Welcome to the Class on
Business Letter
By
Sayeed Anwar
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Humanities
RUET
A formal letter is also known as a business letter.
What is a business letter?
A business letter is a written or typed message from
one business party to another, from one individual to
an organization, or from one individual to another
within an organisation for business related purposes.
What is the difference between an informal
letter and a business letter?
Basically, it is the purpose and the way they
are written. An Informal Letter is written in a
conversational and friendly manner because it
is written between friends or very close
acquaintances. A business letter is written
solely for business purposes and therefore has
formal language.
For what Purposes can formal letters be
written?
◦ to apply for jobs
◦ to make an enquiry of a service,
information, etc., or to deliver such.
◦ to make an appointment.
◦ to lodge in a complaint.
◦ to apologise
◦ to recommend someone for a certain job or
position, or to recommend a service to
praise for a service offered etc.
Recognised formats
of formal letters
Full block format:
All lines are set flush with the left margin.
No paragraphs are indented.
Signer’s initials are not included in the
stenographic reference.
Block:
Date line is flush with the right margin.
Inside address, salutation, reference lines
and paragraphs set flush with the left
margin.
Complimentary close and signature are
aligned with the date.
Semi block
Date is flush with the right margin.
Inside address and salutation are set flush
with the left margin.
Paragraphs are indented.
Complimentary close and signature are
slightly to the right of the centre.
Simplified
No salutation or complimentary close.
All lines begin flush with the left margin.
Date is six lines below the letterhead.
Inside address is four or more lines below the date
line.
Subject line is in all caps, there lines below the
inside address and above the body of the letter.
Writer’s name and title are typed in caps, four or
five lines below the body of the letter.
Heading:
The heading which is also known as ‘head address’
or ‘letter head’ contains information relating to the
name of the organization and its address. It is
usually given at the top centre or top right side of
the paper. Following information are provided in the
heading.
The firm’s name, addresses, trade mark, telephone
number, telex number E-mail address, date etc.
The Heading (The Retern Address) or Letterhead -
Companies usually use printed paper where heading
or letterhead is specially designed at the top of the
sheet. It bears all the necessary information about
the organization’s identity.
Parts of a business letter
Reference number:
The number which the receiver refers in all
future correspondence is called Reference
Number. It is usually printed below the date
line or on the same line where the date is
written to the right margin.
The purpose of reference number is to
enable replies to be linked with (the
previous correspondence and to send
replies to these letters to the proper official
or department.
Parts of a business letter
Date:
The date consists of day, month and year. The
date finds its place either at the starting of left
margin or at the closing of the right margin as
the style adopted. Date enables quick
references in future and helps in prompt action
and orderly filing.
Date of writing. The month should be fully
spelled out and the year written with all four
digits October 12, 2005(12 October 2005 - UK
style). The date is aligned with the return
address. The number of the date is pronounced
as an ordinal figure, though the
endings st, nd, rd, th, are often omitted in
writing.
Parts of a business letter
Inside address:
The inside address contains the name
and/title and address of the organization of
the individual to whom the letter is written.
The inside address makes a record on the
copy which helps in identification for filing
purpose.
In a business or formal letter you should
give the address of the recipient after your
own address. Double check the correct
spelling of the recipient’s name. The Inside
Address is always on the left margin.
Parts of a business letter
Attention line:
Attention line is placed below the inside address
and above the salutations and is underlined. It
indicates the names of those for whom the letter is
meant.
Salutation:
Salutation means to greet the addressee.
The type of salutation depends on your relationship
with the recipient. As a general rule the greeting in
a business letter ends in a colon.
Dear 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)
Parts of a business letter
Subject line:
Subject line tells what the correspondence is
about. It is placed just below the salutation line.
It usually begins at the left margin and may also
begin from the centre.
Its inclusion can help the recipient in dealing
successfully with the aims of your letter.
Normally the subject sentence is preceded with
the word Subject: or Re: Subject line may be
emphasized by underlining, using bold font, or
all capital letters. It is usually placed one line
below the greeting but alternatively can be
located directly after the ‘inside address’and
before the ‘greeting’.
Parts of a business letter
Body of the letter:
It is that part of the letter which contains the
message to be converged. It is the most
important part of the letter and usually
consists of three to four paragraphs. The first
paragraph begins the letter and builds up a
relationship with the reader.
The second paragraph contains the proper
subject matter. It is the main paragraph of the
letter. The third paragraph usually is an
extension of the second paragraph.
Parts of a business letter
Body of the letter:
The fourth or the closing paragraph brings the
letter to an end. It must be natural and logical
must be final and complete. Closing with an
important statement, a question, an offer or a
request leaves the door open for further
communication.
The body is where you explain why you’re writing.
Make sure the receiver knows who you are and
why you are writing but try to avoid starting with
"I". Use a new paragraph when you wish to
introduce a new idea or element into your letter.
Parts of a business letter
Formal close/The Complimentary Close:
It is also known as subscription. It is merely a polite way
of ending a letter. It is written below the last paragraph
of the body of the letter, either at the left side or at the
right side, depending on the style of letter. The
subscription should be corresponding to the salutation.
This is where you end the letter, make sure to have an
appropriate sign-off. Notice that only the first letter is
capitalized, and is always followed by a comma.
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)
Parts of a business letter
Signature block/Slot:
Signature is the assent of the writer to the
subject matter of the letter and is a practical
necessity. It is usually hand written and
contains the writers name, status,
department, firm etc. Signature is put just
below the complementary close. The
signature is the last part of the letter.
Parts of a business letter
Enclosures:
Sometimes some documents like price list
catalogue etc are attached with the letter.
Enclosures mention the documents which are
enclosed or attached with the letter. The
enclosures usually find their place at the
bottom left margin. Enclosures To make sure
that the recipient knows that items accompany
the letter in the same envelope, use such
indications as "Enclosure," "Encl.," "Enclosures
(2)." For example, if you send a resume and
writing sample with your application letter,
you'd do this: "Encl.: Resume and Writing
Sample." If the enclosure is lost, the recipient
will know.
Parts of a business letter
Postscript:
PS as it is commonly known as is something
written after the letter is closed. It is usually
done to give any extra message. It should be
very precise and to the point.
‘C C’ or carbon copy notation:
When copies of the letter are meant to be sent
to more than one person it is mentioned under
‘CC’ or carbon copy Notation. The names of the
person to whom copies are to be sent should be
written adjacent to the left margin. Copies If
you send copies of a letter to others.
Parts of a business letter
Reference Initial:
When typed initials are put it refers to
reference initials. These are useful for office
checking. They are typed adjacent to the left
margin.
Initials: The initials in all capital letters are
those of the writer of the letter, and the
ones in lower case letters just after the
colon are those of the typist.
MSA/fh
What guidelines should I keep in Mind when
writing for Business purposes?
Firstly, Know your purpose for writing. Ask
yourself questions like:
Why am I writing this formal letter?
What response do I want from the recipient (s)?
What do I hope to achieve from writing this formal
letter?
Indeed, what is my goal?
Giving 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.
