if the message itself is in keeping with
the dignity of appearance, the letter will usually be highly effective.

Stationery. Good taste rather than strict economy should be the

criteria in choosing paper and envelopes that are to carry the firm’s
communications. The prestige gained through the use of a good
paper will move more than offset any saving through the use of an
inferior paper.

The standard size of business stationery is 8 ½ x 11 inches in size,

white or a very light shade of cream, brown, gray, and blue in color.
 Appearance
Picture-frame Layout. The picture-frame layout on a white
mat, shown below, has margins the same as the top and sides,
with one and one-half inches at the bottom.

Letter Styles. The selection of the letter arrangement and

style is just like choosing a dress. In doing it, you choose a
dress that meets your taste and that best reflects you. The
same is true to letters arrangement and style. Actually, there
is no standard rule by which the appropriate or inappropriate
of specific style can be firmly used. However, most companies
adopt a style that is convenient, practical, and modern in form
in a sense that it is used by most firms in the locality.
Letter Styles
 Full Block Letter Style

In this style, all parts begin at the left margin of the

page. This is more convenient to use because the
writer does not bother about any indentions. At
present, this is the one being adopted by most
businessmen.
Full Block Letter Style
 Modified Block Letter Style
In this style, the writer changes the position of the
dateline, complimentary close, and signature. All
paragraphs begin at the left margin of the page. The
complimentary close usually aligns with the dateline.
Likewise, the signature block is aligned with
complimentary close. If subject and attention lines are
included, these may be placed at the center or indented
five to ten spaces from the left margin.
Modified Block Letter Style
 Semi Block Style

This is the same as the modified block style except

that the first line of every paragraph is indented by
five or ten spaces.
Semi Block Style
 Hanging-indented Style
This is not commonly used except in advertising or
in sales letter. Its primary objective is to attract the
reader’s attention. This is alike to the modified
block style with the following exception: the
second and all other paragraph lines are indented
either five or ten spaces; the first line of each
paragraph is not indented.
Hanging-indented Style
 Simplified Letter Style

This is the same with the full block style. Their main differences are
the following:

1. Omission of both salutation and complimentary close.

2. Subject and reference lines are always typed in bold letters.
3. Listings in the message are indented by five spaces, except when
the items are numbered or lettered. When the items are
denoted by letters, they are sent in full block form, and no
periods are used after the numbers.
4. The primary purpose of this style is to save time in the
preparation. Most writers consider this cold and impersonal. In
effect, they use one of the traditional styles.
Simplified Letter Style
 Punctuation Styles
There are three commonly used punctuation styles for business letters.

▪ Open punctuation style. This style requires that no punctuation be

used after any part of the letter except the message. Open
punctuation is often used with full block arrangements as both styles
are considered the timesaver for typist.

▪ Standard punctuation style. In the standard punctuation style, only

the salutation and the complimentary closing are followed by
punctuation. A colon follows the salutation, and a comma follows the
complimentary close. This style is the most commonly used.

▪ Closed punctuation style. This style is perhaps the least used and is
not recommended for use in modern letters.
Parts of a
Business
Letter
 The Parts of a Business Letter

Professional-looking business letters are arranged in a

conventional sequence with standard parts. Following is a
discussion of how to use these letter parts properly.

The Heading. The heading consists of the name of the firm

or organization and the address. These are the essentials for a
printed letterhead, although there may be additional printed
data. Office people become accustomed to using printed
letterheads that they sometimes forget to type the heading
when they write personal business letters on a blank paper.
 The Parts of a Business Letter

The Dateline. The dateline consists of the month, the number of

the day, and the year. The most common dateline format is as
follows: June 9, 1988. Don’t use th (nor rd, nd) when the dateline is
written this way. For European or military correspondence, use the
following dateline format: 9 June 1998. Notice that no commas are
used.

The Inside Address. Generally, this part gives the name, the title,
and the exact address of the person whom the letter is addressed.
It is typed three to four lines after the dateline. It is to occupy three
to five lines, single-spaced
 The Parts of a Business Letter

The Attention Line. This is needed if the

business letter is addressed to the company rather
than to an individual. However, if the writer
wishes his letter to reach a particular individual
with a business concern, he may use the attention
line. This is typed two spaces below the inside
address.
 The Parts of a Business Letter

The Salutation. This is considered as a greeting and expression of

courtesy to put the reader in a friendly reception frame of mind.
This is typed two or three spaces below the inside address.

