FOR MA T OF B U S I NE S S

LETTER A K HU SNUL K HOTIM AH

NAND
OFFICE MANAGEMENT
FORMAT OF BUSINESS LETTER
• MOST BUSINESS LETTERS MUST INCLUDE A RETURN ADDRESS (LETTERHEAD OR YOUR NAME AND
ADDRESS), DATE, AN INSIDE ADDRESS (RECEIVER'S NAME AND ADDRESS), A SALUTATION, BODY
PARAGRAPHS, AND A CLOSING. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO FORMAT THIS INFORMATION.
FOR EXAMPLE, RETURN ADDRESSES CAN BE CENTERED OR BEGIN AT THE LEFT MARGIN OR BEGIN AT THE
HORIZONTAL CENTER OF THE PAGE.
MODIFIED SEMI BLOCK
• SEMI-BLOCK FORMAT OR STYLE IS FREQUENTLY CALLED MODIFIED SEMI-BLOCK BECAUSE IT IS A
SLIGHTLY LESS FORMAL MODIFICATION OF FULL BLOCK FORMAT. THIS LETTER STYLE PLACES THE DATE
LINE IN ALIGNMENT WITH, OR SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT OF DEAD CENTER. ANOTHER OPTION FOR PLACING
THE DATE LINE IN SEMI-BLOCK IS FLUSH RIGHT. SIMILAR TO FULL BLOCK, SEMI-BLOCK PLACES THE
INSIDE ADDRESS, SALUTATION AND ANY END NOTATIONS FLUSH WITH THE LEFT MARGIN. HOWEVER,
UNLIKE FULL BLOCK, EACH BODY PARAGRAPH OF SEMI-BLOCK IS INDENTED FIVE SPACES. THE
COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE AND SIGNATURE BLOCK ARE ALIGNED UNDER THE DATE.
INDENTED LETTER
• INDENTED STYLE IS SOMEWHAT MORE COMPLICATED THAN OTHER POPULAR STYLES OF BUSINESS
WRITING. IN INDENTED STYLE, NEW PARAGRAPHS IN A PIECE OF WRITING ARE INDENTED THAT IS, THEY
BEGIN ABOUT 1.5 CENTIMETERS TO THE RIGHT OF THE LEFT MARGIN. OTHER PARTS OF A BUSINESS
LETTER ARE MOVED FARTHER TO THE RIGHT HALF OF THE PAGE. INDENTED STYLE IS ONE OF THE OLDER
FORMATS FOR BUSINESS WRITING CURRENTLY IN USE, THOUGH OTHER FORMATS ARE BECOMING MORE
POPULAR. INDENTED STYLE IS A FORMAT THAT MANY OF TODAY’S BUSINESS PEOPLE WERE TRAINED TO
USE..
HANGING INDENTED LETTER

• A HANGING INDENTED LETTER STYLE IS WHEN A PARAGRAPH IS INDENTED SO THAT THE FIRST LINE
HANGS OVER THE REST. NORMALLY YOU WOULD SEE A FIRST LINE INDENT. THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST LINE
IS MOVED TO THE RIGHT AND THE REST OF THE PARAGRAPH STARTS AT THE MARGIN. THE MOST
COMMON PLACE HANGING INDENTS ARE USED IS ON A BIBLIOGRAPHY REFERENCE PAGE. WHEN TYPING
YOU CAN CHANGE THE INDENTATION BY EITHER FORMATTING THE PARAGRAPH OR CHANGING THE PAGE
MARGINS.
MEMO

•  A MEMO IS ACTUALLY SHORT FOR MEMORANDUM. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST USED MEANS OF OFFICIAL
COMMUNICATION IN THE BUSINESS WORLD. ITS MAIN PURPOSE IS TO SERVE AS A REMINDER OR TO GIVE
SOME INSTRUCTIONS. AGAIN THESE LIKE CIRCULARS ARE A MEANS OF MASS COMMUNICATION, I.E. TO
COMMUNICATE WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION.
QUESTION

• WHAT IS DIFFERENT FOR MODIFIELD SEMI BLOCK, INDENTED LETTER, HANGING INDENTED LETTER AND
MEMO ?

• WRITE THE MEMO !