Writing the Basic

Business Letter
By Professor Dave
Parts of a Business Letter
 Date
 Sender's Address
 Inside Address
 Salutation
 Body
 Closing
 Enclosures
 Typist initials
Date
 The date line is used to indicate the date the letter was
written. However, if your letter is completed over a
number of days, use the date it was finished in the date
line. When writing to companies within the United States,
use the American date format. (The United States-based
convention for formatting a date places the month before
the day. For example: June 11, 2001. ) Write out the
month, day and year two inches from the top of the
page. Depending which format you are using for your
letter, either left justify the date or center it horizontally.
Sender's Address
 Including the address of the sender is optional. If
you choose to include it, place the address one
line below the date. Do not write the sender's
name or title, as it is included in the letter's
closing. Include only the street address, city and
zip code. Another option is to include the
sender's address directly after the closing
signature.
 Inside Address
The inside address is the recipient's address. It is always
best to write to a specific individual at the firm to which you
are writing. If you do not have the person's name, do some
research by calling the company or speaking with
employees from the company. Include a personal title such
as Ms., Mrs., Mr., or Dr. Follow a woman's preference in
being addressed as Miss, Mrs., or Ms. If you are unsure of a
woman's preference in being addressed, use Ms. If there is
a possibility that the person to whom you are writing is a Dr.
or has some other title, use that title. Usually, people will not
mind being addressed by a higher title than they actually
possess. To write the address, use the U.S. Post Office
Format. For international addresses, type the name of the
country in all-capital letters on the last line. The inside
address begins one line below the sender's address or one
inch below the date. It should be left justified, no matter
which format you are using.
Salutation
 Use the same name as the inside address, including the personal
title. If you know the person and typically address them by their first
name, it is acceptable to use only the first name in the salutation (for
example: Dear Lucy:). In all other cases, however, use the personal
title and full name followed by a colon. Leave one line blank after the
salutation.
 If you don't know a reader's gender, use a nonsexist salutation,
such as "To Whom it May Concern." It is also acceptable to use the
full name in a salutation if you cannot determine gender. For
example, you might write Dear Chris Harmon: if you were unsure of
Chris's gender.
Body
 For block and modified block formats, single space and
left justify each paragraph within the body of the letter.
Leave a blank line between each paragraph. When
writing a business letter, be careful to remember that
conciseness is very important. In the first paragraph,
consider a friendly opening and then a statement of the
main point. The next paragraph should begin justifying
the importance of the main point. In the next few
paragraphs, continue justification with background
information and supporting details. The closing
paragraph should restate the purpose of the letter and, in
some cases, request some type of action.
Closing
 The closing begins at the same horizontal point
as your date and one line after the last body
paragraph. Capitalize the first word only (for
example: Thank you) and leave four lines
between the closing and the sender's name for a
signature. If a colon follows the salutation, a
comma should follow the closing; otherwise,
there is no punctuation after the closing.
Enclosures
 If you have enclosed any documents along with
the letter, such as a resume, you indicate this
simply by typing Enclosures one line below the
closing. As an option, you may list the name of
each document you are including in the
envelope. For instance, if you have included
many documents and need to ensure that the
recipient is aware of each document, it may be a
good idea to list the names.
Typist initials
 Typist initials are used to indicate the
person who typed the letter. If you typed
the letter yourself, omit the typist initials.
A Note About Format and Font
 When writing business letters, you must pay
special attention to the format and font used.
The most common layout of a business letter is
known as block format. Using this format, the
entire letter is left justified and single spaced
except for a double space between paragraphs.
Another widely utilized format is known as
modified block format. In this type, the body of
the letter is left justified and single-spaced.
However, the date and closing are in alignment
in the center of the page. The final, and least
used, style is semi-block. It is much like the
modified block style except that each paragraph
is indented instead of left justified.
 If your computer is equipped with Microsoft
Office 2000/3, the Letter Wizard can be used to
take much of the guesswork out of formatting
business letters. To access the Letter Wizard,
click on the Tools menu and then choose Letter
Wizard. The Wizard will present the three styles
mentioned here and input the date, sender
address and recipient address into the selected
format. Letter Wizard should only be used if you
have a basic understand of how to write a
business letter. Its templates are not applicable
in every setting. Therefore, you should consult a
business writing handbook if you have any
questions or doubt the accuracy of the Letter
Wizard.
 Another important factor in the readability
of a letter is the chosen font. The generally
accepted font is Times New Roman, size
12, although other fonts such as Arial may
be used. When choosing a font, always
consider your audience. If you are writing
to a conservative company, you may want
to use Times New Roman. However, if you
are writing to a more liberal company, you
have a little more freedom when choosing
fonts.
 As far as punctuation after the salutation
and closing is concerned, the standard is
to use a colon after the salutation (never a
comma) and a comma after the closing.
There is also a less accepted format,
known as open punctuation, in which
punctuation is excluded after the salutation
and the closing.
Sample Letters
Block Format