EXAMPLES: MEN WOMEN

Most Formal Sir: Madam:

Formal My Dear Sir: My Dear Madam:

Less Formal Dear Sir: Dear Madam:

Friendly/Intimate Dear Anson: Dear Elisa:

 The Parts of a Business Letter
The Subject Line. This is used to immediately inform the
reader what the letter is all about. This is placed two spaces
below the salutation. It may be typed in full capital letters or
underlined for emphasis.

The Body of the Letter. This is the most important part of

the letter. This consists of the full message of the letter. The
letter writer should see to it that indention of the body has to
be deep enough to distinguish the paragraphs and to have
them alike within the letter. The body is composed of at least
two/three paragraphs. The body of the letter begins two
spaces below the salutation.
 The Parts of a Business Letter

The Complimentary Close. This is typed two lines

below the last line of the body of the letter. The
complimentary close may be informal (Sincerely
yours, or Cordially,) or formal (Very truly yours,).
You have to observe the degree of formality as in
the salutation. Remember that only the first letter
of the first word is in capital letter.
 The Parts of a Business Letter

The Signature Block. This identifies the writer. The name of

the writer is typed three to four lines below the complimentary
close. The combination of name, title, and organization
information should be arranged to achieve a balanced look.
The name and the title may appear on the same line or on
separate lines, depending on the length of each. Some
organizations include their names in the signature block. In
such cases the organization’s name appears in all caps two
lines below the complimentary close, as shown here.
The Parts of a Business Letter

Cordially,

VANGIE’S COMPUTER SERVICE

Lolita Solis
Executive Assistant

THE SIGNATURE BLOCK

 The Parts of a Business Letter
The Reference Initials. If used, the initials of the typist and
the writer are typed two lines below the writer’s name and title
in the signature block. Generally, the writer’s initials are
capitalized and the typist’s are lowercased, but this format
varies.

The Enclosure Notation. This is a reminder that there is an

enclosure and is usually typed under the typist’s or
stenographer’s initials. The notation may be spelled out
(Enclosure/Attachment), or it may be abbreviated (Enc./Att.). It
may indicate the number of enclosure or attachments, and it
may also identify a specific enclosure (Enclosure: Form 137)
 The Parts of a Business Letter

The Copy Notation. If you make copies of

correspondence for other individuals, you may use
cc to indicate carbon copy, pc to indicate
photocopy, or merely c for any kind of copy. A
colon following the initial(s) is optional.
Parts of Business Letter
The Cs of
Business
Letter
 The Cs of Business Letter

Effective business letter is not only physically

attractive but also well-written. The writer’s way of
expressing his ideas depends upon his total
personality, intelligence, relationship with people,
and his social, emotional and intellectual maturity.
 The Cs of Business Letter

The following are the qualities of effective business

letters:

1. Completeness
2. Clearness
3. Conciseness
4. Correctness
5. Coherence
6. Courtesy
 Completeness
You tell your reader all that he wants and needs to know. All
questions your reader asked should be answered.

Incomplete messages are costly because they may result in the

following:

1. Loss of goodwill
2. Loss of value
3. Loss of sales
4. Lost of returning merchandise because of incomplete order.
5. Waste of time to make sense out of an incomplete message.
 Completeness

In business writing, it is always appropriate to offer

your readers information they already know than
when they are not properly informed. Usually, they
get the impression that they are not important to
you when you fail to give them adequate
information.
 Clearness
Clear writing implies clear thinking. As a writer, you should
strive for clarity and vividness. You have to avoid the use of
abstract and general terms.

Some ways of achieving clarity in writing are:

1. Logical development
2. Use of effective sentences and paragraphs
3. Pace
4. Consistent point of view
5. Use of clear transitions
6. Limit on the use of jargon
 Example

Unclear: When you have to purchase your next sets of office

uniform, please be aware that although an increase in labor
is forcing all office uniform manufacturers to increase their
process, some offices did purchase their Christmas
inventory before the price increases took effect, and,
therefore, they may be willing to sell their earlier –
purchased stock for less than the current prices.

Clear: Rising labor costs within the clothing manufacturing

industry has resulted in increased prices of office uniforms.
Stores that still have a supply of office uniforms purchased
before the price increases may be offering this stock at the
original price.
Modifiers are words or phrases that expand or
limit other elements within a sentence. Incorrect
use of modifiers destroys sentence clarity and
results in humorous writing and confusion.
Example

Misplaced Modifier: Whether you travel for business or for pleasure,

charge everything to your credit card in Canada
or the United States.

