Communication in Commerce Week 4 Prof.

Riaz ud Din
Written Communication
Written communication is writing the words which we want to
communicate. It is essential for business purposes. E-mails, reports, letters and memos are
some of the ways of using written communication in business. The written communication
can be edited and amended many times before it is communicated to the second party to whom
the communication is intended. This is one of the many advantages of using writing as the
major means of communication in business activity.

Letters
Letters are the major form of external written communication that is, communication to people
outside our own company. The electronic revolution is changing the way in which we
communicate, and these changes include formats and conventions of written communication.
In the more traditional forms of written communication, our receiver will form an impression
about us based on the overall appearance and format of the message. Elements of appearance
that help produce favourable reactions are appropriate stationery and correct letter parts and
layouts.

Parts of a Business Letter:

Parts of a business letter may be divided into two parts.
A. Essential Parts or Standard Parts,
B. Non-essential Parts or Optional Parts.

A. Essential Parts or Standard Parts: Business letters include seven standard elements:
1. Heading or Letterhead,
2. Date,
3. Inside Address,
4. Salutation,
5. Body,
6. Complimentary Close,
7. Signature Block.

1. Heading or Letterhead:
The heading consists of the name of the firm and its full address. Most business
organizations use printed letterheads on which the essential details of the address are given.
Letterhead shows the organization’s name, full address, telephone number, and email address.
If letterhead stationery is not available, the heading includes a return address (but no name)
and starts from the top of the page and leaves a two-inch top margin. The heading should be
typed or written to the right of the centre of the page.

Faheem & Co.

13 New Road,
Mingora.
Telephone:
Fax:

2. Date:
If you are using letterhead, place the date at least one blank line beneath the lowest
part of the letterhead. Without letterhead, place the date immediately below the return address.
The date should be written in full, as “July 10, 2008”. Date written in figures as “10/07/2008”
 Communication in Commerce Week 4 Prof. Riaz ud Din
can cause misunderstanding about the month because in some countries the month is written
first, whereas in other the day is written first.

3. Inside Address:
The inside address identifies the recipient of the letter. It is the address of the organization to
which the letter is written. It is called inside address because the same address is also written
outside on the envelope. It begins at least one line below the date from the left of centre.

4. Salutation:
Words of respect for the recipient of a letter written on the left side are called salutation. It is
written two spaces below the inside address and followed by a comma or colon.
For Men For Women
Formal Sir Madam
Less Formal Dear Sir Dear
Madam
Dear Mr. Burhan Dear Miss
Asma

5. Body:
The body of the letter is your message. It is the most important part of the letter. It
should begin two spaces below the salutation. Almost all letters are single-spaced.

6. Complimentary Close:
The complimentary close begins on the second line below the body of the letter.
Currently, the trend seems to be toward using one-word closes, such as “Sincerely” and
“Cordially”. The complimentary close reflects the relationship between you and the person
you are writing to.

7. Signature Block:
Leave three blank lines for a written signature below the complimentary close, and
then include the sender’s name. The person’s title may appear on the same line as the name
or on the line below:

Cordially,

Burhan Khan
Director of Marketing

B. Non-Essential Parts or Optional Parts: Business letters include six optional

elements:
1. Reference Line,
2. Attention Line,
3. Subject Line,
4. Identification Line,
5. Enclosure,
6. Carbon Copies.
 Communication in Commerce Week 4 Prof. Riaz ud Din
1. Reference Line:
It denotes the reference number of letters. It enables the replies to be linked with
previous correspondence and ensure to reach to the right branch.

2. Attention Line:
Attention line is not commonly used today. It is written below the inside
address. It is used when a particular person or department in an organization is addressed.

3. Subject Line:
The subject line tells recipients at a glance what the letter is about and indicates
where to file the letter for future reference. It usually appears below the salutation, either
against the left margin, indented, or centered. It can be placed above the salutation.

4. Identification Line:
This line is used in business letters only. It is either two spaces below or on the
same line as the last line of the signature block. The initials show who dictated the letter and
who typed it. The dictator’s initial come first on the left side and the typist’s initials are placed
on the right.

Cordially,

Burhan Khan
Director of Marketing
JR: am
The identification line “JR: am” means that the letter was dictated by Jamil ur Rahman,
and the dictation was taken by Ameen Malik.

5. Enclosure:
If a letter has a copy of another letter or some documents, the word “enclosure” is
given one or two spaces below the identification line.
Encl: 3 certificates

6. Carbon Copies:
If carbon copies are sent to other persons, this should be indicated immediately
below the identification line or enclosure.
cc to Mr. Faheem
 Communication in Commerce Week 4 Prof. Riaz ud Din
SPECIMEN
12 PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

OFFICE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS

1965 Park Street No. 16
Sadar, Karachi
Your No. 241
Our No. 124 March 16, 1977

The Office Devices Company,

75 Preedy Street, Main Boulevard,
Gulberg, Lahore.

ATTENTION: PLANNING MANAGER

Gentlemen,
Subject: Parts of a Business Letter
This is in response to your letter of March 12 in which you asked us to explain the
parts of a modern business letter.
The parts of a modern business letter can be divided into two categories: the
essential and the non-essential. The essential parts are these: the heading, the date, the inside
address, the salutation, the body, the complimentary close and the signature.
The non-essential parts are these: the attention line, the subject line, identification
initials, enclosure, carbon copies.
The essential parts, as their name implies, are used in very business letter; no letter
would by complete if any one of them is missing. The non-essential parts are used only when
required. For instance, the “attention line” is used only when the sender wants his letter to
reach the table of his recipient without delay. In such a case, this line is also written outside
on the envelope.
We hope you will find this letter satisfactory. However, if there is any other point
that needs explanation, please do write us without hesitation. It will be a pleasure to be of use
to you.

