CHARACTERISTICS

OF A GOOD
BUSINESS LETTER
ARIS PET ANGELI A. SUAREZ
1. A good business getter is clear and concise.
2. A good business letter is correct and complete.
3. A good business letter is courteous, cheerful, and
considerate.
4. A good business letter uses concrete words
5. A good business letter has character.
1. A good business getter is clear and concise.

•A good letter does not leave any doubt in the mind of the recipient
after reading it.
•To achieve clarity, a letter must be able to convey relevant
information by answering what, who, when, where, why and how, or
any combination of these by using the least number of words.
•Conciseness, on the other hand, is the expression of ideas in the
fewest possible words without sacrificing its meaning.
The following table contains concise wordings for
unnecessary wordy phrases, which by all means should be
avoided:
Redundancy is saying the same thing twice in different words. They
should also be avoided not only because you have to economize space
but because they make your letter long and ambiguous.
Simple words should be preferred rather than complex words.
 Jargons are peculiar to particular activity or profession not be used and
so with slang which is composed of informal words with arbitrary and
extravagantly changed meanings.
According to our records Deem Please be advised
Acknowledge receipt of Enclosed herewith Please do not hesitate to
After careful consideration For your information Please find enclosed
Along this line For your perusal Upon receipt of
Any further action In accordance with Urgent attention
As a matter of fact I am pleased to inform you We acknowledge receipt of
As you are aware I have the honor We regret to advise
Attached herewith In closing, I would like to say With your kind permission
Attached hereto In your good office You can find herein
At this point in time It is imperative that you write at once
At your convenience I would like to take this opportunity
Beg to remain Needless to say
Clichés are not advisable to be used, too, for they show lack of
originality and freshness. Hence, the following should be avoided:
A no-no Point in time
Bird's eye view State of the art
Bread and butter Tried and tested
Bring home the bacon Under review
Cost-effective
Great success
It is also advisable to avoid words or phrases that sound so legal and
Latinistic. These include:

albeit thereof
aforementioned therewith
aforesaid thereon
as per per, as per
duly pursuant to
hereby re
hereof whereas
hereto
2. A good business letter is correct and
complete.
•Correctness here refers to the choice of the stationery, format
of the letter, grammar, punctuation marks, spelling and others
while completeness refers the inclusion of all pertinent data
regarding the subject matter.
3. A good business letter is courteous,
cheerful, and considerate.
Courtesy, according to Romero, et al. (1 997), is recognizing and having
respect for the value and worth of other people by being considerate,
friendly, and willing to serve.
Always try to include in your letter polite and courteous expressions
such as the following:
A. Please
B. Thank you
C. Would you mind...
D. Could you please...
E. Kindly
4. A good business letter uses concrete words.
Concrete words are words that create in the mind of the
reader a picture of what really they are by the use of
specific words.
To achieve this characteristic, choose words that show
exactly what you mean.
Avoid using abstract words which refer to concepts or
generalities; instead, focus on words you can see, touch,
smell, and feel. Be specific with your words.
 There is an increase in our salary.
There is a 10% increase in our salary.

We received your letter from your Registrar.

We received your letter from Mr. Adarito Corsino, your Registrar.
The following terms are considered abstract; hence, you should avoid
them:
5. A good business letter has character.
Avoid using overused expressions
such as the following:

Upon receipt of
According to our records
We regret
Please find enclosed
After careful consideration
Please do not hesitate to
This is to inform you
At your earliest convenience
We acknowledge receipt of