Business Correspondence Introduction to Letter Writing - Letter Layout

Study this example of a business letter 1.letterhead 2.Date 3.recipient’s address 4.Salutation 5. Subject line 6.Body of the letter Close 7. Signature

Layout (the structure of a letter) The letter shows the basic features of a business letter. It is written in the blocked style/format. The format is commonly used for business letters and formal correspondence. The main features of the blocked style are: All lines begin at the left-hand margin. The lines and parahraphs are not indented. No punctuation marks are necessary in the reference, date, address, salutation and closing section. This is called ‘open punctuation’. The essential parts of a business letter layout are presented below:

1. Sender’s Address/Letterhead Many companies use letterhead paper (headed paper) which displays their address and the logo. In correspondence that does not have a letterhead, the sender’s address is placed in the top right-hand corner. It is also acceptable to place it in the top left-hand corner.

2.Date The date should always be shown in full - the names of months should not be abbreviated The month in the date should not be written in figures to avoid confusion between American English and British English: 12. 06.2011 - the date means 12th June 2011 in BrE the date means 6th December 2011 in AmE It is acceptable to write the date with or without the abbreviations -th or –nd, eg. 12th June 2011 or 12 June 2011 – whichever you choose be consistent throughout your correspondence

3. Recipient’s Name and Address The recipient’s address is put on the left against the margin The recommended order is as follows: - name of the recipient followed by his/her job title (if known) - name of the company - name of house or building - number of building and name of street or road - name of town or city and postcode - name of country The name of the recipient should be preceded by an appropriate courtesy title and include either the person’s initial/s or his/her first name: Mr John Smith or MR J.E. Smith NOT Mr Smith

4. Salutation and the complimentary close Salutation is a greeting which opens the letter and begins with Dear followed by the courtesy title and the person’s surname (initials or first names not included) If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, begin your letter with Dear Sir or Madam. Complimentary close is a polite expression bringing a letter to a close. It must match the salutation. Salutation status complimentary close Dear Mr married or unmarried man Yours sincerely Dear Mrs married female Dear Miss unmarried female Dear Ms married or unmarried female Dear Sir male – name not known Yours faithfully Dear Madame female – name not known Dear Sir/Madam when not sure if the addressee is a male or female

5. Subject line The subject line is often included in business letters and it is typed immediately below the salutation The purpose of the subject line is to state the topic of the letter clearly.

6.Body of the letter The body of a letter should be divided into paragraphs to separate the various points raised. The body of the letter often requires careful planning. You might find it useful to follow the framework below. 1. Introduction: refers to previous correspondence or gives the reason for writing; introduces the subject. 2. Details: gives/asks for the information and details, states facts; It might be necessary to divide this section into more paragraphs as you give information about different issues. 3. Action: refers to what you will do (your response to the issues mentioned) or what you want the reader to do Final paragraph: a conclusion to the points raised in the letter; may contain a standard expression, which should be relevant to the content of the message, e.g. I look forward to hearing from you soon only if the response is I look forward to receiving your reply expected

7. Signature block and enclosure The signature block should consist of your handwritten signature and necessarily your typed signature below. If relevant, type your job title immediately below your typed signature. If there is anything you enclose to your letter, remember to place ‘Enc.’ under your signature

Useful links http://www.ehow.com/list_6684034_essential-parts-business-letters.html http://www.ehow.com/how_7878269_form-block-style-letter.html http://www.letterwritingguide.com/businessletterformat.htm Different letter formats: http://rwc.hunter.cuny.edu/reading-writing/on-line/b-letter.html