English for Engineers

Unit 3: ADVANCED BUSINESS LETTER WRITING

Faculty Name :Dr. A Palchoudhury, Mrs. A. Shenoy,

Mrs. N. Narwani, Miss M. Jawale
ADVANCED BUSINESS LETTER WRITING

Principles of Letter
Writing
7 C’s of ADVANCED BUSINESS LETTER WRITING

Lecture 2 – Principle Of letter

3 writing
Principles of Official Correspondence(7 C’s)

• 1. Courtesy
• 2. Consideration(You Attitude)
• 3. Clarity
• 4. correctness
• 5. Conciseness
• 6. Concreteness
• 7. Completeness

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Courtesy( Being Polite)

• Courtesy is the basic principle of social relationship

• Courtesy is required to win the friends in personal ,professional and social life
• The letter written in rude tone can damage your reputation
E.g. Incorporate following words in your letter to make it courteous
-WE ARE SORRY TO INFORM YOU.
-MANY THANKS FOR WRITING US.
- WE REGRET
- WE APOLOGISE
- WE APPRECIATE etc,

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Cosideration
(You Attitude)

• 1. Considerate approach means taking care of readers ‘ interest , desire and needs.
• 2. Addressing an organization as an individual and not as crowd and this is why there
should be use of WE and YOU pronounce in the business letter.
• 3. Conveying bad news in a very thoughtful manner........First convey the reason of and
then the actual information .
Eg. We regret our inability that we cannot accept your request of 10 days leave this time.

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Clarity

Be clear

 Clarity demands the right use of language and use of appropriate punctuations.
 Clarity in thought and words is required
 Use simple words for Eg. Instead of “visualize” use “see”
 Use single words instead of long phrases for Eg. Instead of “at the present time”
use “now”
 Use verbs in place nouns for Eg. Instead of “come to a conclusion” use
“Conclude”
 Avoid the use of Jargons
 Avoid ambiguity

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writing
Correctness

Be correct

 Transmit correct facts and accurate information to the best of sender’s

knowledge
 Appropriate formats like complete block , semi block and modified block should
be used to write the letter
 Avoid spelling mistake and other language errors
 Use the correct tone

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writing
Conciseness

Be Concise

 Use short sentences

 Give only necessary details
 Avoid wordy redundant expressions
 Be direct
 Conciseness makes the message understandable and comprehensible
Example: Pease find enclosed my resume herewith
Concise – I have enclosed my resume

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writing
Concreteness

Be concrete and specific

 Business letters should be specific, definite, unambiguous and vivid rather than
vague and general
 Use specific facts and figures
 Include only relevant facts
 Choose powerful and image building words
 Give specific details

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writing
Completeness

Be Complete

 A business letter should be complete in all aspects

 Relevant details should be provided to the recipient
 Message should be complete leaving no scope for doubt or misunderstanding
 Check for the five “WH” questions : Who, What, When , Why and How

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writing
ADVANCED BUSINESS LETTER WRITING

Parts of Business
Letter
Parts of a business letter

Essential Parts

1. Letter Head
2. Date Line
3. Inside Address
4. Salutation
5. Body
6. Complimentary Close
7. Signature Block

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Parts of Business Letter

Optional Parts

1 Reference Number
2 Confidential Notation
3 Attention Line
4 Subject Line
5 Identification Line
6 Enclosure

Lecture3- Parts of Business

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letter
Letter Head

1. Includes the name of the organization,

address , contact number, website and
other details.
2. Usually placed at the top center of the
page
3. Should appear one line above the date in
the format
4. Provides ready reference to the receiver
about the sender’s contact information

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Date Line

1. This refers to the date on which the letter

was written
2. Shows the day of the month, the month
and the year
3. Position of the date depends on the
format of the letter
4. Date is placed two spaces below the
heading or the sender’s address
5. Provides a record of correspondence and
helps in filing letters

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Inside Address

1. Contains the name, official designation

and complete postal address of the
recipient
2. It is placed one line below the date
3. It should be left justified no matter what
format is being used
4. Provides ready reference when replying
to the letter
5. Helps in filing the letter