Yours’ truly,
Officer Management Consultants
R.A.Sheikh
Office Manager

AR : bh
Encl.
cc.
 Communication in Commerce Week 4 Prof. Riaz ud Din
Styles or Formats of Business Letters
A letter style or format is the way of arranging all the basic letter parts. Sometimes a company
adopts a certain style as its policy. However, sometimes the individual letter writer is allowed
to choose the most appropriate style. There are different styles in fashion and it is difficult to
say which one is the best. Currently, three major letter styles or formats are commonly used
in the world:
1. Block Form,
2. Full Block Form,
3. Semi-Block Form.

1. Block Form:
This form takes its name from the fact that inside address, salutation, and
paragraphs in body of letter are arranged in blocks, without indenting the lines. Division
between inside address and salutation, between salutation and body of letter are indicated by
spacing: double space between units, and single spaces between lines. Open form of
punctuation is generally used in this form. But in Pakistan, closed form of punctuation is
preferred. The main advantage is quick and efficient preparation. This form has been accepted
as modern because it saves stenographic time by aligning each line, except date and
complimentary close, to the left margin and as a result no time is consumed in indenting the
lines.

2. Full Block Form:

This style is more modern than block form. The basic principle of this form
is that all parts of letter: date, inside address, body, complimentary close, and signature block,
must begin from left hand margin. Hence, no changes in margin are required. It makes letter
easy to type and saves time more than any other form. Open punctuation should be used in
this form.

3. Semi-Block Form:
This form is widely used in Pakistan. Heading, date, complimentary close, and
signature block begin at the horizontal of the page or are placed so that they end near the right-
hand margin. First line of each paragraph is indented five spaces. Only closed form of
punctuation is used in this form.

Punctuation Styles
1. Close Punctuation:
Parts of heading, date, inside address, salutation and complimentary close are
punctuated.
2. Standard Punctuation:
No line of heading or inside address is punctuated. After salutation and
complimentary close a comma is placed.
3. Open Punctuation:
It requires no punctuation even after salutation and complimentary close.
Communication in Commerce Week 4 Prof. Riaz ud Din
EXAMPLE OF A SEMI-BLOCK LETTER

The Office Devices Company,

Anarkali, 1662 Main Street,
Lahore

September 21, 1977

The Office Manager,

Elite Luxury Goods Company,
Elphinston Street, Karachi.

Dear Mr. Naeem,

This refers to your letter No. 549 of September 15 in which you requested me to
recommend you a suitable form for business letters. I appreciate your interest in letter
formats.

After careful consideration, I recommend the semiblock form as the most suitable
for your company. This form most popular in Pakistan because it combines the advantages
of the indented as well as the block form. The full block form, I believe, would bot be very
suitable because it is consider to be ultra-modern at this time, and their are not many
companies who have started using this kind of format for their business letters.

In the semiblock form, the block arrangement of the heading and the inside address
seems very well-placed. It is easy to type because of our habitual liking for this form. The
indented paragraphs also seem natural just as they are in books, newspapers and magazines.

Yours very truly,

A.A. Jameel
Manager
Communication in Commerce Week 4 Prof. Riaz ud Din
EXAMPLE OF A BLOCK LETTER

The Office Devices Company,

Anarkali, 1662 Main Street,
Lahore

September 21, 1977

The Correspondence Manager,

Fashion Garments Corporation,
Elphinston Street 592, Karachi.

Dear Mr. Naeem,

Thank you for your letter of September 15 in which you requested me to explain the merits
of a block form of letter. I appreciate your interest in the formats of modern business letters.

The “Block Form” is the name we give to this kind of letters. The reason of this name is
that the different parts of a letter are arranged in solid blocks. Even the body of the letter is
shaped as a block; the first line of each paragraph is not indented. Each line of the inside
address, the salutation and the body begins form the left margin without indentation. For
this reason, the secretaries and the stenographers happen to develop a liking for this form.

If you ask for my personal opinion I would certainly recommend the block form for your
company because this form is modern and saves much time of the stenographer, typists and
secretaries.

Yours very truly,

The Office Devices Company
B.A Jamal.
Communication in Commerce Week 4 Prof. Riaz ud Din
EXAMPLE OF A FULL BLOCK LETTER

The Office Devices Company,

Anarkali, 1002 Main Street,
Lahore

September 21, 1977

The Office Superintendent,

Elite Luxury Garments Company,
Elphinston Street, First Crossing, Karachi.

Dear Mr. Naeem,

Thank you for your letter of September 15 in which you have asked me to explain in details
the merits of the full block form of letter. I appreciate your great interest in the modern
forms and formats of business letters. In the following lines I have put down my opinion
of this form of letters.

The full block form of letters is the most modern form now being used by very modern and
efficient firms today. Every part of a letter in this form begins from the left margin. The
stenographers do not have to arrange or re-arranged the margin everytime they start with a
new para or the stenographer have come to like this form so much. Since your company is
a very modern one, I have no hesitation in recommending this modern from which is sure
to add efficiency to your work.

The main features of this form are evident from this letter. Our own stenographic
department have adopted this form and discarded the older ones.

Yours very truly,

For The Office Devices Company
B.A Rahman