BUSINESS COMMUNICATION LECTURE NO. 6 BUSINESS LETTERS FOTMATS & STYLES

KINDS OF LETTER FORMATS/STYLES Full Block Format Modified Block AMS Simplified Memo format Hanging paragraph format Official letter style.

BUSINESS LETTER FORMATS / STYLES The Details & Sketched of the above Letters are given on the following:

BUSINESS LETTER FORMATS / STYLES Block or Full block format Here the date, inside address, salutation, paragraphs, and complimentary close begin flush with the left margin. In other words no lines will have any indentation. The heading (name and address f the company sending the letter) may be centered or flush with the left margin. Open punctuation (no punctuation) is a characteristic of this format, but you may also use mixed punctuation. Some companies have a letterhead at the right side.

Block or Full block format

THE HEADING _____________ Date _____________ _______________________________ _________ Inside Address ________ ___________Subject Line______ ___________ Salutation ___________   First Paragraph _____________ __________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________. Subsequent Paragraph(s) __________________________________________________ Body ________________________ Last Paragraph Complimentary Close ____________Signature___________

Modified block or Semi block format. This format has two versions. 1. Paragraph begins at the left margin without any indentation. Date and complimentary close appear at the center or at the right of the letter mixed punctuation is used but open punctuation may also be used. 2. Paragraphs are indented. Other things will remain the same as above.

MODIFIED BLOCK FORMAT

THE HEADING Date _____________ _________ Inside Address _________ _______________________________ ___________Subject Line__________ ___________ Salutation ___________   First Paragraph _____________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________. Subsequent Paragraph(s) __________________________________________________ Body ________________________ Last Paragraph Complimentary Close ____________Signature___________

AMS Simplified Administrative management society of the US has suggested this style. All lines begin flush with the left margin. Here you omit salutation and complimentary close. It is modern and time saving format. It uses a subject line in place of salutation. Name should be used in the first line of the first paragraph.

AMS Simplified Format

HEADING Date _____________ _______________________________ _________ Inside Address _________   SUBJECT LINE _________________ First Paragraph _______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________. Subsequent Paragraph(s) __________________________________________________ Body ________________________ _______________________________________________. Last Paragraph __________________ SIGNATURE AREA

Hanging Paragraph You can use this format only in sales and advertising letters , all lines of the letter body are indented except the first line of each paragraph, which begins flush with the left margin,

Hanging Paragraph

HEADING Date _____________ _______________________________ _________ Inside Address _________ ___________Subject Line__________ ___________ Salutation ___________ First Paragraph ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Subsequent Paragraph(s) ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Last Paragraph ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Complimentary Close _____________    _______________________________ __________Signature Area _________

BUSINESS LETTER FORMATS / STYLES Official Letter style Public and government officials as well as business persons use this style; it may be blocked or modified blocked. The inside address appears some lines below the last line of the signature, and this is the main feature of this type of format.

Official Letter Style

Official Letter style THE HEADING Date _____________ ___________ Subject Line ___________ ___________Salutation __________ First Paragraph _______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________. Subsequent Paragraph(s) __________________________________________________ Body _______________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Last Paragraph   Complimentary Close _______________________________ ____________Signature___________ _________ Inside Address _________