Improved: Whether you travel for business or for pleasure

in Canada or United States, charge everything to
your credit card.

Dangling Modifiers: When filling out an employment application, the

personnel manager expects each applicant to
use ink.

Improved: When filling out an application, each applicant is

expected to use ink.
Example
Outdated Up-to-Date
In reply to your letter which the Please wait for our credit
undersigned has been in receipt of, it investigator who will see you
is respectfully requested that you soon to look into your loan
await the arrival of our credit application with our company.
investigator who shall, in due time,
investigate your application for a loan
with our company.

Your recent letter has been endorsed Your May 2 letter has been
to the proper authority for action. endorsed to the Accounting
Office (Legal Office, Deans
Office, etc.) for action.

Your reciprocating the favor enhances If you return the favor, you will
the probability of your closing the surely make the sale.
action.
Outdated Expressions Modern Phrasing
Are in receipt of Have received
As per your request At your request
Attached here to Attached
Enclosed please find Enclosed is/are
Kindly advise Please write
Pursuant to your request At your request
Thanking you in advance Thank you
I trust that I think/I believe
Under separate cover Separately
Advise Tell
Favor us with a reply Please write/please reply
With your kind permission May I
I seek your kind indulgence I hope you understand
In due course By next (the day)
Beg to advise/state/suggest (omit)
 Conciseness

In business, time is gold, therefore time is money.

In writing, this means that concise messages save
reading time and therefore, money. Messages that
are written directly and efficiently are easier to
read and understand. The rule is, say what you
have to say and then stop.
Taking the time to make your writing concise
means that you look for shorter ways to say what
you intend. Try to look at every sentence you write.
Can you say them in just few words? Aside from
eliminating redundant words, you should
concentrate on making flabby phrases short,
deleting excessive prepositions, avoiding lead-ins,
omitting needless adverbs, and eliminating
expletives.
 Flabby Expressions
Flabby Concise Flabby Concise

At a later date Later In addition to the above Also

At this point in time Now In the event that If
Afford an opportunity Allow In the amount of For
At the present time Now, presently In view of the fact that Because
Due to the fact that Since, because In as much as Since
During the time While More or less About
Fully cognizant of Aware Until such time as Until
In the near future Soon
 Wordy Prepositional Phrases
Wordy Concise

1. Solid steel approached the 1. Solid steel approached the

merger in careful manner. merger carefully.
2.The merger will in all 2. The merger will probably
probability be affected. be affected.
3. We have taken this action 3. We have seldom taken this
in very few cases. action.
 Needless Adverbs
Wordy Concise

1. We actually did not really give 1. We did not give his plan a fair
his plan a very fair trial. trial.

2. Professor Diaz offered an 2. Professor Diaz offered a fine

extremely fine course that course that students
students definitely appreciated appreciated.
 Expletives
Wordy Concise

1. There are three secretaries who 1. Three secretaries meet directly the
meet directly the clients. clients.

2. It is the clients who should make 2. The clients should apply for
application for licensing. licensing.

Wordy expressions usually come out in business letters, but it does

not mean that they are more forceful and more understandable
than their concise forms. In reality, the more effort your readers
exert to understand what you mean.
 Another way of achieving conciseness
is to avoid redundancy.
Redundant Concise Redundant Concise

Fatal killing Killing New recruits Recruits

Dead body Body In order to To
For a period of two weeks Two weeks True facts Facts
Definitely decided Decided Past history History
Final conclusion Conclusion
 Correctness

Correctness is considered to be a very important

quality of a business letter. For business letters to
be correct means to be perfect.
 Coherence
Coherence means the process of sticking together. There
are three levels of achieving coherence: 1) coherence
within the paragraphs; 2) coherence with the sentence in
a paragraph; and 3) coherence within the words in a
sentence.

You achieve coherence within the paragraphs by means of

planning and outlining. Planning involves listing down
everything you want to say and putting them all in order.
 Courtesy
Romero (1984), said that courtesy is a mental attitude, a way of life among
people living in a society. It means recognizing and showing respect for the
value and worth of other people. Furthermore, it means consideration,
friendliness, and willingness to serve others.

In business world, courtesy is considered to be a very important virtue. When

you use polite language, you develop goodwill and goodwill leads to success
in business. The writer musts avoid all statements which accuse, belittle,
sting, cut, or unnerve people.

Courtesy is composed of the following:

1. A positive attitude;
2. a You-attitude;
3. a sincere and personal relationship with people; and
4. a willingness to serve.
 Positive Attitudes
When you think positive, you appear cheerful and compatible
emphasizing the bright side of life minimizing the gloomy side. You are
optimistic and believe that everything will turn out right, and believe
that people are all good.