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Salutation

1. It is greeting the recipient of the letter

2. Type of salutation depends on your
relationship with the recipient
3. It normally begin with the word DEAR
4. It is placed two spaces below the inside
address or the attention line or the
subject line if used
5. Always aligned to the left margin

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Body of the Letter

1. Body of the business letter should be

divided into three paragraphs
2. First paragraph must concisely explain
the purpose of the letter
3. Next paragraph should give details
pertaining to the letter
4. The last paragraph should restate the
purpose and course of action expected
5. Content should begin one space below
the subject line or salutation
6. Alignment of paragraph will depend on
the type of format used

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Complimentary Close

1. Complimentary close should consist a

single word or a phrase which follows the
body of the letter.
2. It is placed one line after the last one
space below the last paragraph of the
main body.
3. It appears on the right side followed by a
comma in Semi Block and Modified
Block ; in the Full Block, it appears on
the left and there is no punctuation after
the closing.
4. It is a courteous expression signifying the
close of the letter

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Signature Block

1. Signature Block includes signature, name

and official designation of the sender.
2. It is placed directly below the
complimentary close. In the Full Block it
is written to the left of the page and in
Semi and Modified Block it appears to the
right.
3. It gives credibility to the letter and makes
the writer accountable for the contents of
the letter

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ADVANCED BUSINESS LETTER WRITING

Optional Parts and

Types of a Business
Letter
Optional Elements of a Business Letter

1. Reference Number

 It consists of both alphabetical and numerical characters to indicate details like

letter number, department, year etc.
 Some letter heads have provision for references on the left hand corner of the
heading
 It helps to locate the letter for future reference and proper filing of the letter
 Eg- Your reference: 2/FA/2020
 Our reference: 34/GF/2020

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Optional Elements of a Business Letter

2. Attention Line

 It contains the name of the person whom the sender would like the letter to
reach
 The attention line contains the word attention followed by a colon and the name
of the department or individual
 Attention line is placed two spaces below the Inside Address and two spaces
above Salutation
 Attention Line ensures immediate attention and prompt action
 Eg: Attention : Dr Aniket Shah

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Optional Elements of a Business Letter

3. Subject line

 Usually consist of the word subject followed by a colon

 It gives in brief the central idea of the letter
 It may be placed before or after the salutation
 It tells the reader what the letter is about, facilitates filing work and is useful for
quick reference
 Eg: Subject : Enquiry about stellar music system

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Optional Elements of a Business Letter

4. Identification Line

 It consists of two sets of initials separated by a colon

 The sender’s initiates are capitalized and the typist’s are in lower case
 The identification line is typed two spaces below the signature block aligned to
the left margin
 Helps to pinpoint responsibility in organizations where the volume of
correspondence is huge
 Eg : SV : ck

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Optional Elements of a Business Letter

5. Enclosure

 This informs the receiver that additional documents like cheques, bills , invoices,
certificates etc. are attached with the letter
 Enclosure line is typed one space below the signature aligned to the left margin
 Eg : Encl : 1. Purchase Receipt
2. Quotation

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Format of Business Letters

Complete Block Form

 All parts of the letter except the printed letter head are aligned with the left
margin
 Paragraph beginnings are not spaced
 Open punctuation is followed

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Full Block Form

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Format of Business Letters

Modified Block Form

 All parts of the letter except the letter head, date complimentary close are
aligned with the right margin.
 Paragraph beginnings are not spaced
 Mixed punctuation is followed

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Modified Block

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ADVANCED BUSINESS LETTER WRITING

REQUEST/ PERMISSION
LETTERS
Types of Business Letter

Request/ Permission Letters

• Request/ Permission letters are written very often at the organizational

level to seek or grant permission for taking leave or using some
resources or even requesting a promotion or raise in salary.
• Direct requests should be persuasive in nature.
• The letter should be drafted carefully as the sender is requesting for
something.
• The ideas and sentences should be linked to each other in a coherent
manner.
• It should not be too long and convoluted or else the essence of the
request will be lost.

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Types of Business Letters

Request/ Permission Letter.... Cont.

