1. The letter

2. Write down each of the following and connect them to the numbers on the following slide. 1. Letterhead and logo 2. Date 3. Close 4. Enclosures 5. Writer’s name and job status 6. Body 7. Opening 8. Reference 9. Salutation 10. Heading 11. Inside address 12. Attention line 13. Subject line 14. Main message 15. Complimentary close 16. Signature

3. Layout and Punctuation style The most commonly used layout is the fully blocked which has the following features: All letter parts begin at the left margin, but sometimes new paragraphs are indented. Only the body of the letter is punctuated. The first letter of the body is always in capitals. There are usually two or three spaces between the salutation and the body of the letter and between each paragraph.

4. Letter format Visual organisation (or format) – how a letter is presented on the page – makes the first and most important impression on the reader. A business letter is usually divided into four main parts: 1. Heading 2. Opening 3. Body 4. Close

5. Headings This contains the following items: Letterhead and logo The company identity and symbol e.g. L.Smith Company name e.g. Barry Jones & Sons Ltd. Address e.g. 100 Avenue Road Swiss Cottage London NW3 3HF EnglandTelephone e.g. +44 3456 57462

6. Date e.g. 28 October 2009 28th October 2009 (Britain) 28th October 2009 (Britain) October 28 2009 (USA) October 28 2009 (USA)

7. References This identifies the letter and will help, if there are any queries, in further correspondance. It is usually composed of the initials of the writer and a series of numbers. ‘Our ref’ refers to the company sending the letter; ‘Your ref’ refers to the company receiving the letter; e.g. Our ref: FB/cf/95 Your ref: LP/ag

8. The first two letters correspond to the intials of the writer, which are often in capital letters. The second two letters correspond to the initials of the secretary, which are often in small letters. The number correspond to a file or department.

9. Go to c.c 2

11. Opening This contains the following items: Inside address It is the recipient’s address. When you don’t know the name of the person but are writing to the holder of the job title, use ‘the’: The Sales Manager You omit ‘the’ when the name is included: Ms Jane Rolland, Sales Manager You use ‘Mr’ for a man: Mr James Alexander

12. You use ‘Mrs’ for a woman you know is married: Mrs Giovanna Zanelli You use ‘Miss’ for a woman you know is single: Miss Joan Smith You use ‘Ms’ for a woman when you don’t know her martial status: Ms Sarah House When writing to a partnership or company with one or more personal names, you can use ‘Messrs’. Nowadays this is often omitted: Messrs John Coates & Sons

13. Attention line This is used only if you want to address the letter to a specific member of the company. Remember that if you include an attention line, you must not include the recipient’s name in the inside address. The attention line should be easily visible – underlined or typed in capitals: Attention: Miss Julia Green ATTENTION: MISS JULIA GREEN ATTN: THE IMPORT MANAGER

14. Salutation The salutation follows the first line of the inside address: First line of the inside address: Messrs Jones & Smith The Sales Manager Mr John Smith Ms Jane Rolland Salutation: Dear Sirs/Gentlemen (US) Dear Sir/Madam Dear Mr Smith Dear Ms Rolland

15. Body This contains the following items: Subject line This states briefly and immediately what the subject of the letter is. It should be highlighted in some ways, for example underlined or typed in capitals: ORDER NUMBER 45 Subject: Order number 45

16. Main message This should be structured in three sections: opening section – introduces the letter and states its purpose. If there has been previous correspondence, it mentions this immediately; middle section – gives further information or detail of the purpose; closing section – conclude the letter. It usually thanks the reader for their attention and includes intention for future correspondence.

17. Close This contains the following items: Complimentary close This follows the salutation.

18. Salutation: Dear Sirs, Dear Sir/Madam Dear Mr Smith/Ms Jones Complimentary close: Yours faithfully Yours truly (US) Truly yours (US) Truly (US) Yours sincerely Sincerely (US)

19. The following can be used with any type of salutation, and are the most commonly used, especially in e-mails and faxes: Regards Kind regards Best wishes All the best

20. Signature – Writer’s name and job status The name of the writer and job status are typed under the handwritten signature. If a letter is signed by a secretary for the author of the letter, ‘p.p’ (‘on behalf of’) is inserted before the typed name. Enclosures These can be shown as follows: Enc.Encl. 2 Encs. Enclosures: 1 catalogue