March 16, 2001

Ernie English
1234 Writing Lab Lane
Write City, IN 12345

Dear Mr. English:

The first paragraph of a typical business letter is used to state the main point of the letter. Begin with a friendly opening; then
quickly transition into the purpose of your letter. Use a couple of sentences to explain the purpose, but do not go in to detail
until the next paragraph.

Beginning with the second paragraph, state the supporting details to justify your purpose. These may take the form of
background information, statistics or first-hand accounts. A few short paragraphs within the body of the letter should be
enough to support your reasoning.

Finally, in the closing paragraph, briefly restate your purpose and why it is important. If the purpose of your letter is
employment related, consider ending your letter with your contact information. However, if the purpose is informational, think
about closing with gratitude for the reader's time.

Sincerely,

Lucy Letter
123 Winner's Road
New Employee Town, PA 12345
Modified Block Format
March 16, 2001

Ernie English
1234 Writing Lab Lane
Write City, IN 12345

Dear Mr. English:

The first paragraph of a typical business letter is used to state the main point of the letter. Begin with a friendly opening;
then quickly transition into the purpose of your letter. Use a couple of sentences to explain the purpose, but do not go in
to detail until the next paragraph.

Beginning with the second paragraph, state the supporting details to justify your purpose. These may take the form of
background information, statistics or first-hand accounts. A few short paragraphs within the body of the letter should be
enough to support your reasoning.

Finally, in the closing paragraph, briefly restate your purpose and why it is important. If the purpose of your letter is
employment related, consider ending your letter with your contact information. However, if the purpose is informational,
think about closing with gratitude for the reader's time.

Sincerely,

Lucy Letter
Semi-Block Format

March 16, 2001

Ernie English
1234 Writing Lab Lane
Write City, IN 12345

Dear Mr. English:

The first paragraph of a typical business letter is used to state the main point of the letter. Begin with a friendly opening;
then quickly transition into the purpose of your letter. Use a couple of sentences to explain the purpose, but do not go in to
detail until the next paragraph.

Beginning with the second paragraph, state the supporting details to justify your purpose. These may take the form of
background information, statistics or first-hand accounts. A few short paragraphs within the body of the letter should be
enough to support your reasoning.

Finally, in the closing paragraph, briefly restate your purpose and why it is important. If the purpose of your letter is
employment related, consider ending your letter with your contact information. However, if the purpose is informational,
think about closing with gratitude for the reader's time.

Sincerely,

Lucy Letter
Samples of Text used
in Business Writing
The Start

 Dear Personnel Director,

 Dear Sir or Madam: (use if you don't know who
you are writing to)
 Dear Dr, Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms Smith: (use if you
know who you are writing to, and have a formal
relationship with - VERY IMPORTANT use Ms for
women unless asked to use Mrs or Miss)
 Dear Frank: (use if the person is a close business
contact or friend)
The Reference
 With reference to your advertisement in
the Times, your letter of 23 rd March,
your phone call today,
Thank you for your letter of March 5 th .
The Reason for Writing
 I am writing to inquire about
apologize for
confirm
Requesting
 Could you possibly?
I would be grateful if you could
Agreeing to Requests
 I would be delighted to
Giving Bad News
 Unfortunately
I am afraid that
Enclosing Documents
 I am enclosing
Please find enclosed
Enclosed you will find
Closing Remarks
 Thank you for your help Please contact us
again if we can help in any way.
there are any problems.
you have any questions.
Reference to Future Contact
 I look forward to ...
hearing from you soon.
meeting you next Tuesday.
seeing you next Thursday.
The Finish
 Yours faithfully, (If you don't know the
name of the person you're writing to)
 Yours sincerely, (If you know the name of
the person you're writing to)
 Best wishes,
 Best regards, (If the person is a close
business contact or friend)
 Sample Letter
Here is a sample letter using some of these forms:

Ken's Cheese House

34 Chatley Avenue
Seattle, WA 98765
Tel:
Fax:
Email: kenny@cheese.com

October 23, 2006

Fred Flintstone
Sales Manager
Cheese Specialists Inc.
456 Rubble Road
Rockville, IL

Dear Mr Flintstone:

With reference to our telephone conversation today, I am writing to confirm your order for: 120 x Cheddar Deluxe Ref. No.
856

The order will be shipped within three days via UPS and should arrive at your store in about 10 days.
Please contact us again if we can help in any way.

Yours sincerely,

Kenneth Beare
Director of Ken's Cheese House
Business Letter
Writing: Enquiries -
Asking for Information
 We write an enquiry when we want to ask for
more information concerning a product, service
or other information about a product or service
that interests us. These letters are often written
in response to an advertisement that we have
seen in the paper, a magazine, a commercial on
television when we are interested in purchasing
a product, but would like more information
before making a decision.
 Remember to place your or your company's
address at the top of the letter (or use your
company's letterhead) followed by the address
of the company you are writing to. The date can
either be placed double spaced down or to the
right.
Important Language to
Remember
 The Start: Dear Sir or Madam
To Whom It May Concern - (very formal as you do not know the
person to whom you are writing)
 Giving Reference: With reference to your advertisement (ad) in...
Regarding your advertisement (ad) in ...
 Requesting a Catalogue, Brochure, Etc.: After the reference, add
a comma and continue - ... , would (Could) you please send me ...
 Requesting Further Information: I would also like to know ...
Could you tell me whether ...
 Signature: Yours faithfully - (very formal as you do not know the
person to whom you are writing)
 An example letter
Kenneth Beare
2520 Visita Avenue
Olympia, WA 98501

Jackson Brothers
3487 23rd Street
New York, NY 12009
 
September 12, 2000
 
To Whom It May Concern:

With reference to your advertisement in yesterday's New York Times, could you please send me a copy of your latest
catalogue. I would also like to know if it is possible to make purchases online.
 
Yours faithfully  
(Signature)
 
 
Kenneth Beare
Administrative Director
English Learners & Company
Business Letter
Writing: Responding
to Inquiries and
Requests for
Information
 It is very important to make a good impression
when responding to inquiries from potential
customers. Of course, the best impression will
be made by providing the materials or
information that the perspective client has asked
for, this positive impression will be improved by
a well written response.
 Remember to place your or your company's
address at the top of the letter (or use your
company's letterhead) followed by the address
of the company you are writing to. The date can
either be placed double spaced down or to the
right. You can also include a reference number
for correspondence.
Important Language to
Remember
The Start:
 Dear Mr, Ms (Mrs, Miss VERY IMPORTANT use Ms for women unless asked to use
Mrs or Miss)
Thanking the Potential Customer for His/Her Interest:
 Thank you for your letter of ... inquiring (asking for information) about ...
We would like to thank you for your letter of ... inquiring (asking for information)
about ...
Providing Requested Materials:
 We are pleased to enclose ...
Enclosed you will find ...
We enclose ...
Providing Additional Information:
 We would also like to inform you ...
Regarding your question about ...
In answer to your question (inquiry) about ...
Closing a Letter Hoping for Future Business:
 We look forward to ... hearing from you / receiving your order / welcoming you as our
client (customer).
Signature:
 Yours sincerely (remember use 'Yours faithfully' when you don't know the name of the
person you are writing and 'Yours sincerely' when you do.