 The content should be brief, clear and to the point, so that the reader
is able to decipher the intent of the letter.
 To create an impact, the main idea should be stated first with all the
necessary details.
 The idea requesting some action should be worded carefully, so that
there is no scope for ambiguity.
 The reader should also indicate how the receiver will gain by complying
with the request.
 If there are more than one request, then they should be clearly stated
by breaking them into separate points.
 Statements like “ Thanking you in advance”, “ Waiting for a positive
reply” should be avoided.
 Use statements like “ I would be grateful if.....” or “ I would appreciate”.

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ADVANCED BUSINESS LETTER WRITING

Types of Business
Letters: Sales Letters,
Claim and Adjustment
Letters, E-mails
Types of Business letter

SALES LETTERS

 Sales letters are a good means of promoting products and services.

 Well drafted sales letters appeal to the customers.
 Sales letter has to be composed in a systematic , logical and easy to
comprehend pattern.
 Sales potential of the product or service needs to be communicated in
clear terms.
 Sales letters are written with the purpose of :
i. Attracting new customers.
ii. Promoting special features of a product or service.
iii. Targeting old customers.
iv. Facilitating widespread sales of goods/services.

Lecture 8- Claim and

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Adjustment letter
Types of Letters

Sales Letters

It is imperative to follow AIDA principle while drafting sales letters.

1.Attention: Introductory paragraph should be catchy and captivating.
Appealing to the reader’s sensibility is required in the opening paragraph.
2.Interest: Interesting features of the product will sustain the reader’s interest.
3.Desire: Creating desire in the mind of the potential customer will make him
take the next step of purchasing the product.
4.Action: The customer should be motivated to place order immediately for
procuring the product. Offers , discounts and complimentary free gifts can be
promised at the close of the letter.

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Emails

Format of Emails

1.Email messages are similar to memos used to communicate information

or ask questions.
2.Brief information is communicated through emails.
3. While drafting official emails , audience and purpose should be carefully
taken into consideration.
4. A formal tone should be used to write the message.
5. Grammatical and spelling errors should be avoided or it will create a
poor image of the company.
6. Email content should not be more than 200 words.

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Emails

Language and Style of Emails

Some guidelines for drafting effective emails

1.Organize your thoughts
2.Use the subject line effectively
3.Keep the message brief and to the point
4.Be conscious of your tone
5.Be informal, not sloppy
6.Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph
7.Proofread the message before sending it
8.Include a signature block
9.Don’t forget to attach the attachments
10.Never send inappropriate messages or share confidential information

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Emails

Features of Effective Emails

The following norms should be kept in mind while passing official information
through emails.
1. Respond quickly
2. Be considerate
3. Consider the file size
4. Avoid sending group emails and junk mails
5. Avoid using abbreviations and emoticons

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CLAIM LETTER

• Objectives of writing claim letter

• 1. To secure the services and products that are due to us.
• 2. To bring the mistake or error in the notice of those who own the responsibility.
• 3. To secure the desirable claim.

• NOTE- A claim letter should not be written in angry tone.

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Claim letter

• Following points should be included in claim letter.

• 1. A statement of what has gone wrong by introducing
the product (give order no., date of purchase, bill no.,
model no. Etc.)
• 2. What inconvenience it has caused to you.
• 3. An appeal to the reputation, honesty and fair play of
the seller.
• 4. What adjustment you consider fair.

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Adjustment Letter

• An adjustment letter is reply to a claim

letter.

• Good organizations always welcome claim

letter as it gives them chance to review their
working style .

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Adjustment Letter

• There are two objectives that should be achieved by writing an

adjustment letter.
• 1. Safeguard the reputation of the organization.
• 2. satisfy the customer by providing suitable adjustment

• There are two types of adjustment letters

• 1. Where claim is accepted as demanded by the customer.
• 2. Where claim is rejected and a perfect and satisfactory
explanation is given to the buyer.

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Following points should be included in an adjustment
letter.

• 1. Be grateful to the customer for writing and bringing the mistake in your notice.
• 2. Give an explanation for why the mistake has occurred.
• 3. Be apologetic for the inconvenience caused to the customer.
• 4. Accept the claim graciously.
• 5. If the claim is not accepted then give satisfactory explanation of rejecting it.
• 6. Assure the buyer that such mistake will not happen in future.
• 7. If the claim letter that you have received is in angry tone, you should always reply it in
a courteous way and polite tone.

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Thank You