Examples:

Negative: Couldn’t you send the goods on time? Isn’t it your responsibility to deliver
the goods to me?

Positive: Please deliver the goods by Tuesday, if possible, my order of May 10.

Negative: Your two boxes of mayonnaise will be sent without delay.

Positive: You will receive you two boxes of mayonnaise which we are sending today.
 You-Attitude
A self-centered person always wants to be treated as important. He thinks of
nobody but only himself and his own interest. In writing, a self-centered
person always says “I want”. The you-centered person usually says “Will you
please,” placing the “I” always in the background. He frequently asks “What is
your opinion?” because he respects opinions of other people. He says “Thank
you!” all the time for he wants to please people all the time.

Example:

Self-centered: I am glad to welcome you as a new chairman of the committee.

You-centered: Welcome as a new chairman of the committee.

Self-centered: I want to take this opportunity to thank you for attending the seminar
yesterday.

You-centered: Thank you for attending the seminar yesterday.

 Sincere and Personal Relationship with
People
You need to befriend your reader to have a personal relationship with
him. True friendship is one which is based on understanding, caring for
others, and closeness to others. Using your reader’s name in a natural,
conversational way helps to produce a personal and pleasant
atmosphere. It also gives him the feeling of individuality and
importance. However, you have to avoid using your reader’s name
frequently.
Example:

Self-centered: I want to thank you, Mr. Dizon for your recent order for a new set of
Everest luggage.

You-centered: We appreciate your order, Mr. Dizon for a new set of Everest luggage.
 A Willingness to Serve Others
This attitude comes from empathy. Empathy according to
Romero (1984) means placing oneself in somebody else’s
shoes. Empathy leads to a consideration for the reader’s
feelings and point of view resulting in a friendly and kind
attitude toward others.

For example, you wouldn’t have to guess how your reader

would feel when he reads this:

Yes, Miss Santos, you may depend upon us to make the

reservation for you.
Formal vs
Informal Writing
EXERCISES
I. Improve the following deadwood expressions.
Example:
at the present time – now

1. Acknowledge receipt of
2. Due to the fact that
3. Hoping to hear from you
4. In the event that
5. With reference to
6. Despite the fact that
7. Are in receipt of
8. At this time
9. Held a meeting
10. In the near future
II. Revise the following sentences using specific
words.
1. Damage from the typhoon was significant.
2. I am a college student.
3. Roy lost a fortune in gambling.
4. Many years ago she made good money.
5. My mother is good.
III. Revise the following sentences to make them
concise and specific.
1. I wish each and every person who receives this notice and ahs suggestions
to make to state what he has to say in the enclosed card, sign it, and drop
it in the mail at once, so that I may know his opinion as soon as possible.
2. In compliance with your letter dated sometime last month, we are
sending our booklet, “Travel Made Easy”. Thanks for the desire you have
with regard to our booklet, we remain.
3. We are informing you and I am happy for that, that we open our shopping
center on December 7 located at EDSA Central, Mandaluyong City and our
well-trained sales ladies stand ready to serve your requirements in our
lines.
4. Replying to your recent letter regarding summer courses for 2011, wish to
inform you that we are sending you today a copy of our brochure.
IV. Eliminate Redundancies and other errors in
the following sentences.
1. We would like to ask you to return back the from enclose herein
at your earliest possible convenience.
2. In accordance with your request, we have a consensus of
opinion that the washing machine you purchased when you
were in our store is at this time still under warranty.
3. Our store offers our clients customers modern up-to-date
equipment.
4. The letter was returned back for your signature.
5. In reference to your work that had not been finished as of this
date, please be reminded of your contract with us.
V. Revise the following sentences for easy
communication.

1. Man’s propensity to consume is insatiable.

2. The antiquated typewriters are still functional.
3. Recent capital acquisitions have accentuated the company’s
current financial crisis.
4. We must terminate all deficit financing.
5. Employment requisites for the company have been enhanced.
VI. Rewrite the following sentences to improve
the you-attitude.
1. Will you honor your request.
2. I wish to inform you about our summer sale that begins next
week.
3. We hope to have the pleasure of serving you in the near future.
4. We will give you a cash discount of 15% on purchases made
before june 10.
5. We quit providing receipts three weeks ago because most
customers said that they use their canceled check as a receipt.
Thank You
See You Next Time